THE TEACHING AND ASSESSMENT IN READING

The world now is beset with the massive advancement of science, technology, and
communication. This fact has engendered various opportunities in all sectors of society. Obviously, the
utilization of technologies, transactions may they be personal or work-related have become more
facilitative compared to the times when people generally managed their manually/personally.
Collaborations worldwide have been made accessible. Virtual cross-cultural interactions created a wider
sphere of unity in the midst of diversity. In other words, as information technology becomes ubiquitous,
engagements become fluid. As a result, many people tend to be dependent on these tools.
This scenario despite its humungous advantages, has undeniably affected other facets of a
person’s integral life skills. Many people young and adults generally seem to simply take in the needed
information from electronic devices without analyzing and evaluating information. The latter is a very
important reading skill that needs to be developed and enhanced in academic institutions. Since this
reality has somehow sipped through the system of a technology-driven society, this has become a
challenge of teachers especially prospective teachers like you. Taking a proactive response to this
nagging challenge, academic institutions can revitalize the value of reading, it being a life skill.
This chapter of the book, therefore, encompasses the essentialities of reading for various
purposes. In the academe, it is given premium as this serves as a tool in understanding and actualizing
21st-century skills. As a macro skill, reading which aims towards the development of critical and creative
thinking skills is primarily inculcated in the academic environment. Since the involves a complex process,
you who are prospective teachers need to be equipped with fundamental preparations which can
address the varying needs of the students. Basic preparations among others include the researched-
based learning plan, differentiated learning tasks as well as assessment measurement.

Learning outcomes:
You are expected to achieve the following learning outcomes:
 Select differentiated learning tasks in teaching reading to suit learners’ gender, needs, strengths
interests, and experiences;
 Demonstrate how to provide timely, accurate, and constructive feedback to improve learner
performance in the different tasks in reading through simulations;
 Craft a learning plan according to the English curricula that is developed from research-based
knowledge and principles of reading and the theoretical bases, principles methods, and
strategies in teaching these components; and
 Conduct a teaching demonstration of the assigned learning competencies in reading.

Lesson 1: The Value of Reading

Expose:
Reading being a life skill has been inculcated in the school system from the time child enters school. To
recapture how this skill is given premium in teaching and learning authorities have shared their varied
but parallel ideas.
On reading:
Stanley, (2007). Reading is a process of reconstructing meaning from written text. It is a complex
skill requiring the coordination of interrelated sources of information.

Reading is defined as a cognitive process that involves decoding symbols to arrive at meaning.

Dechant (1991) as cited by Macceca (2007), reading is a visual process that begins with one’s ability to
use one’s vision to interpret graphic symbols.

Short, K and Harste, J 1996 added that it is an active process of constructing the meaning of
words. It is likewise a number of interactive processes between the reader and the text in which readers
use their knowledge to build create and construct meaning.

Sheridan. E (1991). The traditional skills model view of reading is a bottom-up or data-driven
processing model. In this view of reading, letters are perceived in a left to right sequence until a word is
perceived as a whole; meaning is obtained and related to other words in the sentence, thus activating
the dominant schema and its particular concepts.

Ravinder, S. (2019) expressed then that reading is a process that involves recognizing words, it
leads to the development of comprehension.

On Reading Comprehension.
After being exposed to the ideas of reading from the different authorities’ comprehension the
essence of reading is hereby defined and explained by the other set of experts.

Snow C, (2010) expressed that comprehension is the process of simultaneously constructing and
extracting meaning through interaction and engagement with print. The success of a comprehension
event depends on a good match of reader skills, text difficulty, and task definition. Moreover,
comprehension according to the Kto12 READER READING INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES is an intentional,
active interactive process that occurs before, during, and after a person reads a particular piece of
writing.
Denchant (1991) states that reading comprehension refers to understanding what is read, so
readers must be able to cognitively process the words by drawing meaning from their own experience
and knowledge to understand the authors’ message.
Anderson (1994) expressed that comprehension is activating or constructing a schema that
provides a coherent explanation of objects and events mentioned in the discourse.
Abao, E et al. (2009) stated that reading comprehension is an active interchange of ideas and
expressions of thought. Being a life skill, reading involves creative and critical thinking skills of events
through which the intended message and values are brought forth to reality.
 Conscious of the ultimate purpose of reading which is comprehension and its value for
successful functioning in our society, Kendou, P (2015), noted that it is very essential that you will have
clearer and richer ideas about this macro skill.
Understandably, you have been familiar with this life skill from the time you started school.
More so as prospective teachers of English where this skill has been built in as part of your academic
pursuit, you are expected to be adept with this real-life skill.

On Purposes of Reading
These aforementioned ideas of reading lead you to realize its value to any student’s academic
undertaking. According to Hammer (2009), reasons for reading include students’ career, language
acquisition, students’ vocabulary knowledge, modeling English writing, introducing topics, stimulating
discussion.
In addition, Charlton, E (2019) expressed that reading could help you live longer, you may
absorb more from physical books; you may develop the skills for the future; it builds your vocabulary
and it wards off brain deterioration.
Seeing the value of reading as a tool subject, students need to conscientiously learn reading and
meaningfully assimilate value. Reading has to be well-taught to the students and teaching strategies
need to be judiciously selected. With this in mind, as prospective teachers, you need to be reminded of
the important principles in teaching reading so that academic engagement becomes relevant and
sustainable.