I think that students learn the most when they can relate it to something. I find that even my own personal reading material reflects thoughts or events that I can relate to. Why would a student be much different? I've found students enjoy making connections between stories and their own lives.
"Not only does the diagnostic teacher plan successful reading experiences by placing the students at the appropriate reading level, but she also carefully selects authentic texts that are familiar and interesting to her students." pg. 47
Working in the middle school setting I notice that students who are struggling readers also struggle to find enjoyable reading material. One student I am thinking of is in 7th grade but only reads at a K-1 reading level. The student has such a hard time finding something to read in the library because most of our books are middle school reading levels. He often ends up getting books with lots of pictures to look at and fails to even try and read the words. I think one useful type reading/genre would be anime or comic books. The pictures help to tell the story and it is more engaging that a typical K-1 book.
"They [students] continue to rely on the teacher to monitor reading performance." pg. 51
In this section, Walker discusses strategies to help students build independence. Working at the middle school I see this struggle all the time. (Both in life and in reading!) One minute the student is independently working but once they've hit a road block they instantly ask me for help. Not that asking for help is a bad thing, however, I think students need to try and use the strategies they've learned before asking for help. I think sometimes struggling readers rely a lot on their teachers. I think we are there for support, but it is necessary to teach the skills and strategies for independence!
"This attitude [encouragement] eases the need to conform and acknowledges that even though a particular process or strategy for solving problems is not an effective strategy for reading, it may be effective in other areas." pg. 56
I agree with this statement because encouragement and engagement go hand in hand. Walker suggests that the impulsive child's quick decision making may help her to become an artist but she needs to focus on slowing down while she is reading. This encourages the child be sending a positive message. The child's strategy is not wrong, but it is not the most effective in this particular situation.
"Continually, she demonstrates that real life requires coping with mistakes." pg. 57
I think that this is an excellent point. Using your own life as an example is a great model for your students. I know that students think it is funny when I make a mistake while reading or writing but they need to learn that everyone makes mistakes and it is okay! When I make a mistake, I can use that time to teach/model appropriate strategies and behaviors. This thought doesn't just apply to reading, but life in general!
Brittany - I liked how you related the quote on page 57 to not only coping with struggles in reading but also coping with struggles in real life. Modeling the appropriate responses to both types of struggles are extremely important for kids to see and they will undoubtedly respond to you better when they see you as a 'real' person. I think too often kids have this fantasy that their teachers do not make mistakes, but using your real life struggles to provide them with appropriate models is a powerful strategy that all teachers should take advantage of.
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