Reading Nightmares :: essays papers

Reading Nightmargons Reading nightmares exist at many different levels. There are nightmares at the national and res publica levels. There are nightmares within the field of reading education, and with teachers across all subject areas. This is a key point in the articleExploring reading nightmares of optics and secondary winding school teachers by William P. Bintz.At the national and state levels, research indicates that students experience a declining interest and slowing development in reading from the seventh score on (Farr, Fay, Myers , & Ginsberg, 1987). They demonstrate gains in reading during the early years, these gains seem to taper off in the middle and upper grades, and rule out during the high school years. (Chall 4) many a(prenominal) studies give strength to this argument that reading nightmares occur nationally. They show that students have difficulty with tasks requiring interpretations of what they read, that students do little, if any, reading in school and for homework, and that there is a decline in reading skills amongst 12th graders. (Bintz 13). Goodland (1984) believes that this problem may exist because of the relationship between time spent on reading instruction and the decline in reading abilities. He points out that reading occupies only approximately 6% of class time in elementary school, 3% in junior senior high school school, and 2% in senior high school. (p 106-107). It is noted that 8th grade students watch TV, on average, almost 22 hours per week. They read for less than 2. (Humphrey 23). Reading instruction, as a field of study, is also ripe with nightmares. Too often, educators make assumptions about reading and its instruction. These include (a) Reading instruction is primarily, if not exclusively, the role of elementary, not middle and secondary school teachers and (b) reading is an isolated skill once mastered in the elementary grades students require no further instruction. (Bintz 14) As Bur nett is keen to show, these attitudes are changing, but slowly. Teachers on the secondary level are still hesitant to get involved in reading instruction. They see themselves as teachers of field. But, perhaps, as Summers states, perchance the content area teachers are hesitant because they, along with many language arts teachers, arent properly trained to provide reading instruction. Regardless of content area, all teachers are seeing the same nightmares.