What are some of the major differences between a skills approach to literacy and a comprehensive or sociopsycholinguistic approach?
To me the major difference between a skills approach to literacy and a comprehensive or sociopsycholinguistic approach is that a skills approach puts all the focus on the phonics or the exact words on the page. The latter two put more emphasis on understanding words through the context of what is being read. In addition to what the context is, much emphasis is put on schemas from everybody's lives. It was interesting to read these chapters in "Reading Process & Practice" because over the past year I really noticed which students were trying to focus so much on each word and couldn't summarize what they read. Personally when I am reading I find myself trying to relate what I'm reading to something I've read before or experienced because it helps me to get a deeper understanding, but without exposure or personal experience understanding some books is very difficult. This can apply to anyone because every culture, household, age group, and so much more can affect how you interpret a text. Poetry is something that is very diverse in what everyone takes away from it. In chapter 2, "To Pat" was the poem used and the interpretations were so varied and it truly depends on what life experiences you have as to how you see what the words mean. "Run" is just one of thousands of words that have numerous meanings and completely relies on the context and schemas of the readers as to how the reader comprehends the sentence. As a fifth grade teacher, the majority of my students had mastered phonics of reading so we were working on comprehension. Teaching students to use their schemas is much more challenging than I ever expected. For one my students speak a different language at home, so the only English they are exposed to is from their peers, teachers, and books. This brings forth many challenges because it's even more important for me to give context to books before the students read. I found it challenging to read the paragraph about the laundry but once I was told the paragraph was about laundry I found it much easier to understand. I take away from this how much more important it is for the preview and background discussion before having my students read a book. It's also vital that I read the books before I have students read the book. These two chapters of Weavers "Reading Process & Practice" really made me analyze how I teach because it is so true that students answer what reading is based on how they are taught reading. Very eye-opening to me!
Lisa,
ReplyDeleteI agree that I have noticed students more of an emphasis on trying to figure out each individual word on the page. And I have seen some confusion when we ask our students to summarize the passage. I teach fourth grade and I am still surprised how many students do not know their basic phonics. I try to teach them some phonics but it is difficult when they do not have the foundation. Nevertheless, I also focus strongly on building schemas with a majority of my students. I love to show them pictures and bring in items they can touch/manipulate. I agree that I have to teach myself and build my schema before I introduce any new topic to my class. I feel that all of these graduate classes will be very eye-opening for all of us.
I love how you used yourself as an example to help you respond appropriately to the discussion. I too, relate to what I am reading and try to extend my reading to real life applications. This is a vital key in reading comprehension. I think we do this because at one time we too were taught these skills. We have to remember to teach our students in ways in which they make their own connections and develop their own schemas while reading on their own. I think that all of the literacy approaches discussed within the text are proven to be effective. Taking the parts-to-whole, and the whole-to-parts are vital ways to teach reading success. As teachers we need to be familiar with all approaches as well as our student's learning styles. Once we step back and evaluate their learning styles we can find an approach that will guide them to be avid readers.
ReplyDeleteStudents these days are so focused on each word, instead of trying to understand the reading as a whole. When I ask students to read something and then have them tell me what it was about, many of them can't tell me because they were not working on actually comprehending what they read. Using schemas is important because it allows the student to relate to something they have read. However, it is very difficult to do this when a child has no concept of what you are talking about. If you ask a child to read a passage about how a rollar coaster feels, yet they have never been on one, that child will have a very difficult time truly understanding what that passage is about having never known the feeling of flying through the air as your heart falls down to your stomach. Give that same passage to someone who rides coasters all the time and he or she will have a totally different understanding.
ReplyDeleteIt is definitely a good idea to read through everything before we have students read it. I find that it helps me be able to relate it to those students who are having some difficulty with comprehension.