Final Personal Model of the Theory of Reading

            At the beginning of this course, I felt that my undergrad classes had given me a decent foundation on what reading is and how to teach it to students. However, after taking this course, reading Weaver’s book and participating in group presentations and discussions, I feel that that foundation is now stronger and more solidified. Looking back on my previous personal model, I see that while the ideas I had, such as reading aloud, enjoyment of texts and giving students tools to be successful, were just part of a comprehensive literacy program. I now believe that teachers implementing effective comprehensive literacy programs that account for all levels and types of readers is the best way to make students successful, lifelong readers.

            A comprehensive literacy program is so important because it gives teachers a way to introduce and teach students reading in a variety of ways. Moreover, it can be used with any type of text and with any age of student. I believe that its components such as shared reading and guided reading would be best for students in younger grades as well as emerging readers. These would be best for such students because it shows them how reading occurs and how it takes place. It also gives students the skills and strategies they need during reading such as using context cues, self-correction and fluency. On the other hand, I believe that reading workshops and writing workshops are better geared to upper elementary grade students. This is because students are given freedom to work at their own pace and discover things on their own. In addition, students are given more freedom to choose what they want to read and write about. While these were ideas that I had heard of and tried using prior to this course, I know feel confident that I could use them in a classroom and have ways to make them effective for all students.

            I believe that components of a literacy program such as read alouds, mini-lessons and conferencing could be used at all ages and for all readers. Read alouds are so important because it shows students that even adults value reading. Also, it can help them in a variety of ways including learning new concepts and being able to enjoy reading. Mini-lessons are useful because they can be planned or unplanned. In either situation, the teacher is able to address a topic or issue pertaining to the reading or writing process. Students can then directly apply to what has been briefly taught to their work. Lastly, conferences are also valuable to both teachers and students in a literacy program. Conferences give students a way to express to the teacher what they have been reading, learning and what they are struggling with. They are beneficial to the teacher because they show the teacher the student’s progress and allows them to better meet them where they are. I think these components should be used in all comprehensive literacy programs, but with a careful balance to other components.

            Finally, this course has changed much of my views on phonics and phonics instruction. Prior to this class I thought that phonics was just as effective as any other approach to reading. I thought the ability to sound out words and decode would produce strong readers just as a whole language approach would. However, after considering what Weaver lays out in her book, I believe that phonics should never dominate a literacy program. While it can of course be included, particularly with emergent readers, having it dominate the program is usually a disservice to students. It is a disservice because as educators, we should always have the ultimate goal of reading be meaning. However, meaning is often lost or cast aside during phonics instruction because so much emphasis is on the words themselves and not how they are being used. My belief that students learn better with less focus on phonics was proven in the studies that Weaver lays out in the text. In addition, the studies of my prominent theorist Ken Goodman also proved to me how whole language learning is so much better for readers. The sounds the letters in words make is not as important as the words themselves. Sounds and patterns are too time consuming and have too many exceptions. Again, phonics should not be thrown out altogether, but it should never be total focus. 

My biggest takeaway from this class is what I mentioned earlier: the purpose of reading is meaning. I believe it should be our constant goal and focus to find ways to help students gain meaning from texts. Whether it is incorporated into the various components of a literacy program, or during tutoring time when things such as miscue analysis and think-alouds occur, we should always bear this mind. If our students gain meaning from reading, they will inevitably be successful. I want for all my students to know what it feels like to be successful in reading and carry that with them always.