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Process is... "activities in which the student engages to make sense of or master the content" (Tomlinson, 2023).
Process is... "activities in which the student engages to make sense of or master the content" (Tomlinson, 2023).
How can teachers make learning reading skills more informative and enjoyable for students with a SLD in beginning reading?
LET'S BREAK THIS DEFINITION DOWN.
Across literature, two instructional reading approaches are consistently discussed: The Whole Language Approach and the Science of Reading Approach. Below, these approaches are defined and discussed to determine which is more beneficial for enhancing the reading skills of students with a SLD in beginning reading.
The foundation of process:
The foundation of process:
the Whole Language v.s. Science of Reading debate
the Whole Language v.s. Science of Reading debate
(Ryder et al., 2008)
(Ryder et al., 2008)
LINK: https://chargemommybooks.com/reading/the-science-of-reading
The Whole Language Approach which was originated by Goodman, consists of the following characteristics:
Non-direct instruction.
There is more to reading than phonics.
Motivating students by including their interests in instruction.
Just like speaking, reading comes naturally.
A pupil-centered classroom.
The Science of Reading Approach which was originated by Horace Mann, consists of the following characteristics: (Ryder et al., 2008)
Direct and explicit instruction.
Emphasis on teaching spelling-sound correspondence + detecting phonemic sequences to grasp the alphabetic principle.
Which approach should be used wi th students with SLD's?
Which approach should be used wi th students with SLD's?
Which approach should be used with students with a SLD in beginning reading?
Which approach should be used with students with a SLD in beginning reading?
Which approach should be use. d. with students with SLD's?
Which approach should be use. d. with students with SLD's?
Maddox and Feng (2013) recommend that instruction for students with a SLD in beginning reading combines these approaches, with a greater emphasis on phonics development (science of reading).
This idea is supported by a study in New Zealand, which found that when a Whole Language approach was applied in the classroom, students with difficulties in reading fell behind. Rather, this group of students " almost always benefit more from reading instruction that involves explicit and systematic instruction in orthographic patterns and word identification strategies” (Ryder, 2008, p.352). On the contrary, for students with high levels of reading skills/ experiences, a "whole language approach to beginning reading instruction is likely to be more effective for these children than code-emphasis approaches" (Ryder, 2008, p.351).
With differentiated instruction, the process of reading instruction can be specialized. For example, instruction for students with a SLD in beginning reading could focus more on phonics and should be explicitly taught.
LET'S BREAK THIS DEFINITION DOWN.
What specific techniques should teachers employ to ensure students with a SLD in beginning reading are learning to the best of their capability? Read about explicit instruction, the multisensory approach, one-on-one & small group instruction, pre-reading, and aligning content with student interest below.
The importance of explicit instruction
The importance of explicit instruction
The importance of explicit instruction
Nearly every study examining SLDs agrees on the importance of explicitly teaching...
"A variety of struggling readers, including students with word-level reading difficulties and those with reading disabilities, benefited from the explicit and systematic interventions studied” (Al Otaiba, 2023, p. 316).
"Interventions that followed an explicit and systematic approach had stronger effects than those that did not" (Slavin, 2011, p.22).
What is the purpose of explicit instruction...
"Bring relevant levels of language to conscious awareness by first reflecting on them in explicit working memory and then develop automatic decoding and word identification in implicit working memory to free up limited cognitive resources in working memory" (Berninger & Wolf, 2009, p.66).
The Science of Reading approach encouraging explicit instruction serves as an argument for why this approach is beneficial for students with a SLD in beginning reading.
The Multisensory Approach
The Multisensory Approach
The Multisensory Approach
For nearly a century, research has claimed multisensory approaches are necessary for students with a SLD in beginning reading. Specifically, it was believed that students need support to connect "their visual, auditory, tactile, and kinesthetic modalities” (Al Otaiba, 2018, p. 315). However, current research does not defend this hypothesis, finding that multisensory interventions are not more successful than non-multisensory interventions in strengthening the beginning reading skills of students with a SLD in beginning reading (Hall et al., 2023).
However, multisensory interventions continue to be used throughout schools, meaning schools allocate time and money towards an intervention that does not have scientific backing.
One-on-One and Small Group Instruction
One-on-One and Small Group Instruction
One-on-One and Small Group Instruction
One-on-one instruction is considered the "gold standard" for teaching students with Specific Learning Disabilities (Al Otaiba, 2023, p. 329). However, Elbaum et al. (2000) suggest that small-group interventions (3 to 4 children) have similar effects to one-on-one interventions. One-on-one and small group instruction are crucial to building phonemic awareness and other foundational code-based reading skills. Interestingly, this type of instruction matters less for meaning-based skills (Al Otaiba, 2023).
Pre-reading.
Pre-reading
Pre-reading.
Using pre-reading strategies, or ensuring that a purpose for reading is established, difficult words and topics are discussed, and surveying the title, illustrations, and structure, is essential for readers with a SLD. Markham (2012) discusses that pre-reading strategies, including graphic organizers, vocabulary instruction, visual representations, and the activation of prior knowledge, "motivate and increase student comprehension" (p.2).
Examples of pre-reading strategies from Markham (2012):
Vocabulary organizer/word map
The teacher models the first vocabulary word, then participants "fill out an organizer and brainstorm what the next word meant, as well as the true definition of the word along with synonym and antonym, as well as examples in order to create an illustration of the word and lastly, they used the word in a sentence" (Markham, 2012, p.46).
Concept web
Helps activate schema on the central topic of the text. In a text about lakes, the researcher "modeled how this graphic organizer should be filled in, and together (she and her students) came up with an abundance of lake-related concepts and ideas which were used to assimilate new information in an organized way" (Markham, 2012, p.46).
Visual Representation
Watching a video to help students see where/ when the story takes place. Helps set the stage for the story context. The researcher states that this strategy is the reported favorite of the students, but "the average result of the comprehension assessment for the visualization strategy was only 65%" (Markham, 2012, p.47).
K-W-L Chart
"Allowed participants to examine the content and format of the text in order to better understand what they were reading, become aware of the text layout and activate any schema that they had on the topic" (Markham, 2012, p.47). For example, a pre-reading strategy could be filling out the first two sections of a K-W-L chart.
One-on-One and Small Group Instruction
Aligning material with student's interest
One-on-One and Small Group Instruction
Tomlinson (2023) discusses the importance of creating interest centers that encourage students to explore areas of instruction that are interesting to them. Doing so will increase students' motivation to engage in reading-based activities; as discussed on the content page, motivation is a key area that should be targeted for teaching students with SLDs. Giving students choice in the areas they explore helps to enhance intrinsic motivation, and leads to increased rates of interaction with peers regarding instructional matters (Tovi et al., 2014).
One way to create these interest centers is through a book club in which students are matched based on their interests. By working with students to choose a book or short story that addresses their interests, students will feel more autonomous in the reading process, building their confidence and fostering a love of reading at an early age.
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