Overcoming the Stigma of Poor Reading Skills

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Overcoming the Stigma of Poor Reading Skills

by Jo

Aug 4, 2010

I've pondered this for a long while and wanted to know how others feel regarding the words we use with our students.

Often when we talk about developing reading skills we talk about what "good readers" do. The terms good and bad are used so often in school and society where bad is very negative. Bad behavior is typically followed by punishment of some sort or some uncomfortable natural consequence.

Trying to break through to the student who continue to struggle with reading our words have so much to do with breaking through the built up emotions and negative feelings that struggling to master the skill of reading has created.

While using this terminology is supposed to help the student recognize the appropriate skills that need to be utilized to be able to comprehend what is read, I've heard it used so often in so many ways that it concerns me.

Good readers do not summarize after every paragraph. Good readers actually can read multiple paragraphs an...See More

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Jo Great post, and it made me think even more. I really like the name change of the class. Nothing is more embarassing to students when the schedules come out to have to tell their friends in honors classes that they are in resource reading, especially when these kids can kick their friends butts in science or math.

I'm never going to use the...See MoreGreat post, and it made me think even more. I really like the name change of the class. Nothing is more embarassing to students when the schedules come out to have to tell their friends in honors classes that they are in resource reading, especially when these kids can kick their friends butts in science or math.

I'm never going to use the word "readers" or "writers" to refer to students again. I will only discuss skills and strategies for reading. Reading should not define the person. Yes, we would like all people to be able to read and apply great strategies when they struggle with the skill of reading.

I don't believe you can make someone love to read and become "readers". I've known too many people with excellent reading skills that just hate to read. They don't enjoy it but can comprehend anything put in front of them. So, I am going to try to completely abandon that terminology and just discuss the task. There are students struggling that hate to read because they don't have the skill. Hopefully they will enjoy reading someday, but one never knows.

And if I ever hear in my life time again that being able to read a Burger King sign means the student is a "reader" when the student is in high school with a solidly above average IQ, I think I will scream. Oh, yes. I heard a department head tell a mother this once because the mom said the child couldn't read (what mom meant was the child was reading at a 5th grade level and almost ready to graduate high school - functionally this student couldn't read). I had all I could do to not laugh out loud when mom fired back.

I recalled this the other day and this post being brought up again made me re-think my wording.

On 8/29/10, Before I read all of the responses wrote: > I have taught a resource reading class as a stand alone class > for the past 4 years. I hated that the schedules would read > resource reading. I emailed the principals over the summer and > asked for a name change. I settled on calling the class an > academic strategies. When I explained the name change to the > students we discussed it as learning skills that would help in > all of the classes not just the reading class. Next week we will > do away with the words resource room and toast change in the > classroom. > On 8/04/10, Christy wrote: >> Jo, You've posed a very interesting idea. I am ashamed to >> admit that, in my years as a reading teacher, this >> consideration had not entered my head. After reading your >> thoughtful post, I, too, will exchange my "what good readers >> do" for "what skilled readers do". After I have time to give >> it more thought, another word to replace "good" may come to >> me, but for now, I plan to do away with that phrase and >> thereby with all the negative ramifications it may have for >> struggling readers. >> >> Perhaps "this is what people who read well do" is another >> phrase we could use, though it is much more cumbersome. >> >> I know that, as teachers, we can be oblivious to the fact that >> our children do not know something we assume they know. For >> example, last year, when I asked one of my struggling first >> grade students to tell me the beginning sound he heard in a >> word, he couldn't do it. I knew he knew the sound of the >> letter at the beginning of the word, and, after probing his >> kowledge, I discovered that he didn't understand what I meant >> by "beginning" of the word. We need to constantly consider >> these things and I thank you for bringing up the question. >> Christy >> >>

Aug 29, 2010

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Bump Skilled readers! I like that! I won't be saying "good readers" again.

On 8/04/10, Jo wrote: > I've pondered this for a long while and wanted to know how > others feel regarding the words we use with our students. > > Often when we talk about developing reading skills we talk > about what "good readers" do. The terms good a...See MoreSkilled readers! I like that! I won't be saying "good readers" again.

On 8/04/10, Jo wrote: > I've pondered this for a long while and wanted to know how > others feel regarding the words we use with our students. > > Often when we talk about developing reading skills we talk > about what "good readers" do. The terms good and bad are > used so often in school and society where bad is very > negative. Bad behavior is typically followed by punishment > of some sort or some uncomfortable natural consequence. > > Trying to break through to the student who continue to > struggle with reading our words have so much to do with > breaking through the built up emotions and negative > feelings that struggling to master the skill of reading has > created. > > While using this terminology is supposed to help the > student recognize the appropriate skills that need to be > utilized to be able to comprehend what is read, I've heard > it used so often in so many ways that it concerns me. > > Good readers do not summarize after every paragraph. Good > readers actually can read multiple paragraphs and > understand the content. I'm not saying that summarizing in > order to access the content at a later time is not a good > study strategy or learning strategy, nor am I saying that > this is not an excellent strategy for some students to use > who are poor readers. Often I hear students being told > that this is a behavior of a good reader when in fact it is > not. > > This connotations with good/bad are trigger words for > students who have struggled with skills or behavior. They > tend to instantly seize up at the sound of them. > > I plan to replace the good/bad vocabulary in my classes > with alternative words that address the skills needed to > read and comprehend. > > What words would you use instead of "good reader"? My > first choice would be "skilled readers". I will continue > to discuss good strategies to use to aid in the skills of > reading and compreheding, but I plan to eliminate the > good/bad to the task at hand.

