Module 2: Reading Reflection

“The major folklore of reading instruction relates to the “theory” that reading is considered an exact process. In other words, the reader is expected to read everything exactly as printed on the page in order to understand the message of the author. In general the consuming public, legislatures, courts, and too many educators hold to this theory. It is like the theory of the world being flat during the time of Columbus.”-Robert Harper and Gary Kilarr

The quote made by Harper & Kilarr was really interesting to me.  I do not agree with the theory because a student does not have to know every word on the page to comprehend what he or she is reqding. I feel that sometimes kids put in tee words in the sentence and still comprehend the whole picture. If its every word in the sentence then there is problem and yes that will hinder the students comprehension level..Reading is not an exact process.  The way children read is in their own individual ways. The needs of one student isn't the same as another. If it was an exact process then students would be further behind then what they are. On page 45 it states "such withholding challenging texts from students until they can recognize nearly all words acuratly. Such restraint will actually inhibit their acquisition of new vocabulary" (Weaver 45) . If we follow an exact process and never change in our ways , we are restraining a child from learning and never challenging him or her. As I read through chapter 4, Weaver, helps you understand that readers can make mistakes and miscue on the reading material, because they aren't focusing on each letter or each word in isolation. Proficient readers are using both syntactic and semantic context to read. Students should not be taught an exact way to read! If they are reading as stop to correct a word, they have lost the totally knowledge of what they have read. As weaver wrote " since meaning is the goal of reading, we hardly need to insist that every word identified accurately. Instead demanding an accurate rendition of the surface structure, we might better call for a reasonable interpretation of deep structure." (Weaver, 73) i feel that quotes sums up everything I think and believe. If we used an exact process and made sure the word had to always be pronounced right, then we are hindering a child from truly comprehending what they are reading.