The Science of Reading

The Science of Reading
Author: Adrian Johns
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 503
Release: 2023-04-05
Genre: History
ISBN: 022682148X

"The Science of Reading is the surprisingly unsung history of scientific research into reading practices, from the origin of the field in German psychophysics to its current extension into digital and online areas. Starting in the late nineteenth century and continuing through to the present, the practice of reading has been made the subject of extensive scientific investigation, and historian Adrian Johns here explores the questions that motivated this research program, the technologies that enabled it, the ambitions that drove it, and the consequences it produced as it was carried out. Its champions' ambitions extended far beyond the laboratory: psychological experimenters were keen to point out that everything in a modern society depended on the population's ability to read, and to read well. These scientists sought to reconstruct mass education, and the childhood experiences of millions of Americans were reshaped according to their maxims. They sought to transform mass capitalism, and, following a national campaign to boost "reading efficiency," the workplace experiences of millions of American adults shifted as well. They sought to place the defense of the nation on a secure footing, and so servicemen and spies were subjected to their science, from the heart of the Pentagon to the decks of aircraft carriers in the Pacific. By the end of the twentieth century, Johns argues, it would not be an exaggeration to say that modernity itself had been substantially shaped by the conscious application of the scientific study of reading"--

Reading Fluency

Reading Fluency
Author: Timothy Rasinski
Publisher: MDPI
Total Pages: 146
Release: 2021-01-21
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 3039432680

Reading fluency has been identified as a key component of proficient reading. Research has consistently demonstrated significant and substantial correlations between reading fluency and overall reading achievement. Despite the great potential for fluency to have a significant outcome on students’ reading achievement, it continues to be not well understood by teachers, school administrators and policy makers. The chapters in this volume examine reading fluency from a variety of perspectives. The initial chapter sketches the history of fluency as a literacy instruction component. Following chapters examine recent studies and approaches to reading fluency, followed by chapters that explore actual fluency instruction models and the impact of fluency instruction. Assessment of reading fluency is critical for monitoring progress and identifying students in need of intervention. Two articles on assessment, one focused on word recognition and the other on prosody, expand our understanding of fluency measurement. Finally, a study from Turkey explores the relationship of various reading competencies, including fluency, in an integrated model of reading. Our hope for this volume is that it may spark a renewed interest in research into reading fluency and fluency instruction and move toward making fluency instruction an even more integral part of all literacy instruction.

Teaching Reading to Every Child

Teaching Reading to Every Child
Author: Diane Lapp
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 753
Release: 2013-06-17
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1136756140

This popular text, now in its Fourth Edition, introduces pre-service and in-service teachers to the most current theories and methods for teaching literacy to children in elementary schools. The methods presented are based on scientific findings that have been tested in many classrooms. A wealth of examples, hands-on activities, and classroom vignettes--including lesson plans, assessments, lists of children's literature books to fiction and nonfiction texts, and more--illustrate the methods and bring them to life.The text highlights the importance of teaching EVERY child to become competent in all of the nuances and complexities of reading, writing, and speaking. The value of reflection and peer discussion in learning to expand their students' literacies is emphasized. Readers are encouraged to reflect on their own experiences with reading and teaching throughout their lifetimes--experiences that will serve well in learning to teach reading. "Your Turn" boxes invite readers to think about their views of the material presented, and to talk with colleagues and teachers about their "best ways" of learning this new information. "Did You Notice?" boxes engage readers in observation and analysis of methods and classroom situations discussed in the text. Teachers' stories serve as models of successful teaching and to draw readers into professional dialogue about the ideas and questions raised. End-of-chapter questions and activities provide additional opportunities for reflection and discussion. All of these pedagogical features help readers expand and refine their knowledge in the most positive ways. Topics covered in Teaching Reading to Every Child, Fourth Edition: *Getting to Know Your Students as Literacy Learners; *Looking Inside Classrooms: Organizing Instruction; *Assessing Reading Achievement; *The Importance of Oral Language in Developing Literacy; *Word Identification Strategies: Pathways to Comprehension; *Vocabulary Development; *Comprehension Instruction: Strategies At Work; *Content Area Learning; *What the Teacher Needs to Know to Enable Students' Text Comprehension; *Writing: Teaching Students to Encode and Compose; *Discovering the World Through Literature; *Technology and Media in Reading; *Teaching Reading to Students Who Are Learning English; *All Students are Special: Some Need Supplemental Supports and Services to Be Successful; and *Historical Perspectives on Reading and Reading Instruction. New in the Fourth Edition: *A new chapter on technology with state-of-the-art applications; *A new chapter with the most up-to-date information on how vocabulary is learned and on how it is best taught, responding to the national renewed interest in vocabulary instruction; *A new section on Readers/Writer's workshop with a focus on supporting student inquiry and exploration of multiple genres; *A more comprehensive chapter on literature instruction and the role of literature in the reading program with examples that support students' multigenre responses; *A discussion of literary theories with examples for classroom implementation; *Broader coverage of the phases of reading development from the pre-alphabetic stage to the full alphabetic stage; *A more inclusive chapter on writing instruction; and *A thoroughly revised chapter on teaching reading to students who are learning English, including extensive information on assessment and evaluation.