Oct 22, 2010

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Sara Wow - good for you (no pun intended) You're right. Many of the things that are said of 'good readers' are simply not true. And I've not found those things said of 'good readers' to be helpful to other readers either.

I've found a few things to help and none of it I learned in any reading instruction class. 1 - they should read. Anything an...See MoreWow - good for you (no pun intended) You're right. Many of the things that are said of 'good readers' are simply not true. And I've not found those things said of 'good readers' to be helpful to other readers either.

I've found a few things to help and none of it I learned in any reading instruction class. 1 - they should read. Anything and the easier the better. Comic books, really doesn't matter. Somehow we should get them to read something for 15- 20 minutes a day. Not at instructional level but at a level that's easy for them.

2. They should be read to - regardless of their age. use recorded short stories if you're not a good expressive aloud reader and listen along with them. Every day. And good short stories - ones they'll like.

3. OOze confidence and yes of course no more 'good reader'. The reason they don't read well is most often because they're wired differently - I'm a good reader but I was born to be. I'm wired to read as a natural phoenetic reader and it's not fair to compare how I read to how my dyslexic son reads. Let them know it's not their fault and it's definitely not fair.

4. And it's ok that they don't like to read - some of us act like they've stomped on kittens when our students tell us they don't like to read. Of course they don't like to read. Reading doesn't come naturally to them and it's not a fun feeling - to them it's more like their brains are chopping wood. The same feeling I have when I do math...

In short though I've written a long post, I completely agree with you. Abandon the bad words of good reader and kudos to you for recognzing that good readers do not summarize after every paragraph - how could we? We're too busy reading.

All those strategies -SQR3 or whatever are archaic and didn't work in the past either. Only reading builds reading skills.

> I've pondered this for a long while and wanted to know how > others feel regarding the words we use with our students. > > Often when we talk about developing reading skills we talk > about what "good readers" do. The terms good and bad are > used so often in school and society where bad is very > negative. Bad behavior is typically followed by punishment > of some sort or some uncomfortable natural consequence. > > Trying to break through to the student who continue to > struggle with reading our words have so much to do with > breaking through the built up emotions and negative > feelings that struggling to master the skill of reading has > created. > > While using this terminology is supposed to help the > student recognize the appropriate skills that need to be > utilized to be able to comprehend what is read, I've heard > it used so often in so many ways that it concerns me. > > Good readers do not summarize after every paragraph. Good > readers actually can read multiple paragraphs and > understand the content. I'm not saying that summarizing in > order to access the content at a later time is not a good > study strategy or learning strategy, nor am I saying that > this is not an excellent strategy for some students to use > who are poor readers. Often I hear students being told > that this is a behavior of a good reader when in fact it is > not. > > This connotations with good/bad are trigger words for > students who have struggled with skills or behavior. They > tend to instantly seize up at the sound of them. > > I plan to replace the good/bad vocabulary in my classes > with alternative words that address the skills needed to > read and comprehend. > > What words would you use instead of "good reader"? My > first choice would be "skilled readers". I will continue > to discuss good strategies to use to aid in the skills of > reading and compreheding, but I plan to eliminate the > good/bad to the task at hand.

Oct 27, 2010

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Chris Roland I completely agree with both of you on these posts. My own example to students, to show them how reading fluency and practice are linked, would be:

Read my students 30 seconds in English and ask them how easily i seemed to read it on a scale of 1-10.

Do the same with 30 seconds of Spanish, where my pron is dodgy and I stumble over...See More

Oct 28, 2010

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Robben Wainer On 8/04/10, Jo wrote: > I've pondered this for a long while and wanted to know how > others feel regarding the words we use with our students. > > Often when we talk about developing reading skills we talk > about what "good readers" do. The terms good and bad are > used so often in school and society where bad is very > negati...See MoreOn 8/04/10, Jo wrote: > I've pondered this for a long while and wanted to know how > others feel regarding the words we use with our students. > > Often when we talk about developing reading skills we talk > about what "good readers" do. The terms good and bad are > used so often in school and society where bad is very > negative. Bad behavior is typically followed by punishment > of some sort or some uncomfortable natural consequence. > > Trying to break through to the student who continue to > struggle with reading our words have so much to do with > breaking through the built up emotions and negative > feelings that struggling to master the skill of reading has > created. > > While using this terminology is supposed to help the > student recognize the appropriate skills that need to be > utilized to be able to comprehend what is read, I've heard > it used so often in so many ways that it concerns me. > > Good readers do not summarize after every paragraph. Good > readers actually can read multiple paragraphs and > understand the content. I'm not saying that summarizing in > order to access the content at a later time is not a good > study strategy or learning strategy, nor am I saying that > this is not an excellent strategy for some students to use > who are poor readers. Often I hear students being told > that this is a behavior of a good reader when in fact it is > not. > > This connotations with good/bad are trigger words for > students who have struggled with skills or behavior. They > tend to instantly seize up at the sound of them. > > I plan to replace the good/bad vocabulary in my classes > with alternative words that address the skills needed to > read and comprehend. > > What words would you use instead of "good reader"? My > first choice would be "skilled readers". I will continue > to discuss good strategies to use to aid in the skills of > reading and compreheding, but I plan to eliminate the > good/bad to the task at hand.

Teaching Reading comprehension we begin with a construct we describe as formiddable; one that contributes, or adds to, or helps to gain or achieve insight. In this way when we discuss intuition we are not discussing a state of anxiety or dreams, but rather the purpose there in achieving the goals we set, and how we can accomplish them by acquiring the skills that are needed through Literacy Development

Feb 14, 2011

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