What You Should Know About Reading Processes, Vygotsky, and Literacy Rich Environments

I chose to read Catching Readers Before They Fall by Pat Johnson and Katie Keier.  Since I do not teach in a classroom yet, I’ll be sharing some ideas that I want to implement in the future, as well as knowledge that I have gained from the readings.  This week I learned about how reading works, some theories that Vygotsky had, and literacy rich environments.  

Let’s start with how reading works. In order to understand and help struggling readers, we must first understand the complex processing system behind reading and how we use a balance of things such as the meaning of the passage, the structural information, and the visual information to help us read.  Carol Lyons says, “every child is capable of learning given the right opportunities, context, and assistance.” I think this is something that all teachers need to remember, even if the day is stressful or if a student just isn’t quite understanding something. Maybe we need to take a breather, a step back, and determine how we can approach this situation a different way instead of dismissing it as something that is already finished.  Students “are developing a way of thinking that enables them to make meaning when they are reading and helps them when they get stuck.” Proficient readers who have already developed a reading process system are thinking about what they are reading, noticing and stopping when their reading doesn’t make sense, and using strategies to fix their errors.  We have to ask the question: how do I teach a child to develop a reading process system? because struggling readers have often not built that reading process that allows them to gain meaning or “solve problems when stuck”.  There are some examples in the book of strategies that proficient readers utilize such as self-correction, predicting words, maintaining fluency, using background knowledge, and making connections and inferences.  Modeling, thinking aloud, and doing shared demonstrations are some ways that the book talked about to help a student start developing a useful system for reading. Integration of strategies also becomes crucial to the student in order for them to comprehend and read fluently.

            Next, let’s talk about some of Vygotsky’s theories and ideas. Lev Vygotsky had many theories of how children learn.  One of the most important factors that he discussed was that “teaching is the most effective when it takes place within the child’s zone of proximal development.”  What exactly is the zone of proximal development or ZPD? It’s where a child can do something with your help.  Another important thing is to understand is the zone of actual development, or ZAD, which is something that a child can do easily (without you).  The other factor to consider is that there are some things out of reach for the child.  “Oftentimes in classrooms, students who are expected to complete tasks that are out of their reach will become very frustrated and confused.”  However, if we give them something that is in their reach, we can eventually help it become a skill for them and that skill will enter their ZAD.  In order to do that, the child must see the task or skill modeled by you, do it together with you, and they will “eventually take on the new learning independently.”
           And lastly, literacy rich environments have been a big topic. These types of environments and using a literacy approach allow teachers to work with students in small groups and sometimes individually during reading or writing.  Assuming that there is a big library in the literacy rich classroom, this gives many opportunities for children to get to read several different types of books.  Ultimately, a literacy rich environment allows socializing, supporting, collaborating, and promoting growth.  All of these topics are very important and can help us to become better teachers, by becoming more aware of how processes work and how to help students construct a reading process.