Reading fluency actually is a demonstration of the automaticity of the
student's decoding ability. One of the huge issues with our low literacy
learners is that they use all of their cognitive resources on decoding, and
there is nothing left for comprehension. When we see our lowest literacy
learners begin to develop fluency in their reading, we know one of two
things: a) they are recognizing the words more automatically or b) they have
memorized the text if the book is overly familiar (and I am not going
there!) When the learner starts to phrase in their reading, they grasp a
cognitive chunk and the brain can make sense of that information. We know
that the working brain can only manage 7 +/- 2 bits of information at a
time. When the words get grouped into a chunk, they count as 1 unit, rather
than several individual bits. When the chunks combine into an idea, they
reform into 1 bit again, leaving room for new information. Sweller's
theories of cognitive overload come into play here. Our lowest literacy
learners have the hardest time because their brains are stuffed too full
with decoding of individual words that they can't recall the content for
comprehension.

 

In my dissertation work one of the clearest threads to come from the low
literacy learners was that the goal of reading was about saying the words
correctly, NOT about getting meaning from the text. If you consider the
concept of cognitive overload, and their struggles with decoding words, this
makes sense. However, if we can cause these learners to interact with text
with words they are familiar with, we can teach them to group the words and
"read it like you would say it". The best way to create this scenario is
with material that is very easy for the learner to read, using material that
is at their independent reading level, rather than instructional level.
Using different "voices" allows the learner to play with the language and
practice it, having fun with the process. By asking them to read it like a
very old man, or a giant football player, or a squeaky mouse focuses them on
the character and the voice, and they talk the part, using the language to
communicate. This is the same with story books where there are different
voices. A tape recorder is an effective way for the learner to self critique
their reading. As we partner with them on their improvement, sometimes that
distance helps.

 

Fluency also helps us teach them about the pauses for punctuation and the
other signals that we automatically use to help make sense of what we read.
Early readers word call single words and need to transition to fluent
reading to help the brain process it as received language. Our observations
of their fluency can help us assist them in their metacognitive processing
if we help them talk through what they are hearing and thinking as they are
reading.

 

Jean Marrapodi, PhD, CPLP

Providence, RI

 

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On
Behalf Of Sabatini, John
Sent: Tuesday, May 26, 2009 5:14 PM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment 1900] Re: Basic Reading Skills Discussion Begins Today!

 

Hello,

 

A few comments/observations regarding reading fluency.  Note that we used
reading aloud as an assessment technique, not as instruction, in the NAAL.
There's an entire discussion about why it is a useful and valid measure for
a survey assessment like the NAAL, and how it can be used as a classroom
assessment that is helpful to the teacher and learners.  But let me focus on
the comment about reading fluency in instruction. 

 

First,  reading aloud in a public setting like a classroom can create
anxiety for any adult or child, especially if one is not good at it.  Also,
one is often asked to read 'cold', that is, without having had a chance to
pre-read, rehearse or practice with the text.  So, just be asked to read
aloud without setting up a safe, constructive environment is risky.

 

Having said that, reading aloud is a useful reading subskill.  As adults,
there are a number of contexts in which reading aloud is quite natural -
reading to children, public speaking, rehearsing for a play (even for
leisure vs. professional acting).  It is a useful work skill, for example,
in a phone customer service job, one might be expected to look up
information and read it aloud to the person at the other end of the phone.
Families also communicate to each other reading aloud at times.  It may not
be a frequently used reading behavior, but it is a stretch to treat it as
inauthentic or unnatural.  Skilled reading adults typically feel comfortable
reading aloud with fluency.  Developing readers should not be denied the
skill -- it is useful and typically a by-product of skilled reading - though
some practice always helps in any domain.

 

So, giving adults with low literacy practice reading aloud in a safe,
pedagogical setting, can have benefits.  The instructional techniques built
around 'guided repeated reading' have been shown to have benefits for
developing readers both in improving reading fluency and are associated with
comprehension gain.  In a study our team has been conducting, we have had
positive results with a one-on-one tutored guided repeated reading program,
as well as other structured programs that had adults frequently reading
aloud.  But again, this was one on one with a trained teacher/tutor and a
structured instructional program based on the best of what we learned about
the techniques.  Adults generally reported positive responses to the
instruction and we saw improvements in tests of skills, but we are still
analyzing data, so best to treat this as promising practice at this point.

 

Finally, reading fluency is not a substitute for reading comprehension
instruction and skills.  One can read aloud a text with fluency and not have
good comprehension of the same text.  As a skilled reader, I am generally
fluent with all but the most dense texts, but my understanding is a function
of other factors including my background knowledge.  And it does require
attention to perform a text by reading aloud - I don't try to simultaneously
read aloud and gain deep understanding of a text.  When I seek
understanding, I reread a text and think about it, maybe discuss with
others.  

 

I'd like to hear from others who have experience teaching guided repeated
reading with adults have to say about it.

 

Best,

 

John

 

  _____  

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov on behalf of Dianna Baycich
Sent: Tue 5/26/2009 2:27 PM
To: 'The Assessment Discussion List'
Subject: [Assessment 1898] Re: Basic Reading Skills Discussion Begins Today!

In response to Marie's question, the report shows that there is a continuing
need for adult literacy, especially at the lowest levels. With the current
focus on transitions in adult education, there is a concern that students at
these lowest levels will be neglected. 

 

The report also highlights the importance of reading fluency. Adult literacy
teachers often neglect fluency, saying their students would "rather die than
read out loud". How can we help students improve their reading fluency in a
non-threatening way?

 

Dianna

 

  _____  

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov] On
Behalf Of Marie Cora
Sent: Tuesday, May 26, 2009 9:28 AM
To: Assessment at nifl.gov
Subject: [Assessment 1897] Basic Reading Skills Discussion Begins Today!

Hello everyone, I hope this email finds you well.

 

Today begins our discussion on


Basic Reading Skills and the Literacy of the America's Least Literate
Adults: Results from the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL)
Supplemental Studies


I am pleased to welcome Dr. Sheida White and Dr. John Sabatini as guests for
this 4-day discussion.  Please visit the URL below for the full announcement
and information on accessing the report.


http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/assessment/09readingskills.html

 

I hope you have had the opportunity to read through the Executive Summary of
the report.  Please send your questions and comments about the report to the
discussion list now.  

 

I will start us off with a question for subscribers:  What does the report
tell you about the need for adult literacy services today, and how might
this affect your program practice?

 

Thanks!

 

Marie

 

 

Marie Cora

Assessment Discussion List Moderator

 

 

 

--------------------------------------------------
This e-mail and any files transmitted with it may contain privileged or
confidential information.
It is solely for use by the individual for whom it is intended, even if
addressed incorrectly.
If you received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender; do not
disclose, copy, distribute,
or take any action in reliance on the contents of this information; and
delete it from
your system. Any other use of this e-mail is prohibited.

Thank you for your compliance.
--------------------------------------------------


__________________________________________________
D O T E A S Y - "Join the web hosting revolution!"
             http://www.doteasy.com
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: winmail.dat
Type: application/ms-tnef
Size: 13542 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/assessment/attachments/20090526/9477daa1/attachment.bin