I'm intrigued by the research on what "good readers" do. The term "good reader" implicates that there must be a "bad reader." Shame on you, bad readers.
I polled my seniors last year to determine what it is that good readers do. I simply wanted to know, who did they think was a good reader and what made them good. They overwhelmingly replied that I was, in fact, the best reader they know.
Well, of course!
However, their reasoning varied. Many of them thought I was a good reader because the words sounded nice when they left my mouth during read-alouds. The power and beauty of the written word lured them under my spell.
Others thought that I was a good reader because I read all the time. If I read all the time, then I must be good at it, right?
Still others thought that I was a good reader because I was able to talk about what I was reading in depth and with breath. They enjoyed discussing favorite books with me because I was always willing to talk and share and recommend new titles.
So who is right? Am I indeed a good reader? I know that I am confident in my reading, but am I constantly making connections and predicting and asking questions? These are, after all, what "good readers" do. All the research says so. Am I a bad reader because these things are not in my consciousness?
When we are teaching our students "what good readers do", are we indeed implying that they must not be good readers? Does one have to constantly connect and predict in order to be a good reader? Teachers who want to promote reading need to promote authentic reading. If you don't do it in real life, then why ask your students to do it?
1 comment:
I haven't done this in a while I was just looking through my bookmarks but your reading is great because you used to lure us into your spell with the power of words coming from your mouth just like you said, you make the story more interesting than we we read to our self.
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