Belief Statement

Marilyn Ingraham
EDU 411
Diagnosis and Remediation of Reading Problems

Florida Memorial University

The Reading Process
In today’s world reading is fundamental. This means that is essential that each individual is instilled and equipped with the skills that are necessary for him/her to read fluently, correctly and with understanding. All teachers are reading teachers. It is my belief that the reading process involves all the basic skills and knowledge there is about reading and comprehending a text. It is vital and very important for individuals to know and understand what it is they are reading. Good readers are able to activate their prior knowledge, read with emphasis and fluency, make predictions as he/she reads, and re-read for understanding and confirmation. However, I believe that some students don’t know when they know. Students who are not so good at reading tend to read with less anticipation, they read word by word; frequently pausing, they skip words that are difficult and continue on which can result to loss of meaning, and they are so glad to get that over with that they rarely re read. Therefore it is up to educators to utilize the correct strategies to bring those students out of the darkness and into the light when it comes to reading. Each individual is different and has their different reading challenges. Some may struggle with vocabulary, while one may struggle with comprehending a text. Whatever their strengths and weaknesses are each student must being given the opportunity to successfully combine all the skills of reading for him/her to read proficiently and become an effective reader. After all it makes no sense that you are trying to teach a child to read, when he she does not understand the vocabulary words.

The Role of the teacher as a facilitator First and foremost, across any content or curriculum, I strongly believe that you are what you teach, you practice what you preach, and you must always be the best version of yourself. In other words, in order to effect necessary changes and success, teachers must lead carefully. The job of the leader is not to make sure that a job gets done right. Not only must the job be done right, but, an effective leader "makes sure we're doing the right things." Leaders don't manage; they facilitate in others the ability to manage themselves. Therefore the role of the teacher as a facilitator is to be efficient and effective. The teacher must do things right, and also so the right things. I believe that as a facilitator, one must not spoon feed students. Yes, indeed as an educator we must present instructions clearly and understandable to our students, but as a facilitator one must challenge and stimulate students thinking to see if they can perform tasks independently. Also teachers should act as a guide in settings like discussions or problem-based learning so that individuals have an opportunity to contribute and to learn from each other, to examine problems, and make informed decisions. So it is important that educators gradually release instructional responsibility to support independent reading. Also if needed provide ongoing support to students who need additional instruction.

Methods that Best Promote Learning to Read

Like any new concept, game, or whatever it may be, an individual must first learn how to do it before he she gets better and almost perfect at whatever it is he/she is learning. Reading is a life-long process. You can’t just pick up a book one night and successfully say you read without utilizing all the necessary skills correctly throughout the reading process. People begin developing knowledge that they will use to read during their earliest interactions with families and communities. In their pre-school years, children learn to understand and use spoken language and learn about their world through