Theories Related To Learning To Read: Fundamental Concepts And Implications

1. Review the required readings concerning theories related learning to read. From your understanding, present the fundamental concept of the four theories and elaborate on the implications of each theory based on your experience and knowledge. 

2.  Have you taught or worked instructionally with a child who does this? What did you do instructionally with the student?

Cueing Systems

The application of our cognition and the devices of brain is a very elementary process. It helps in determining the power and the capacity of human brain as it develops and coordinates over time. The sense of comprehension and intelligibility is an integral part of any human being, which can be accessed by pursuing the four types of cueing systems. 

It is a prevalent feature placed within the intricacies of the grey matter and the cells present in the humans. The classifications of the four theories that aid in learning to read are:

Cueing systems: There are four types of cueing systems. It is mainly syntactic, pragmatic, semantic and gramo-phonemic. Gramophonic or the recognition ability to printed letters is one of the important cueing factors that reveal the knowledge and acquaintance to the language. The significance of the syntactic system emerges from Chomsky’s analysis of syntax and its role model. Syntax is the structural meaning of a pattern that is followed by the individualistic grammar of a language (Galda, 2013). Pragmatics and semantics are two sides of the same coin. The combination of this two-cueing system helps one to form and understand a sense of a word or structure of a sentence. A number of factors are dependent in our sense of meaning that reveals various interpretations from many new perspectives, involving the four cues.

Transactional theory: Louise Rosenblatt introduced this efficient method, which will help in analyzing and improving the comprehending powers of an individual or a kid. Transactional Theory of reading can clearly be defined as the practical allocation of the theory. It focuses less on the subjectivity but active and theoretical application because that will encourage the kids or the students to participate more often in group sessions and readings. The greatest implication of this theory is the intentional involvement that aids in influencing the students in their activity and potential to better learning. This is one of the core values and determinants of the subject of cognition and reading According to Galda, the “literature teaching must involve the elements of transactional theory because of its immense effectiveness” (Galda, 2013).

Schema Theory: This theory can be deciphered with the help of the reading techniques and methods applied by kid during their learning process.  The definition of schema theory is slightly complicated in nature because it includes the “Active organization of past reactions on experiences” as opined by Barlett, referred by An in her ‘Theory in Language Studies” (S, 2013). In fact, the segmentations of the information that are allocated in our brain in the form of “schema” have been developed in the application of schema theory.  It interlinks and connects the power to relate the comprehending power to active realizations.

Transactional Theory

Automaticity: The concept of the theory of automaticity can be deciphered from the name itself. It refers to the automatic sensations and reactions that develop in an automatic manner, which has been connected with the psychology of our brain. This theory states that ability to observe a course of actions, observe, and train the brain to do it without any intentional or forced attempt or effort. This is applicable when the activity of reading is repetitive in nature (Rog, 2011).

The concerns for children emerging literacy are an integral part of the academic structure. Moreover, the practices followed or observed in this structure make several enquiries into the key indicators that will determine the contemporary concerns and arranges for the response from the teachers who teach the students (Tarat, 2014).

Phonological awareness and alphabetical letter learning: According to Vaughan& Linan Thompson,(2007)“phonemic awareness can be identified in different ways” because in a study it has been revealed that the lack of phonological awareness also makes the writing capacity of the learner, very weak (Vaughn & Linan-Thompson, 2007).Therefore, the cognition power is significantly relative to letter learning and acknowledgment. In the words of Dulude, words are made up of individual sounds in different languages. From this notion arise the difference between varied phonemes; therefore, it essentially degrades the reading power capacity (Rog, 2011).

Book experience: In the words of Sprenger, “the experience of book reading is a very important determinant for the development of valuable insights (Tarat, 2014).  In fact the recent shift digital mode of learning can never fulfill the requirements that a book posses, because the reader or the kid is an active part of the articulated words once they are reading as well as emoting along with it. Therefore, the ability to nurture and make sustainable use of readability by gaining access to different types of book must be made obligatory to the students (Whitehead, 2009).

The perspective of the teacher / parent: The reinforcement to accessing more books can only be possible if the source of inspiration adapts the similar method, cause of an old adage, “Children’s ape their parents”. In the words of Tarat & Sucaromana, therefore, the teachers and the parents who are the first group of people to impart educational skill development to the kids must support and guide in their early writing phases (Whitehead, 2009). They must also help and keep on repeating the practice of dictation and spelling which enhances both effective reading as well as writing. 

Schema Theory

According to the National Reading Panel, the discussion and research on studying the pattern of human mind in effective understanding of phonetics is an inevitable procedure (National Reading Panel, 2000).Therefore, the impressive percentages of kids reading aloud along with their parents conducted by a research have been an important key to the development of effective phonetic abilities.

The comparative study between phonemic and phonic concerns: The two concepts are very crucial in understanding the language and linguistic capacities of an individual. One of the similarities between the two is the overlapping and structural similarity of the two concepts that is something to do with articulation and phone, phoneme identification. In fact, the point of difference is the two approaches. The phonemic approach is more related to the study of the several branch of linguistics but phonic on the other hand is the simplified version to relating the sound with the speech production mechanism(S, 2013).

Role of phonetics: According to the Kids and Family Reading, reports released and suggested by the International Reading Association, the role of phonetics in determining the resourceful use of speech development in kids is significant (Galda, 2013). In fact, the requirement and development of the reading skills depend mainly on the power of pronunciation, comprehension as well the experience of the auditory nerves.  There will be great impact on the reading power of the learner by applying more focus on phonetic practice. 

Vocabulary is essentially an important factor for the decisions that is maintained by the student, which they have developed, in the due course of the reading exercises (Rog, 2011). A situation has been given which have been answered in the following account. 

The situation that has been described here is definitely not a positive outlook, as the child still needs to work on the comprehension ability and give more concentration in following the text in the particular book more than once or twice. 

Yes, I have worked instructionally with a child who practices swift reading but cannot comprehend the text properly. In order to improve his skills I instructed him to read the text for successive number of times. I would also focus to catch the usage and expression of the words used in the text. Along with this, I instructed him to follow my reading and say the words aloud, which is one of the recommended factors for effective reading habits.   

The recommended strategies that can be applied to the kid who has poor comprehension power will be multiple times of self-reading. The parents or the teachers can also enhance this skill by reading along with them, or they the kids can primarily listen to the parents reading it thoroughly, so that automation theory can execute naturally in their cognition at an early age (Vaughn, 2007). 

Galda. (2013). Learning from children reading books: Transactional theory and the teaching of literature. Journal of Children's Literature , 5-13.

Rog, L. J. (2011). Read, write, play, learn: Literacy instruction in today's kindergarten. Newark, DE, USA: International Reading Association .

S, A. (2013). Schema theory in reading. Theory and Practice in Language Studies , 130-135.

Tarat, S. S. (2014). An investigation of the balanced literacy approach for enhancing phonemic awareness of Thai first-grade students. Theory and Practice in Language Studies , 2265-2272.

Vaughn, S., & Linan-Thompson, S. (2007). Alexandria, VA, USA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development (ASCD). Research-Based Methods of Reading Instruction for English Language Learners, Grades K-4. Alexandria, VA, USA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development (ASCD).

Whitehead, M.  (2009). Supporting Language and Literacy Development in the Early Years (2nd Edition). Berkshire, GBR: Open University Press. 

National Reading Panel. (2000). https://www.readingrockets.org/article/254.