Developing reading comprehension

Abstract

2014, 193 pp., US$44.95 (paperback), Reading or literacy development has persistently captured most literacy experts, educators, psychologists and researchers' devoted explorations to seek better understanding for informed services for children in the classroom. Given the complexity of issues involved in reading and the importance of helping children to master such essential skills for learning, it is not surprising to see the range of prolific publications in this sector of literature. Mostly contributed by American reading professionals, it has seen a prolific coverage in reading instruction handbooks or manuals with focuses on different grade levels or for children of special educational needs whether with emphases on instruction, assessment or programme design.Developing Reading Comprehension adds a UK experience of a programmebased model of practical intervention to the existing array of publications on reading instruction. It sets a clear context for its contribution as a guide for intervention to help improve reading comprehension of children aged 7-11 with difficulty in extracting meaning from text though being regarded as fluent and accurate oral readers. Based on a reading for meaning research project and the materials developed in the process by a team of psychologists and researchers in the UK, this book aims to offer practical guidance for teachers and special educational needs professionals to support children with reading development. Among the existing collection of comprehensive reading instruction handbooks, the work of Clarke, Truelove, Hulme and Snowling published in 2014 offers a concrete exemplification of design and implementation of reading intervention programmes to children with poor comprehension performance at mid to upper elementary grades. The text can be seen as the authors' representation of their situation model of reading intervention, a notion denoting a mental representation of the situation as derived from their previous engagement with intervention research for the mid and upper elementary grade children with reading difficulties in extracting meaning from text.

Understanding the school environments that engage and motivate young adolescents

“…Recognizing that school engagement occurs as a result of both individual and social interactions (Pang, 2014;Reardon et al, 2012;Wigfield & Guthrie, 2000;Wynne, 2002), it is impossible to analyze aspects of motivation and engagement without looking at the dialogue around diversity and privilege in American education. Traditionally, many have viewed education as a vehicle through which individuals could fight social injustice and iniquity of opportunity (Delpit, 2002;Gilyard, 1991;Howard, 1999;Ladson-Billings, 2002).…”