The End, for Now!

I am ending this blog on past articles on the teaching of English that are still relevant today. Not enough interest. RayS. .

Public Relations

Question: What is the value of public relations in discussing reading/writing programs with the public?

Answer/Quote: “Why are good public relations essential to your reading and writing programs? If parents and your public understand the programs, they will be much more likely to support them…. Also, if parents understand and support your reading and writing programs, their children will reflect their positive attitudes.” P. 738.

Quote: “Finally, be ready to answer questions. Questions will arise, and can be answered, as you provide information and services, but there are some additional things you can do. You might consider publishing pamphlets that address aspects of the reading and writing programs in your district. Titles for consideration may include: ‘What are the Reading/Writing Programs Like in Our School District?’ ‘How Can  You, As a Parent, Help at Home with Reading and Writing?’ ‘Questions and Answers about Invented Spelling,’ ‘Questions and Answers about Content Area Reading,’ etc. Make these pamphlets available to each school,, Perhaps teachers could offer them during parent-teacher conferences.” P. 739.

Comment: Another of my failures as K-12 English supervisor—public relations. The preceding suggestions are good! RayS.

Title: Reading Supervisors: Good Public relations: An Essential Ingredient.” Pat Hagerty. Journal of Reading (May 1989), 7388-739.

Vocabulary in the Disciplines

Question: How can vocabulary from different subject areas be used in an English class?

Answer: Teachers from all subject areas give the English teacher basic words in their subject areas. The teachers whittles the list to about 150 words.

Comment: Need to use a variety of methods to introduce the words and to reinforce their meanings. One thing is for sure: the meanings need to be reduced to one, two or three words to help in remembering them. Interesting idea. RayS.

Title: “Cross-Curriculum Word for a Day.” S Switzer. Journal of Reading (October 1991), 150.

College Remediation

Question: How can you blunt the negative feelings about a remediation course at the college level?

Answer: Use materials from the students’ prospective field of study, including magazines, journals, and books from the field of study.

Comment: Could be difficult to manage, but if students bring materials from their field of study, might be workable. For example, a project might be developed in which students analyze a textbook, journal and magazine articles in the field, types of writing required. Sounds like an interesting idea that will need some managing. RayS.

Title: “Integrating Study and Business Curricula for a City College Reading Course.” GM Seidman. Journal of Reading (October 1991), 149-150.

Reading Aloud

Question: How can I interest students in reading by reading aloud, regardless of grade level?

Answer/Quote: “When reading aloud, I stop in midsentence and begin the day’s work without reference to or explanation of the reading….”

Comment: That’ll get them thinking. Pick an interesting passage from a book and read it aloud. It will also cause them to ask questions about the book. Interesting idea. RayS.

Title: “Amazing What Can Happen When You Read to Them.” Petey Yung. Journal of Reading (October 1991), 148-149.

Reading Strategies

Question: What are the effects of teaching students reading strategies?

Answer/Quote: “Comprehension difficulties are often related to readers’ failure to participate actively in the reading process. Teaching students to become more strategic when they read increases their understanding of important textual information, as well as their motivation.” P. 132.

Comment: Students feel as if they are more in control of what they are doing when they have strategies for preparing themselves for reading, as in the FLIP strategy (Friendliness, Language, Interest, and Prior Knowledge) for assessing the difficulty of a reading assignment in a content area (Schumm and Mangrum), for dealing with difficult material, for helping to remember key vocabulary words, etc. A strategy is not a skill; It’s a method for dealing with a situation in reading or writing or spelling, etc. RayS.

Title: “Self-Questioning and Prediction: Combining Metacognitive Strategies.” TE Nolan. Journal of Reading (October 1991), 132-138.

Adult Illiterates

Question: what do we need to consider when working with adult illiterates?

Answer/Quote: “The individual who is illiterate is part of a system within the family and society and cannot be considered in isolation…. That person has failed to learn to read and any attempt to teach him or her must address the failure and resulting anxiety and loss of self-esteem. What s/he experienced in attempting to learn to read,, any special efforts that were made to help the individual, how the person has compensated for not being able to read, what efforts were made to hide the inability to read, and how that affected the person’s life academically, socially and emotionally are critical factors in determining the psychological scars the individual carries into adulthood because of the inability to read.” P. 126.

Comment: I’m not suggesting that a person who has not been trained in working with adult illiterates try it as an amateur. I’m just alerting my readers to the complexity of the problem. RayS.

Title: “The Use of an Educational Therapy Model with an Illiterate Adult.” MJ Scully and CL Johnston. Journal of Reading (October 1991), 126-131.