Article Response 1: Learning to Read in the Digital Age

David Rose and Bridget Dalton have cleverly crafted an article with double meanings in the title. When I read the title, "Learning to Read in the Digital Age", I assumed it would be about how technology such as software, websites and accessibility features can support struggling readers. This is one focus for the article, but the authors also describe how the digital age has helped us understand brain function during the reading process. Their findings are fascinating.

They begin by emphasizing the importance of individualizing instruction. No longer is a "one-size-fits-all" approach to education acceptable (or, in my opinion, ethical). They acknowledge that well-meaning teachers in the past have been limited in their attempts to individualize instruction because they were bound by static, fixed-print resources (i.e. textbooks). That need no longer be the case. "As the interactive multimedia technologies of the digital world replace the static technologies of print, a far richer palette opens up for instructional design, and especially for designs that are flexible enough to meet the challenges of individual differences" (p. 75).

The other advance in this digital age is that digital imaging allows us to see and better understand how the brain functions and learns. The complexity of the reading process is distributed among various parts of the brain, and all parts must be active in order for reading to be "orchestrated". The posterior cortex recognizes patterns such as phonology, syntax and semantics. The frontal lobes are the strategic networks that help the reader problem-solve. The limbic systems determine control a reader's attention and effort.

Rose and Dalton clearly state that all these systems need to work together for successful reading. They support the case for balanced literacy - the primary structure of Nova Scotia's Active Young Readers framework.

Richard Allington has long advocated for this, as shown in his article, "Every Child, Every Day" :

When students read accurately, they solidify their word-recognition, decoding, and word-analysis skills. Perhaps more important, they are likely to understand what they read—and, as a result, to enjoy reading.

In contrast, struggling students who spend the same amount of time reading texts that they can't read accurately are at a disadvantage in several important ways. First, they read less text; it's slow going when you encounter many words you don't recognize instantly. Second, struggling readers are less likely to understand (and therefore enjoy) what they read. They are likely to become frustrated when reading these difficult texts and therefore to lose confidence in their word-attack, decoding, or word-recognition skills. Thus, a struggling reader and a successful reader who engage in the same 15-minute independent reading session do not necessarily receive equivalent practice, and they are likely to experience different outcomes.

Sadly, struggling readers typically encounter a steady diet of too-challenging texts throughout the school day as they make their way through classes that present grade-level material hour after hour. In essence, traditional instructional practices widen the gap between readers.

Armed with this knowledge, the authors go on to describe how educators can put "just-right" materials in the hands of all their students. As Barb showed us in the demonstration of a digital textbook, text can be enlarged, highlighted, defined, spoken, scaffolded - any number of supports can be embedded in digital text.

This allows for greater independence for each learner - a must when there is often only one adult in the room. Through modelling and guided practice, students experience the.gradual release of responsibility  by the teachers and they are able to take greater ownership of their own learning.

Digital advances in understanding how we learn and allowing us to respond to individual differences will help us answer one of the most perplexing questions for teachers: How can I best help my struggling readers?