Entry#3 Reading Process System and ZPD

After reading chapter 2 of Catching Readers Before They Fall(Johnson and Keier, 2010), the most important thing I’ve learned is that reading is making meaning. When one reads, s/he needs to go through a process that helps them comprehend the meaning of text and find ways to make individualized connections to it. Only then we can say the reading is truly happening. This process is especially critical for the young readers (children), since many of them have not yet formed a proper system for making meaning of the words, phrases or sentences in print materials, which makes them struggle and frustrate when read.  (This figure below indicates how reading process system works)

            A major interest of mine regarding the reading process system is that how to incorporate the system to develop ways (methods, strategies) to expose English literacy to the children of other languages, and how to make them interested in English as well as become a successful English reader in the future.

Another thing I found interesting in the book is that, Chapter 3 gives the spotlight to Vygotsky’s famous theory of learning: the theory of Zone of Proximal Development and Scaffolding, to which I am very familiar with. ZPD has been popular for years in classroom teaching, and in almost all areas of content and subjects. It suggests that learning is more effective when it takes place within the child’s zone of proximal development, which means the gap between what the child can do independently and what s/he can do with the guidance of an adult. So, for the struggle readers, it is better for teacher to individualize their teaching to them in order to adapt to their current ZPD, and then scaffold the struggled readers patiently and interactively to read inside their zones. I have always fond of this theory, since it emphasizes the significance to make learning/teaching individual  and easy to meet each learner’s needs, though it might not be as easy for teachers implement. My concern is, when teaching in a large class of 20 students or more (pre-school), should teacher use the strategy in front of the whole class? Or individually after the group teaching?