Reading & Writing

Improving reading skills through effective reading Strategies
Introduction
Reading is a lifelong skill to be used both at school and throughout life. According
to Anderson, Hiebert, Scott, & Wilkinson, reading is a basic life skill. It is a
cornerstone for a child's success in school and, indeed, throughout life. Without
the ability to read well, opportunities for personal fulfilment and job success
inevitably will be lost (1985). Despite its importance, reading is one of the most
challenging areas in the education system. The ever-increasing demand for high
levels of literacy in our technological society makes this problem even more
pressing (Snow, Burns, &Griffin, 1998). Student’s attitudes regarding the purposes
for reading also influence their ability to read. If students want to get the most
out of the materials they are assigned, they have to learn to read. If students
want to get the most out of the materials they are assigned, they have to learn to
read critically or analytically. The idea here is that when we read something, the
purpose is to try to understand what the intention is. When dealing with reading,
we encounter two layers of reality: one that we can see and one that we cannot
see. Therefore, the purpose of reading is to make the invisible layer, the
underlying meaning, visible and clear ). Teele asserts that the goal of all readers
should be to understand what they read (2004, p. 92). Research shows good
readers are actively involved with the text, and they are aware of the processes
they use to understand what they read. Teachers can help improve student
comprehension through instruction of reading strategies. Predicting, making
connections, visualizing, inferring, questioning, and summarizing are strategies
shown by research to improve reading comprehension (Block & Israel, 2005). It is
important to teach the strategies by naming the strategy and how It should be
used, modelling through the think-aloud process, group practice, partner practice,
and independent use of the strategy (Duke & Pearson, 2005).
SIX STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVING READING COMPREHENSION
1. Predicting
— In order to be a good reader, learners should set a goal for their reading;
therefore good readers have a purpose for reading. One strategy for improving
comprehension is predicting, which helps the reader set a purpose for their
reading. Research has shown that good readers use their experiences and
knowledge to make predictions and formulate ideas as they read (Block & Israel,
2005). This strategy also allows for more student interaction, which increases
student interest and improves their understanding of the text (Oczkus, 2003).
2. Visualizing
— Another strategy that the good readers employ when comprehending a text is
visualization (Adler, 2001). Visualization requires the reader to construct an
image of what is read. This image is stored in the reader’s memory as a
representation of the reader’s interpretation of the text. Teachers can motivate
students to visualize settings, characters, and actions in a story and ask them to
make drawings or write about the image that come to their minds after
visualizing the text.
3. Making Connections
— Making connections is another strategy that can be used in the reading process.
By making connections, the learners can activate their prior knowledge and
connect the ideas in the text to their own experiences. Reading becomes
meaningful when the reader connects the ideas in the text to their experiences
and beliefs, and the things happening in the outer world. Students can make
text-to-world connections through drawing, making a chart, writing, or graphic
organizers. Text-to-world connections could be done by comparing characters in
a story to characters today or comparing the content of the text to the world
today (Teele, 2004).Giving a purpose to student’s reading by asking them to find
connections would help them comprehend the ideas better in the text.
4. Summarizing
— The process of summarization requires the reader to determine what is
important when reading and to condense the information in the readers own
words (Adler, 2001). During the summarizing process, the students will be able
to distinguish the main ideas from the supporting ideas.
5. Questioning
— Readers can use the questioning before, during, and after reading. The
questioning process requires readers to ask questions of themselves to construct
meaning, enhance understanding, find answers, solve problems, find
information, and discover new information. In this strategy, the students return
to the text throughout the reading process to find the answers to the questions
asked by the teacher before, during and after the reading. By this strategy,
students practice to distinguish between questions that are factual, inferred, or
based on the reader’s prior knowledge.
6. Inferring
— Inferring refers to reading between the lines. Students need to use their own
knowledge along with information from the text to draw their own conclusions
(Serafini, 2004). Through inferring students will be able to draw conclusions,
make predictions, identify underlying themes, use information to create meaning
from text, and use pictures to create meaning (Harvey & Goudvis, 2000).

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Improving reading skills through effective reading Strategies

SIX STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVING READING COMPREHENSION

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