Final Reflections On the Nature of Reading

This course, The Nature of Reading, along with its text Lenses on Reading and a collection of articles on the topic of literacy, made me aware of the fact that I had a narrow perimeter of the meaning of what literacy includes. Its definition could no longer be confined to the mere thought of decoding words and understanding their meanings. Nor could it be limited to being able to decode, understand, and use symbols to covey your meaning. Being literate today means so much more. It includes all of the above plus the ability to research information, select information, evaluate information, synthesize information, solve problems and communicate with others.
Revisiting the history of literacy helped me to appreciate that literacy is not stagnant, that it is forever changing as society and technology changes. I do believe that the foundation to literacy is listening (for most people) followed by reading. It is extremely difficult to learn to read if you can not hear. You can not communicate verbally if you do not have a vocabulary representing specific sound and corresponding symbol recognition. You can not read if you can not decode or know the spoken language. You can not decode or spell if you do not know consonant and vowel sounds. You can not listen, with understanding, if you do not know the spoken language. You can not respond correctly to either verbal communication if you do not know the language. You can not communicate in writing if you do not know how to spell and comprehend the language’s vocabulary.
Because I have had to give thought to just how learning to read develops I find that I favor the theory of Constructivism as being the most definitive of how reading is learned. I believe that all forms of communication are connected and that as children develop skills in one area, they grow simultaneously in all forms of literacy.
The theory of Constructivism does not exist in a vacuum. It derived from ancient theories and incorporates the new theories, such as the Social Learning Theory/ Social Cognitive Theory (l997). Constructivisms, and the many theories connected to it, are demonstrated in the way some students learn to read. As stated earlier first you learn the alphabet, you build on that until you learn letter sounds and symbol recognition and you continue to develop until you can read, understand, communicate, and comprehend.
In the early stages of learning parts of the Unfoldment Theory come into play. A child has to be interested in learning and exist in a stimulating environment that makes them curious about doing what others’ are doing. The Unfoldment Theory works along with the Constructivism theory in that its four stages are dependent on building one stage on top of the other, in order to construct learning. First there is the attentional phase, second the retention phase, third the reproduction phase and fourth, the reinforcement phase. This theory is based on the concept of learning by observational learning and modeling. I saw this working in my class with students who had ADHD. My students were curious about what I wrote and read. I shared with them a thesis I had written prior to graduation. They knew that I was not asking them to do anything I hadn’t done myself – such as rewriting. Demonstrating the writing process some how made it seem less painful and they were encourage by their own growth.

Even when accessing information and communication technologies, I see the principles of Constructivism and its off–shoots enable students to become more proficient, as they expand their range of literacy. As brought out in the article Toward a Theory of New Literacies Emerging From the Internet and Other Information and Communication Technologies, technology requires the ability to research information, evaluate information, synthesize information, and to communicate answers to others.
The theories based on the principles of Constructivism, are linked to the earlier theories, such as Mental Discipline, Associationism and Unfoldment. More current theories of learning, such as the Social Learning Theory/ Social Cognitive Theory (l997) work with the Constructivism theory in that its four stages are dependent on building one stage on top of the other, in order to construct learning. First there is the attentional phase, second the retention phase, third the reproduction phase and fourth, the reinforcement phase. This theory is based on the concept of learning by observational learning and modeling. I saw this working in my class with students who had ADHD. My students were curious about what I wrote and read. I shared with them a thesis I had written prior to graduation. They knew that I was not asking them to do anything I hadn’t done myself – such as rewriting. Demonstrating the writing process some how made it seem less painful and they were encourage by their own growth.
Understanding these theories on reading will help me to be a more proficient teacher. One of the personal goals I gave myself for the next school year was to improve in my teaching of literacy. I now have a better understanding of the role technology plays in literacy and will include technology into my curriculum with more of a passion. This course and the material accompanying it have given me the tools needed to improve.