Silent reading tests: What they tell us and what they don't -- Reading & Writing Discussion with Dr. Strucker 4/13 & 4/14

On April 13 and 14, adult literacy specialist, Dr. John Strucker, will be leading a conversation in the Reading and Writing Community. Many members of the English Language Acquisition community will not want to miss this discussion.

The silent reading tests tell us very little about learners' reading ability. What can we do to find out where  adult students are really struggling in their reading? Join the LINCS Reading and Writing community on April 13 and 14, 2021 for a two-day discussion with adult literacy expert Dr. John Strucker. During the discussion, we will tackle such questions as: Two students can have identical silent reading profiles but have vastly different instructional needs. What can we as educators do to ensure learners are getting the instruction they need to improve their reading skills?

Comments

 In all honesty, I hadn't considered the broadness of my student's diverse reading abilities until I seen this post here about the upcoming discussion by Dr. Strucker. I look forward to this upcoming Reading & Writing Discussion and I am always looking for new and creative ways to encourage my students to read more.

Most recently, I participated in a workshop presented by the Coalition on Adult Basic Education (COABE) on the topic of creative ways to encourage your ELA students to become avid readers. I learned how to create my own ELA Book Club for my students and how to introduce them all to reading English Literature. I was so excited with this idea that I decided to create my own and try it out on my students to see if this could possibly have a positive impact to get them motivated. 

So far, the Book Club idea worked well and one of my students went above and beyond by deciding to write an essay at home about the life of the author of the first book I selected for them to read. However, it was during my first lesson introducing my students to our Book Club that I realized I was able to gain a broader insight into my student's needs for improvement while we were taking turns reading aloud the first two pages of the selected book. 

I do know that small group and whole group reading aloud lessons is one beneficial way we can ensure our learners are getting the instruction they need to improve their reading skills but now I am anxious to learn more from the upcoming Reading & Writing Discussion with Dr. Stucker. 

Hello Rose, What a wonderful idea to start a book club. I'd love to know more about how to start and structure a book club. Could you tell us more?

I, too, am looking forward to the discussion with Dr. Strucker next week. There's so much for all of us to learn about teaching reading.

Take care, Susan