Module 1: Reading Reflection

Module 1: Reading Reflection (Chapter 1 and 2)

What are some of the major differences between a skills approach to literacy and a comprehensive or sociopsycholinguistic approach?

There are two models bought up from the reading in Weaver's text on reading and learning how to read.  The two contrasting models of reading and learning how to read are a skills approach to literacy and a sociopsycholinguistic approach. When reading about these two approaches, there are so many differences between a skills approach to literacy and a sociopycholinguistic approach. According to Weaver's text, a skills approach's view of reading and learning how to read starts from the bottom up. Before you can learn to read, you have to start by learning the basics. On the other hand, a sociopsycholinguistic approach involve understanding the meaning of the text from whole to part. 

The debate between these two models for acquiring the reading skill is mainly depending on the teacher's teaching method and classroom structure. In my perspective, both skill approach to literacy and sociopsycholinguistic approach are beneficial when teaching young children how to read. When young children enter into kindergarten, the teachers would assess  the students to gather an understanding on where they are at. For example, the teacher would do the assessment on letter recognition, letter sounds, and sight words. For the students that do not have the ability to use phonics skills, the teacher would start with this skill approach to teach students reading. A skill approach to teaching reading starts by recognizing alphabet letters (uppercase and lowercase), learning the letter sounds, and then learning the frequency words by sight. 

The second model to teaching reading is sociopsycholinguistic approach. This approach include teaching the reading foundation, using schema, and using words in context. When the teacher teaches using this approach, the teacher would teach the student phonics skill, reading strategies such as using their prior knowledge, and using the memorized sight words in the sentences. When the students memorize the high-frequency words/sight words  on a list in isolation and they do not apply it by using the sight words in a sentence. Then they do not know the meaning of the words memorized and would not know how to apply the words learned. With this sociopsycholinguistic approach, the student will learn many reading strategies that would help them to figure out unfamiliar words. 

In my perspective, both approaches are essential in the teaching of reading. I would gather background knowledge about my students first. I would do assessment to collect data of my students. I would teach depending on my students' level and ability. With students that learn at a faster pace, I would introduce the sociopsycholinguistic approach. For students that are learning a a slower pace such as having a hard time grasping the basics skill like phonic skills. Then I would just teach the letters recognition and then letter sounds. I would not want to overwhelm the students that are struggling with learning the phonic skills.