Tim,
After reading innumerable posts on this and other sites about the various
opinions out there about fluency, I've come to the conclusion that the concerns
are more about instructional practices and academic decisions that are made
based on a fluency score. In my opinion there are administrative decisions made
at both the school and system levels without full understanding of the fluency
piece of the literacy puzzle. (Folks jumping on the bandwagon so they can say
they have addressed it.) I also think that there are teachers who don't have a
clear understanding of what fluency is, how to monitor it, and how to make
instructional decisions based on student performance. I think fluency is a
complicated concept that requires a deep knowledge of the student, perhaps
deeper than many teachers have time to investigate. (Which is not the teacher's
fault.)
Now, before everyone on this list gets their knickers in a knot, understand
that I put myself in the category of teachers needing more knowledge to design
and implement appropriate instruction for fluency. (Or maybe you all know this
already.) Because I believe that a balanced approach is best for my students,
it is challenging for me to really feel competent on any one component of
literacy. My way of coping with this is to take one component per year to focus
on, and do my best with the rest.
Zero correlation between fluency and comprehension? When a student reads
fluently, and I'm not talking about speed, you know they get it. Listen to a
student who doesn't read fluently, it's painful because you know they don't.
When I hear older students read who are not fluent it really makes me sad
because I know how much richer their lives could be if they were fluent. And I
suspect they know it, too.
As far as the student who has difficulty reading orally, but can comprehend
when reading silently, I think, as Sue stated, that there is something else
going on with his learning (and some kind of processing problem could be the
issue, but it needs specialized testing and attention). This does not need to
be ignored, because he has a learning difference that needs to be addressed in
order for him to have continued academic success.
I don't think Tim, or any of the other folks who have expertise in this area,
expect kids to read as though they are actors. I think that is as unreasonable
as expecting break neck speed in oral reading. I think we are looking for kids
to read with a reasonable simulation of natural speech, at a pace that others
could understand. Somehow administrators, principals, superintendents, and
school boards need to get this message. The message needs to be given in a way
that addresses the complexity in a simple yet elegant manner. (I have no idea
how to then take this to legislators, but they need to hear it, too.)
I am so grateful that Tim and Elaine are here for us to glean from their
expertise. Their suggestions for appropriate instruction are carefully crafted,
address various learning styles, and provide for differentiation in approach
and abilties. They back up their claims with research that they have done, as
well as research that has been conducted independently. Their participation
here is quite astounding, and I think is a credit to this group. Both of them
have been very gracious, generous, and forthcoming with their information and
advice.
Joy/NC/4
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
How children learn is as important as what they learn: process and content go
hand in hand. http://www.responsiveclassroom.org
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