Theories Behind The Reading Act example essay topic

The reading process as a whole is a very complex area, and is constantly changing, but as an elementary school teacher responsible for teaching young children to read, it is vital for me to understand the theories behind the reading act itself. The three theories which I feel are the most important, and which I feel are intertwined to account for the reading process are subs kill theories, interactive theories and trans active theories. I believe that all three of these theories have components that fit together to account for reading and the understanding of reading. One theory alone cannot account for every aspect of the reading process. The subs kill theory approach to reading is one that has been around for a long time, and is based on instructional strategies to teach letter-sound relationships, sight words and decoding skills (among others), until the reading act becomes automatic. Comprehension does play a role in this theory, but it is a small role, in my opinion.

I know this system works, because it is the way I was taught to read. I believe it is vital for young children to understand the relationship between sound and symbol relationships. This approach gives children a strategy for sounding out words that are unfamiliar to them. Unlocking the pronunciation of a word can sometimes lead to the word's meaning, if the child is familiar with the word, and this is an important skill for young readers to have. But, the goal of reading is to gain meaning from the text, not just to pronounce the words correctly. When the reader is unable to attach meaning to the word, the decoding skill becomes useless.

This is why the subs kill theory, by itself, cannot account for all aspects of the reading act. I have witnessed many elementary students who are prolific readers, can sound out even the most complex words, but do not have a clue about the meaning of what they have read. Studying a reading skill in isolation does not guarantee its use in practice. This is the point where I believe the interactive theory comes into play.

The interactive theory makes the connection between the reader and the text, and the theory states that the result of this continuous interaction produces meaning. One of the most important aspects of this theory has to do with the reader making predictions about what they are reading (top down processing) while at the same time, they are using visual cues from the text to test these predictions (bottom down processing). Unlike the subs kill theory where there is excessive focus on words and skills are stressed more than meaning, the trans active theory takes it one step further and gives value to the reader. The reader uses their background knowledge and experiences to bring meaning to the text. Without the young reader being able to relate to the text, they are unable to derive meaning from it.

This is an essential aspect of the reading process, in my opinion. At Roberts we have learned that good teaching bridges the gap between previously learned knowledge and new material. We have a section on our lesson plans devoted to it! The reading process is no different- it must bridge the gap between the print and the information contained in it to background knowledge. The interactive theory explains this connection, but I believe it leaves out another important aspect of the reading process, and that is the aspect of the reader's emotion.

The trans active theory is the only theory that includes emotion, which is, in my opinion, an integral part of any reading experience. I think it is true that reading activates both cognitive and affective aspects, and the reader brings to the reading their own beliefs, values and attitudes. These feelings affect their responses to the reading, and the context of the text plays a role, too. The trans active theory fits in the whole language profile, which I am a great believer in, because I think that learner-centered instruction in reading is the most meaningful and beneficial way to teach reading to a young child. Instead of skills being taught in isolation, as in the subs kill theory, with the trans active theory, skills are embedded in whole-language reading and writing approach where meaning, comprehension and communication are emphasized. In this approach, comprehension can take place without the reader having identified all of the words with the text.

Many times, this is true- a reader does not have to read every word in order to derive meaning. However, the truest test is whether or not the child recognizes when he has read something wrong, and is able to self-correct, and if the child can interpret and comprehend what he has read. The trans active theory takes all of these areas into consideration. I believe that all three of these theories have validity in an elementary classroom, and I know that I will use aspects of all three in my teaching. I will use the subs kill theory approach because I want reading to become automatic for my students, and I will use the interactive and trans active theories because I want reading to be an enjoyable experience for my children. The trans active theory will come into play when I select books that will evoke emotion from my students.

I think I can best meet the learning needs of my students with a balanced approach, taking the best ideas from all three theories to help my students become independent readers who read fluently, understand what they read and most of all, love what they read.