A Teacher's Reflection on Reading Theories, Approaches, and Literacy

This research review paper presents a teacher's reflection on the theories and approaches used in teaching reading. The paper begins with an introduction to the importance of reading skills and the challenges faced by students with reading disabilities. The reflection explores two primary approaches: the whole language approach, which emphasizes comprehension through familiar texts, and the phonics approach, which focuses on precise reading and spelling-sound relationships. The paper then discusses the balanced literacy approach, which combines elements of both whole language and phonics. The teacher reflects on the evolution of these approaches and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) findings. The conclusion highlights the effectiveness of the balanced literacy approach in meeting the diverse reading needs of students. The paper references key academic sources to support its claims. This paper is available on Desklib, a platform providing study resources and solved assignments.

Research
Review Paper

Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
REFLECTION.................................................................................................................................1
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................2
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................4

INTRODUCTION
Teaching reading is an act which consists of the skills that are required by pupil to carry
out reading and understanding of certain content (Jacobs and Renandya, 2017). The present
research review paper is a reflective statement of a teacher that contains reflection upon the
various theories and approaches associated with teaching reading along with a brief description
on the use of balanced literacy approach for imparting knowledge.
REFLECTION
Reading is an activity which involves and requires skills and competence in today’s
competitive and dynamic world. Further, in today’s era, there are many individuals who are
found to be reporting of learning disabilities or any other reading or understanding disorder
which has a significant impact upon the academic lives of personnel who are carrying out their
studies. In order to deal with this, teachers in modern schools and universities make use of a
diverse set of theories depending upon the needs and requirements of people who are required to
be imparted knowledge to, during the process. In this regard, it has been analysed that there are
two approaches which are generally and widespread used by teachers to teach students the art of
reading adequately and appropriately. As a teacher, I try to ensure that I use such approach which
best suits the behavioural as well as social characteristics of students to make sure that they gain
the most out of the education given.
These approaches are, namely, whole language and phonics approach. The whole
language approach imparts knowledge to young children in the form of simple, repetitive and
predictable text which is already quite familiar to the student and hence becomes easier for the
child to gain a better understanding of it. I believe and have often observed that here the stress in
a whole language class is not on accuracy or precision of reading but it is rather on
comprehension of the text by the children in an easy manner. Here pupil are even allowed the
access to insert new words in the given text or make use of substitute words as long as it is
ensured that the meaning and gist of the text is not altered or changed in any manner. The major
goal within this type of teaching reading approach is to develop a feeling of liking and love
towards the act of reading connected as well as authentic data and to keep the process associated
with reading instruction absolutely uncontrived (Blevins, 2017).
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On contrary to whole language teaching reading approach, phonics approach is a
technique that largely lays emphasis upon precise reading and here the child is encourage and
fostered to read the text exactly as it seems to appear on the page. I think that this approach
makes children explicitly learn such "rules" that can facilitate given significant consideration to
the manner in which words are written as well as spelled and further they are also taught about
spelling-sound relationships. Post the provision of an explicit lesson within a Phonics class,
children are presented with a paragraph of text which consists of a number of words which are
consistent with the taught rule (known as decodable text). This largely renders child with the
opportunity of applying each of the Phonics rules on a number of words in a particular context of
passage. The major emphasis as well as goal of phonics teaching is to equip children with all the
significant and essential Phonics rules as well as the most common spelling sound relationships
along with teaching about the application of this knowledge in sounding-out each word that
students encounter (Harris and et. al., 2017). This is done on an assumption that comprehension
would be the natural consequence associated with accuracy.
With changing times, another approach that has gained recognition within the teaching
world is a balanced literacy approach which makes use of the composition of whole language
and phonics approach in order to impart lessons to students about reading and gaining
comprehensibility (Dillon, 2016). In today’s world, I have not much seen educators strictly
describing themselves as making use of whole language or phonics approach. Most of the
teachers including me refer to the method of teaching to be ‘balanced’. Even I promote a
"balanced" approach for reading the instructions in order to put a full stop to the reading wars.
The emergence of a balanced approach came to being after taking into consideration the fact that
neither the Whole Language approach nor the Phonics approach is separately significantly
effective so as to achieve the motive of teaching reading. I think that none of these two
approaches has been adequately effective and thus it is thought to make a composite of these two
approaches which will ensure that educators like me have the most effective as well as
significant teaching reading approach.
While the pendulum of reading constantly swung from whole language approach to
phonics approach and back to the whole language approach while incorporating the balanced
approach in the intersection, it has been noted and observed that the reading performance of the
children has not really remained stable across years and is unfortunately even found to be quite
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poor. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is widespread used to analyse
the major aspects as well as areas of education such as reading performance since the year 1969
(Day, 2015). Yet ignoring the downside of the balanced literacy, it has been found that this
approach tends to provide teachers like me the scope to enhance the overall experience of
teaching by making use of an approach that strives to take into account the characteristics of both
the whole language and phonics approach and strikes to set a balance between them in order to
meet the reading needs and demands of students.
With the use of this approach, I am able to easily and significantly differentiate learning
during word study, independent reading and writing, literacy solutions, guided reading. Using the
balanced literacy approach for teaching reading tend to make a significant difference in the
learning experiences derived by my students. They are now found to be more exited, engaged
about the reading experiences in the classroom and have somewhat succeeded in displaying signs
of growth.
CONCLUSION
On the basis of above discussion, it has been concluded that there are various approaches
or theories which are adopted by teachers for carrying out teaching reading such as whole
language and phonics. Yet seeing the ineffectiveness of both the approaches, it has been analysed
that the balanced literacy approach is one of the best methods that assist tutors in effectively
communicating their views, thoughts and opinions to pupil in order to impart education to them.
Further, it has been analysed that this approach has its own merits and demerits which need to be
significantly taken into account by the teachers while using this methodology for ensuring
literacy amongst students.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Jacobs, G. M., & Renandya, W. A. (2017). Using positive education to enliven the teaching of
reading. RELC Journal. 48(2). 256-263.
Blevins, W. (2017). Teaching phonics & word study in the intermediate grades. Scholastic
Professional Books.
Day, R. R. (2015). Extending extensive reading. Reading in a Foreign Language. 27(2). 294-
301.
Harris, K. R. and et. al. (2017). Teaching spelling, writing, and reading for writing: Powerful
evidence-based practices. Teaching Exceptional Children. 49(4). 262-272.
Dillon, W. (2016). Using poetry in teaching reading to special education students. Yale-New
Haven Teachers Institute.
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