Name: Danilo C. Siquig, Jr.

Course: Master of Arts major in Language Teaching

Date: December 14, 2019
Subject: Teaching of Reading in Early Childhood and Elementary Education

CRITIQUE PAPER
Journal Article: Reading & Writing Quarterly
Title of the Article: EFFECTIVE READING INSTRUCTION FOR STRUGGLING
READERS: THE ROLE OF DIRECT/EXPLICIT TEACHING
Authors: William H. Rupley, Timothy R. Blair & William D. Nichols

I. INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

A struggling reader is a child who experiences difficulty learning to read. This maybe

due to: speech and language problems, specific learning difficulties, English as a second

language acquired at a later age, poor reading instruction when they were learning to read or a

combination of the above. Many struggling readers are also reluctant readers because they find it

difficult, fear failure and are aware that they are falling behind their peers. Many of these pupils

experience low self esteem. With these facts, reading instruction is very important for the child’s

learning. There must be an effective reading instruction for these people who are considered to

be struggling readers.

Authors

William H. Rupley

He is a professor in the Department of Teaching, Learning and Culture, College of

Education and Human Development (CEHD), Texas A&M University. Dr. Rupley received the

2013 A. B. Herr award presented for distinguished service and contributions in reading presented

by Association of Literary Educators and Researchers. He is the recipient of the CEHD

Instructional Research Laboratory Research Achievement Award and was appointed a Regents

Scholar in 2001.

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Timothy R. Blair

Tim Blair (born 1965) is an Australian editor, journalist,political commentator and

blogger. He works for The Daily Telegraph in Sydney. In mid-2001, Blair began blogging at

Blogspot. By 2004, he had attracted a significant following, the Sydney Morning

Herald describing him as a "top dog among the new Australian digerati" who "some days draws

more than 20,000 readers to his website. In addition to running his blog, Blair was previously a

news editor and regular columnist for the now-defunct The Bulletin.

William D. Nichols

William Nichols is a Professor of Accounting at Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of

Business, where he also served as Associate Dean for Graduate Programs from 1995 – 2000 and

Associate Dean for Faculty and Budget from 2002 – 2008. He is a four-time recipient of the

Outstanding Teacher of the Year award.

II. WHAT IS THE RESEARCH ALL ABOUT?

The research is all about the effective reading instructions for struggling readers

primarily the role of direct/explicit teaching. When we talk of struggling reader we are talking

of a child who experiences difficulty learning to read. This maybe due to: speech and

language problems, specific learning difficulties, English as a second language acquired at a

later age, poor reading instruction when they were learning to read or a combination of the

above. Many struggling readers are also reluctant readers because they find it difficult, fear

failure and are aware that they are falling behind their peers. Many of these pupils experience

low self esteem.

The authors suggested to use direct/explicit teaching in providing remedies with these

struggling readers. These are the following; the six instructional functions for teaching well-

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structured objectives proposed by Rosenshine and Stevens (1995) and these are review and

check previous work, present new material, provide guided practice, provide feedback and

corrections, provide independent practice, provide weekly and monthly reviews. Another

indirect/explicit approach is with the use of modeling. Modeling is a direct/explicit teaching

strategy that effective teachers use to help students conceptualize reading skills and strategies

and how to apply them. As its name implies, modeling is demonstrating for the students how

to use their learning. Explicit types of modeling used extensively in teaching

cognitive strategies are talk-alouds and think-alouds. Think-alouds often involve

discussion of the steps used in a strategy, but they also include a description of the

reasoning that readers use when performing the task. Another direct/explicit strategy

is with the use of “coaching”. Guiding and directing students’ learning is certainly not

new; it has been an effective teaching strategy for years. The authors also talked about

the use of “scaffolds” to support students’ learning. A definition of scaffolds was

provided by Rosenshine and Meister (1992): Scaffolds are forms of support

provided by the teacher (or another stu- dent) to help students bridge the gap

between their current abilities and the intended goal. Instead of providing explicit

steps, one supports, or scaffolds, the students as they learn the skill.

In the end, the author emphasized that The key to direct/explicit instruction is

the active communication and interaction between teacher and student. This style of

teaching can be well structured or less structured in nature. There must be a teacher

discussion and teacher-student interaction.

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III. INTERPRETATION

Reading is not an easy task especially if the child is a struggling reader. A

teacher with this kind of student should have an effective reading instruction. As the

article discussed, I firmly agree to the ways and strategies being given. However,

upon doing my research I wanted to add some strategies which I think very essential

especially to children who are considered to be struggle readers.

First, find the “holes” and begin instruction there. Find where the confusion

begins. Maybe they’re missing key elements (like phonological and phonemic awareness).

Research has stated that as much as 85%-90% of learners who struggle are missing key

phonemic awareness skills, so it’s a good place to start! Maybe there are holes in

their phonics skills. Go back and start working on the skills there. You can use the

resources listed above to help you do just this. Don’t skip ahead and start teaching where

a struggling reader “should” be. Reading, phonics, and spelling all depend on important

skills. And if those skills are missing, you’ll be frustrating both you and your learner.

Second, build their confidence. Most struggling readers, especially older ones,

know that they struggle. They feel defeated and frustrated. And it comes out in words in

phrases like, “I hate reading.” To top it off, we often give them books and work that’s at

their frustration level, compounding the problem. Helping them find “just right” books,

even if it means backing up one or two levels, can also help build their confidence.

Third, don’t leave them guessing. Struggling readers don’t always do the best at

“reading between the lines” with phonics, spelling, reading, or comprehension.

You need to make your teaching explicit. This means SHOWING them exactly

what to do and how to do it. Spell it out for them step-by-step.

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 Fourth, make it multi-sensory. Our instruction needs to include visual,

kinesthetic, and auditory activities. The most effective way of teaching is to integrate

ALL THREE AT ONE TIME when possible.

IV. CONCLUSION

The premise underlying this discussion is that these major instructional tasks are

inseparable parts of one total instructional process. Struggling readers need to learn

these tasks with the end product always being reading comprehension. Each of the

above tasks or strands can be developed through direct=explicit instruction and an

abundance of practice in a variety of text. As with any teaching method, this approach

is not successful with all types of objectives and can be misused. Each step in the

direct=explicit approach should be modified to meet student needs and the topic at

hand. If the direct or explicit model of instruction is a part of the reading teacher’s

repertoire of teaching methods, students are more likely to learn essential reading skills

and abilities.

One reality that makes reading instruction complicated is that no assess- ment

blueprint spells out precisely where and how much instructional time and effort

teachers should devote to each instructional task or strand. Also, no blueprint says

which instructional techniques work best with individual learners. Understanding

individual differences among learners offers the answers to these questions. Then,

using the right amount of direct=explicit instruction in relation to the desired

outcomes is the foundation of effective reading instruction.

References

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References

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WEBSITES

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Blair

https://www.notredameonline.com/faculty/executive-education-faculty/william-d-nichols/

https://www.phonicbooks.co.uk/2012/11/05/what-is-the-difference-between-a-reluctant-reader-and-a-
struggling-reader/

https://thisreadingmama.com/helping-struggling-readers/

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