In one of my other education classes we are reading this article on a fluency and comprehension. The article examines a study conducted in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware in which 171 children from grade 2 to grade 10 were tested for reading fluency and comprehension. All of the children selected were deemed to be strong readers according to their teachers and parents. The children were first tested for fluency to ensure the students were fluent readers. The children were then test at his or her grade level on two narrative passages, on read orally and the other read silently. The passages were selected from a program that is designed to test reading comprehension. The results of the study found that approximately one third of the readers were advanced comprehenders, another third were proficient comprehenders and one third were struggling comprehenders. Therefore, even though these students were determined to be strong readers, one third of them struggled to understand the passage they read. Why? Well it turns out that there has been a large push in the United States to focus on reading fluency. Many theorists believe that “fluency is a facilitator of comprehension and precedes its development” so basically if a child is reading fluently then you can work on developing comprehension. Other theorists believe that “fluency is an outcome of comprehension” so when you understand what you are reading your reading become more fluent.
I think the first theory makes more sense. If you are struggling to read a passage, then the meaning of that passage becomes lost in the words. I found this simulation that I think helps illustrate how fluency affects comprehension. So I agree that we need to develop fluency first BUT we can’t forget about comprehension. When students are reading fluently, teachers need to help develop comprehension. Part of the problem with the results of this study is that 30% of the struggling comprehenders were already in middle school or high school. In these upper grades, I don’t think teachers spend that much time helping students with reading comprehension. Sure we spent time going reading passages and answering multiple choice questions on them (similar to what you would find on the diploma exam) but the teachers never really taught us how to critically examine the passages we read. It seemed like you got it or you didn’t. (Or at least it seemed like this for my class)
So how will the results of this study impact us as teachers? Well, I think we need to continue to develop fluency with students, as this is probably the first step in developing comprehension, but we also need to help students understand what they are reading at an early age. Get the students to think about and reflect on what they are reading and have them write or draw or somehow show you what they understand from what they read. I don’t want to say the dreaded word, journals, but it could be a great way for students to express what they know…just don’t make them write in their journals all the time.
To relate this to our sociology class, it makes me think about the conflict theory and how the people at the top determine what is important to focus on and study. The items that the dominant group are interested in get all the attention and everything else gets pushed by the wayside. So perhaps in the United States someone said that we should focus on fluency in reading, and so all the teachers started focusing on fluency and all but ignored comprehension. And now a group of researchers are saying “hey, what about understanding what you are reading? Isn’t that important too?” Perhaps we will see a shift towards an emphasis in reading comprehension in the future.
I think the first theory makes more sense. If you are struggling to read a passage, then the meaning of that passage becomes lost in the words. I found this simulation that I think helps illustrate how fluency affects comprehension. So I agree that we need to develop fluency first BUT we can’t forget about comprehension. When students are reading fluently, teachers need to help develop comprehension. Part of the problem with the results of this study is that 30% of the struggling comprehenders were already in middle school or high school. In these upper grades, I don’t think teachers spend that much time helping students with reading comprehension. Sure we spent time going reading passages and answering multiple choice questions on them (similar to what you would find on the diploma exam) but the teachers never really taught us how to critically examine the passages we read. It seemed like you got it or you didn’t. (Or at least it seemed like this for my class)
So how will the results of this study impact us as teachers? Well, I think we need to continue to develop fluency with students, as this is probably the first step in developing comprehension, but we also need to help students understand what they are reading at an early age. Get the students to think about and reflect on what they are reading and have them write or draw or somehow show you what they understand from what they read. I don’t want to say the dreaded word, journals, but it could be a great way for students to express what they know…just don’t make them write in their journals all the time.
To relate this to our sociology class, it makes me think about the conflict theory and how the people at the top determine what is important to focus on and study. The items that the dominant group are interested in get all the attention and everything else gets pushed by the wayside. So perhaps in the United States someone said that we should focus on fluency in reading, and so all the teachers started focusing on fluency and all but ignored comprehension. And now a group of researchers are saying “hey, what about understanding what you are reading? Isn’t that important too?” Perhaps we will see a shift towards an emphasis in reading comprehension in the future.
Reference:
Applegate, M. D., Applegate, A. J., & Modla, V. B. (2009). "She's My Best Reader; She Just Can't Comprehend": Studying the Relationship Between Fluency and Comprehension. The Reading Teacher , 512-521.
Hurts my brain --how can you be fluent but lack comprehension? That's like saying, "this guy talks French really well, but he doesn't know what he is saying." It's just another example that how we measure things may not relate to the real world at all. In the States teachers often find that they have to teach to the test to ensure their school gets funding, but the attempt to increase test scores often leads to such distorted teaching they don't teach what they are supposed to and kids actually end up learning a lot less -- i.e., inauthentic teaching decreases real learning.
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