Pros and Cons of Reading Strategies

Pros and Cons of Reading Strategies

Christine Chern

Choral Reading
Choral reading is an effective strategy to teach students read with fluency. When the students read after hearing the teacher read, they have an idea about how the words are pronounced. They also get to hear how the text should be read or how to read it fluently with accuracy, appropriate speed, and expression. However, in the video, I noticed that the students do not start to read until after the teacher has read the whole book. I wonder if the students would still remember how the text is read and how the words are pronounced. Also, some lower achieving students may be following along other students who have a better reading fluency. In other words, instead of reading the text with fluency with the class, they might just be listening to their peers and saying the words, but not really reading while looking at the text.

Developing Fluency
The approach used in the video relies mainly on recalling their background knowledge and personal experiences. It is helpful because it motivates students. As they respond to the questions, the teacher writes down their responses and sticks them on the poster, so that students can also read it. Furthermore, the teacher also introduces the two different meanings of a word with the same method, which allows students to visually see the difference in meaning and related-words as the class compile responses. Yet, this particular approach demonstrated does not seem to support English language learners, because the questions that the teacher asks relies heavily on recalling information that a local would know, rather than inviting all kinds of responses.