sight reading doesn't scale well as learner progress

  • In sight reading approach, children are presented with hundreds of the most common English words and taught to recognise them by sight.

    • This is usually done through rote memorization.
    • In teaching methods world, generally there are two methods i.e. phonics or sight-reading

  • Sight reading may fails the highly visual learners in more advanced stages as there are simply too many words in English to recognise by sight

    • This is more apparent for dyslexic children, and if this isn’t corrected, they become over reliant on the method it can collapse their confidence it later stages. This is especially evident when they compare against their peers who have learned decoding methods of reading.
    • Most visual learners find learning to read very hard and around 80% of children “diagnosed” as dyslexic are in fact visual learners.
    • At first, the sight-reading strategy appeals to their visual nature and they manage the alphabet and simple words easily. They then progress to “early reader books” and look at the picture (visual cues) and rely on their sight memory to get through, guessing the words that they don’t know.

  • The irregularities in English (or similar language) due to using the 26 letters in the alphabet to create 44 sounds makes it harder to learn the language

    • This is mainly due to to how the language make up for the difference – there are several different ways a letter can be pronounced (‘a’ for apple, car, or ball, and ‘c’ for cat, ceiling, or scent).
    • Letter combinations create new sounds (ch, sh, ea) and these combinations can also be pronounced in different ways (chair vs. chorus, eagle vs. earth).
    • This makes decoding a serious challenge for struggling readers, particularly those students who have dyslexia.

[!quote]+ Dyslexic learners understand text by using context and guess work Studies by educational psychologists have found that adult dyslexic learners understand text by using context and guess work. They may not understand each word in the dictionary sense – but they use their instinct, experience and the contextual information from the writing as a whole to get the ‘gist’.

(See Corkett, J.K. and Parrila, R., 2008. Use of Context in the Word Recognition Process by Adults with a Significant History of Reading Difficulties. Annals of Dyslexia, 58, 139–161 for research references).

5 Strategies for helping dyslexic students

  • Find decodable books. Reading material that is full of familiar single and closed syllable words will make decoding easier.
    • It’s also helpful for texts to include frequently used sight words and a few harder words. These kinds of books apply just the right amount of load to the dyslexic brain. 
  • Set them up for success. Students struggling with reading can easily become discouraged if the book is too difficult or too easy.
    • Readers who reject baby books may feel discouraged, while those who struggle through advanced books will become frustrated. Parents and teachers can help by offering a selection of books that help students build fluency and create the ideal conditions for enhancing reading skills. Start with short decodable books and move on to decodable chapter books to give them a sense of accomplishment in their learning. If these books do not fit into classroom lessons, offer them as free reading that students earn rewards for.
  • Give struggling students a break. For dyslexic students, schoolwork and classroom activities can be exhausting.
    • Letting students take frequent breaks during reading can be an effective coping strategy. Always keep in mind that children with dyslexia need more downtime to recharge their batteries. 
  • Read stories for the 1000th time. Encourage children to re-read their favorite stories with a loved one.
    • Strategies that revolve around reading at home help students experience feelings of literacy success in a welcoming and low-risk environment. Re-reading familiar texts will also build speed, accuracy and confidence, which adds up to the perfect recipe for fluency.
  • Make reading fun. When a child is struggling to read, we might be inclined to push him or her to work harder.
    • This is done in the hopes that more practice will improve reading skills. However, ineffective practice can actually impede progress especially if the child or the parents end up in tears. Child centered strategies ensure students are more engaged in their learning because practice is fun and rewarding. Children love a special time with their parents or an exciting classroom story-hour with the right reading material. Spend time reading to them. If the student has younger siblings, encourage them to take on the responsibility of reading to the little ones.

References

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