Reading Process System & Strategies

 I find it incredibly interesting to read about the “reading process system” that is discussed in Johnson and Keier’s Catching Readers Before They Fall. It seems fairly straightforward when reading about the thinking strategies, such as Maintaining Fluency, Inferring, Self-Monitoring, Visualizing, Questioning, etc. However, when all of these strategies are working together harmoniously in the accomplished reader’s head, it is easy to forget that emerging readers are still struggling to make some of these connections. While analyzing the reading process system I was reminded of the systems and strategies I learned about last semester that children use to do mathematics. As an adult, I take many of these strategies for granted when I perform mathematical calculations in my head and this seems very similar to the reading strategies that I take for granted when I’m reading a text. Knowing this has allowed me to slow down and take inventory of the reading strategies that I put to use every time I open a book or turn on the computer or go to a restaurant. Being aware of the strategies I implement when reading can only help me, as a future educator, assist students from emerging readers to accomplished booklovers.

Another great reason to explore the reading process system is to aid what Johnson and Keier refer to as the “struggling reader”. These readers might struggle with letters, sounds, or vocabulary, which makes it even more important to embed this kind of teaching in an environment where students are learning about a multitude of reading strategies. Johnson and Keier tell us that every reader uses the same reading process; however, it is up to the educator to create an individual track for each student that takes advantage of their reading process skills and addresses their difficulties along the way. This idea of individualizing a reading program for each student is driven by Vygotsky’s concept of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). This concept refers to the “zone” in which studies are not too easy or too difficult for students. They can work through exercises with assistance and fruitfully struggle to gain knowledge.

Last semester we spoke briefly about this concept of ZPD in a mathematics course. As students benefit from working in their ZPD while progressing their knowledge of mathematics, so do they benefit from reading and writing in their ZPD. Johnson and Keier write that educators too often let children trudge through exercises that are too difficult or instruct students on simple exercises that are merely busy work. As a future educator, I see the struggle of finding where that particular ZPD is for each student, but it is undoubtedly a struggle that needs to be had.

Literacy Dig

I took part in a community literacy dig this week along with 5 other peers. We formed an observation team and chose a location in our community that we could observe literacy at work, a local bus. We all took our places in the bus and observed how literacy played a role in that environment. We split the observation into five tasks: recording the physical environment, recording the people and activities, observing conversations, recording written or spoken vocabulary that is unique to the environment, and observing evidence of the use of literacy. We recorded our data for 30 minutes and came together as a group and discussed our observations.

My particular task was to observe and record vocabulary that was unique to the environment in the bus. This includes words or phrases that would be out of place in another environment, but are necessary for passengers to navigate this environment. Examples of the vocabulary I observed include, Welcome Aboard, Stop Requested, Next Stop…, Pass, Boarding, Exact Change, BT logo. Though much of the vocabulary was not unique to the bus environment, it does seem to be unique to transportation environments in general. Many transportation settings such as airports or train stations, use this vocabulary as a means of communication that the passenger must be familiar with to successfully navigate the environment.

As we came together as a group, we found that literacy was being used in many different forms. The spoken word was being used by passengers to communicate with each other and the bus driver. Some passengers had conversations, while other passengers sat silently, waiting for their destination. The conversations were very informal and seemed to be a way to pass the time while in the bus. Written words were used to communicate instructions, directions, warnings, and advertisements. While the announcements over the intercom system, maps of the bus route, and safety warnings have an important role to play in the successful use of the bus by the passengers, the abundance of advertisements that are squeezed above the windows play no role in the everyday use of a bus system. They are cleverly placed to draw the attention of wearied travelers that need a distraction while they wait for their stop.

The written and spoken vocabulary used in the bus can be seen as what Powell and Davidson refer to as “situated literacy” in the article The Donut House: Real World Literacy in an Urban Kindergarten Classroom. After completing the literacy dig, I have found myself thinking about how I, as a future educator, could bring the bus environment into the classroom. Just as the students in the article wrote letters to potential investors and completed loan applications, I expect that I could foster an environment in the classroom that would have students creating a transportation business of their own.

It’s become quite clear that situated literacy is engaging for students because of the real life applications that they can identify in the activity. After being in a classroom and feeling the boredom take hold when worksheet after worksheet is presented to the students, it is no wonder that schooled literacy stifles imaginative thinking as Powell and Davidson state. Children, as well as adults, need to feel as though they are learning something worthwhile and applicable to their lives. Situated literacy assists in building a community in the classroom and helps students make meaning out of these types of activities. The Donut House, along with the literacy dig, opened my eyes to this creative activity and the importance of real life literacy. 

Just the Beginning!

Reading and writing can transform a child's world and help them realize their dreams. Inspiring children to succeed through literacy is a personal goal of mine.  I look forward to posting more about literacy in a K-3 environment and how I can utilize the different aspects of literacy in the classroom. Thanks for reading!