Reading Development and Techniques
Factors Influencing Reading
Physical and Psychological Factors
The ideal reading age is believed to be between 6 and 6 1/2 years. Some argue that girls are ready earlier than boys due to faster maturation (teeth appearance, earlier speech, etc.). Vision is the most important sensory aspect.
Social, Emotional, and Cultural Factors
The child’s maturational level involves self-confidence, independence, perseverance, self-control, tolerance, emotional stability, and the ability to work cooperatively. Reading is difficult for hyperactive children with attention and concentration difficulties.
Socioeconomic and Cultural Factors
Socioeconomic and cultural factors constantly affect all learning areas, influencing motivation, interest, and familiarity with stimuli.
Perceptual Factors
Reading relates to recognizing and interpreting stimuli. Past experiences help establish relationships quickly.
Visual Perception
(Shape, size, color, position, distance, etc.)
Visual Discrimination
(Differences and similarities)
Visual Motor Skills
(Copying, fine coordination, etc.)
Cognitive Factors
Intelligence
Intelligence influences learning speed and pace.
Mental Abilities
Mental abilities like attention and memory (both short-term and long-term) are crucial.
Linguistic Factors
Linguistic factors relate to how children handle communication skills, including semantic, syntactic, and pragmatic development.
Reading Development
What is Reading?
Reading is a physiological, psychological, and intellectual process. It involves reproducing acoustic and conceptual images encoded in text, constructing meaning. It’s physiological because it involves the eyes and brain; psychological because the reader has an attitude of acceptance or rejection, interest or lack thereof, and empathy or apathy towards the text; and intellectual because reading isn’t complete until visual acoustic images are decoded.
Types of Reading
Skimming
Skimming involves quickly glancing at a text to get a general overview of its content. Little emphasis is placed on specific aspects, unknown words are guessed, and the text’s structure isn’t prioritized.
Reading Comprehension
Reading comprehension involves a more analytical understanding of the text’s content. It’s an active process of interpreting, questioning, analyzing, and criticizing the message. The reader considers vocabulary, key and secondary ideas, and the relationships between them.
Expressive Reading
Expressive reading is done aloud for the enjoyment of both the reader and the audience. The reader interprets the author’s intended expression, using elements like stage presence, empathy, elegance, and comprehensibility.
Other Reading Types
Sub-Syllabic Reading
The child names each letter to form syllables, then combines syllables to form words (spelling).
Syllabic Reading
The child reads word by syllable.
Hesitant Reading
Characterized by insecurity, neglecting punctuation, repeating phrases, and pausing to mentally spell words.
Fluent Reading
The child reads with speed and fluidity, respecting pronunciation and punctuation.
Expressive Reading
Combines fluent reading with expression, conveying the text’s mood through intonation.
Combined Reading
Combines features of different reading types (e.g., hesitant and fluent).
Reading Speed
- Slow
- Fast
- Slow and accurate
- Fast but inaccurate
- Rhythmic (pausing appropriately)
- Arrhythmic (slow and fast)
- Normal rhythm
Teaching Reading
Reading as a School Tool
Reading is essential for adapting to school. Early reading failure poses risks like negative attitudes, dropout, anxiety, feelings of inadequacy, and learning aversion.
Phonological Model
This model focuses on teaching phonics and the phonological code, emphasizing phonological awareness (analyzing and synthesizing language sounds). Early phonics instruction promotes awareness of written language elements, leading to better school performance. Teachers should balance discovery learning and direct instruction, creating opportunities for children to discover concepts. Children with expressive Specific Language Impairment (SLI) often benefit from this strategy. Persistent reading problems are linked to pre-school phonological awareness difficulties.
Teaching Techniques
Visual Vocabulary
- Children should know several words and their meanings before recognizing letters.
- Reinforce word meanings consistently.
- Focus on easy, common words with 2-3 syllables.
- Recognize own and peer names.
- Label classroom objects.
- Form meaningful phrases to motivate learning.
- Use sizing exercises for memorization.
- Trace words with fingers.
Phonic Analysis
- Associate sounds with letters.
- Distinguish initial and final sounds.
- Learn letter sounds, not letter names (“mmm,” not “em”).
Exercises:
- Review letter shapes while saying sounds.
- Find rhyming words.
- Vowel recognition exercises.
- Direct syllable practice (CV): mom, sum, table.
- Create letter cards.
- Form words with cards.
- Start with vowel sounds.
- Underline vowels in text.
- Draw letters and find objects starting with them.
- Cut out letters.
- Draw letters.
- Trace letters in the air.
- Dictation.
Recommendations
- Introduce concepts slowly.
- Use short learning periods.
- Write in the correct direction.
- Teach all letters the same way (3-4 days per letter).
- Start with large formats, then move to smaller ones.
- Follow a learning order.
- Avoid rushing the child.
- Acknowledge achievements.
- Reinforce visual perception, auditory discrimination, and visual vocabulary first.
More Exercises
- Recognize words starting with the same sound.
- Identify words with different starting sounds (using known vocabulary).
- Fill in missing letters.
- Introduce indirect syllables (VC) after mastering letters and direct syllables.
- Learn consonant clusters (CCV) last, starting with the initial sound.
- Use similar strategies for syllable learning.
Other Strategies
- Play to read (predictable readings, poems, twister, etc.)
- Simultaneous reading
- Echo reading
- Supported reading
- Flash card reading
- Gestural method
Initial Reading: Language Components
- Phonology: sounds of language
- Vocabulary: words of language
- Morphology: form of words
- Syntax: rules of combination
- Semantics: concepts and propositions
- Pragmatics: use of language
Preparing for Reading
General Preparation
Knowledge acquired during the preliterate stage, including oral and written language experiences.
Specific Preparation
Factors related to acquiring specific reading mechanisms, including phonological processing, working memory, and rapid naming.
Preparing for Reading (Continued)
General Preparation
- Stimulating environment rich in oral and written language.
- Compensatory role of school: encourage discussions, explanations, descriptions, etc.
- Knowledge of the physical and social world.
- Storytelling.
- Learning rhymes, songs, poems, and language games.
- Experiences with written language (reading to children, word recognition, letter features).
- Knowledge of written language conventions and purposes.
Cognitive: Connect non-everyday issues with others’ experiences. Explore new situations to improve information processing and develop conceptual frameworks. Foster imagination, creativity, and problem-solving skills.
Affective: Create a positive emotional connection with reading through shared reading experiences. Transmit values and attitudes.
Language: Expand vocabulary, syntactic knowledge, and understanding of text structures. Strengthen the relationship between oral and written language.
Specific Preparation
Facilitate word recognition procedures and develop phonological processing, working memory, and rapid naming skills.
Phonological Awareness
The ability to identify, segment, and blend sublexical units of words (syllables, phonemes). Includes lexical awareness (identifying words and phrases), syllabic awareness (managing syllables), intrasyllabic awareness (managing syllable parts), and phonemic awareness (managing phonemes).
Tasks involve analysis or synthesis.