The Right Way to Teach Reading?

I have wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember, however, taking courses that apply to my major and career goals put things in a new perspective. In my opinion, teaching children how to read is one of, if not the most important lesson for a student to master. Reading is the foundation of education in all areas, as you read about every topic and have to understand different types of text and genres. After reading Richard Allington's What I've Learned About About Effective Reading Instruction, I am so much more interested in the teaching of reading that I was previously. As a student, I was not the best reader. I dreaded getting assigned books to read in class and had a very hard time understanding analyzing what we were reading, which made me very frustrated. This dislike of assigned reading transferred into any type of reading. I felt as though reading was never a "choice" for me, but rather that is was a dreary task that I had to complete regardless of if I enjoyed it or not. This article does a great job in showing the simple, yet necessary aspects of teaching reading, using the 6 T's: Time, Texts, Teaching, Talk, Tasks, and Testing. No one "T" could be as effective without the rest of them. It is important to recognize the conclusive instruction of teaching reading using these six T's and to recognize what importance each aspect carries. I loved the way Allington spoke about theories and the need for great teachers. It is absolutely true that knowledge of successful theories are needed in a classroom, but it is even more essential that a teacher understands the depth of a theory enough to put it into practice. A teacher's role is to convey information not just by talking in the front of a classroom, but by actively teaching and getting involved. 

Reading can be seen as a task to a lot of students, instead of an enjoyable leisurely activity. One main goal of teaching students how to read, is to try to teach students to actually enjoy reading. In Classrooms That Work: They Can All Read and Write, Cunningham and Allington point to the importance of a wide variety of reading. Reading is a comprehensive subject that should be taught through a variety of materials, formats, and instruction. It is also said that higher-level thinking is a key part of learning to successful read. Jobs in every field require high levels of comprehension, and this understanding begins with learning how to read. Again, a variety of reading materials is essential in learning to read. A student should be reading and writing independently and in group settings, they should be examining books in different subjects, they should be assessed with critical thinking and not just a "right or wrong" answer. It is also important to have an open line of communication with students about their reading and to give them choices. Each person is different and has varied preferences and interests, therefore everyone should not be limited to one type of reading. Independence in reading will hopefully show students that there are multiple ways in which you can read, different genres, etc. The freedom of choice gives a more positive outlook to reading and would hopefully be enticing and make students more excited about reading. In accordance with independent reading, reading logs or profiles are beneficial to help keep track of a students progress and interest in what they are reading. All in all, reading is a building block to education, and learning how to properly teach a student how to read is with the utmost importance. Comprehensive views with a wide variety of theories and outlooks will lead to successful reading instruction.