The LIGHT Center, T-90, College of the Redwoods (476-4290) - March 19, 2001

READING THE FINE PRINT

Whoever said that we really don't value something until we no longer have it was very wise.  I always marvel at how most of us have mastered the skill of reading.  I am even more amazed when I see my friend's children learning the necessary skills with ease. It is truly magical that we are able to draw on all the skills necessary to result in the reading of a passage.  This is exemplified for me when I work with a student who has either not yet mastered, or has lost her/his ability to read. 

Too often we think of reading as a singular task, which it is not.  Reading is an extremely complex activity, necessitating the orchestration of a number of different skills and abilities. When a student presents with a reading problem, one of the first things that must be done is to determine where in the chain of necessary skill development the problem exists.  More often than not, a student at the level of college will report difficulty with comprehension of reading, which is only the end result of a number of skills working together to cull meaning from a series of phonemes, words, and grammatical units.

Below are a few of the "links" in the chain that culminate in successful reading, and can include physical, process based or conceptual tasks. There are many in addition to the ones discussed here.

Visual Acuity

If a person's visual acuity is impaired, their reading will likely be impaired also. Glasses or other adaptive equipment can often minimize the effect of this factor.

Visual Processing

There are a variety of visual processes that must be functioning in order for the brain to be able to "receive" an intact message from the eyes.  Difficulties in processing can include spatial orientation problems, sequencing problems, or ability to filter out visual distractions.

Phonological Processing

Phonological processing relates to one's ability to deal with the sounds of the language.  It is related to phonics but is much more complex.  With phonological processing problems, the decoding of words is very difficult, as the individual cannot accurately relate letters to sounds and the rules that govern the sound system.

Vocabulary

If a student is unfamiliar with the words on the page, not knowing the meaning of the words, reading comprehension is going to suffer.  By the time the student goes to the dictionary for each unknown word, they have lost the gist of the reading passage.

Auditory Memory

When we read, our voice is usually "heard" in our head.  This is what makes reading a largely auditory activity, even thought the initial input is visual.  If auditory memory is impaired, there is difficulty retaining what is being said.  This applies to the reading task as it occurs in one's own head.

Comments?          mailto:trish-blair@eureka.redwoods.edu

TRICKS OF THE TRADE

So, it's fine to say that there are a number of "places" in the system that might be problematic, but what can you do to minimize the effects?  You guessed it, that too is rather complex.  However, there are some relatively simple suggestions that could help a student.

§         Have a visual exam.  The first thing is always to check to make sure that the eyes are functioning adequately.

§         Use a ruler, paper, or reading window.  For students with visual figure ground problems, which typically result in losing their place when reading, a paper or ruler under the line being read is a simple way to reduce the visual distraction.

§         Enlarge the material.  Depending upon the type of visual processing problem present, the enlargement of the reading material can be a big help.  This can be done easily with a photocopier.

§         Use color highlighting. For a variety of visual processing problems, as well as memory difficulty, color coded highlighting can be useful.  The student could go through their history material for example, highlighting the dates in red, the even in blue, the place in green etc.  This helps eliminate the need to later reread the entire passage, rather makes note review quick and easy.

§         Preview the vocabulary.  Some instructors do this for their lecture material.  A student who looks ahead in her/his reading and learns the new vocabulary PRIOR TO trying to read the content laden material will have better success.

Quotation of the Week

Every worthwhile accomplishment, big or little, has its stages of drudgery and triumph; a beginning, a struggle and a victory. -- Source Unknown