"Once you learn to read, you will be forever free." -Frederick Douglass
This week we learned about reading assessment. One of the challenges we face as second language instructors is that students approach a second language with various strengths and weaknesses in their own native language. Even in a classroom of students who share a primary language, there is great variation in their ability to comprehend and communicate effectively. This is perhaps most apparent as it relates to reading. Some students do not read well, some do not like to read, and many of those who do not like to read do not read well. Passages, books, and texts in a second language add a heavy layer of intimidation and frustration to students who may not be comfortable with reading in their native language.
Regardless of the backgrounds of our students, reading is an essential skill. Reading ability gives individuals access to information, ideas, explanations and opinions. My father used to tell me that if you can read, you can learn to do anything. Reading permits individuals not only to learn in a school environment, but, more important, to educate themselves. We need to keep this in mind when teaching reading to our students and assessing their learning. Their ability to read will affect their life well beyond our classroom. As Frederick Douglass said in the quote above, reading opens the world wide open and sets an individual free: free to learn, free to understand, and free from those who would oppress the ignorant.
Students' literacy levels in their native languages does affect how well they will learn a new language. There are some students at my school who are brand new English speakers but they learn rather quickly and are able to be mainstreamed after a couple of years while other students still have trouble with just the alphabet after a year or two. I think this has a lot to do with how much education the students have previously received in their native languages and how literate they are in their native languages.
ReplyDeleteHi Heidi, I really like what your father use to tell you "that if you can read, you can learn to do anything" I remember telling my students this when we began hitting the story book section. The ability to read will indeed affect our students' life in and outside of the classroom. Many of our ESL students do struggle with reading and even when sending homework home for them to practice it will be difficult for them especially if their parents have difficulty reading as well. I believe if we can keep in contact with our parents and hold several meetings to show how reading is taught, our student will get the help they need at home as well. Of course, I believe that many of the students really want to learn how to read will work really hard and take what they learn at school and practice those methods at home. Again, this goes back to what you said about educating themselves.
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