TESL 0130: Unit 1 Reflection

TESL 0130 Unit 1 Reflection: Reading Fluency 

                                              (Source: http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/591c522edd0895970f8b4a2e-480/reading.jpg ) 

While completing the assigned readings for this unit, I started thinking about what defines “reading fluency”. Douglas Brown and Heekyeong Lee define it as “…a combination of both reading rate and reading comprehension.”(2015). So ultimately, for a person to become fluent in reading, they must achieve a desired reading rate all the while be able to understand the content that they are going over. However, I feel that depending on who you ask, the definition of “reading fluency” changes. Someone with an academic background may argue that to be a fluent reader, one must be able to comfortably read through research papers or scholarly journals on a wide range of topics. Others may simply define “reading fluency” as being able to read materials suitable for everyday life, such as newspaper articles, or the classified ads.

The point I’d like to bring up then, is how should we define “reading fluency” for our students? Naturally, this will depend on the level of the students and the goal of the English class in question, but I think it is important that students have a clear idea as to what “reading fluently” means to them. What would they consider an ideal level of reading? By setting a clear target, students can then work towards improving their reading skills to meet their needs. I think by making the learning process more relevant to each student, they will become more motivated to improve their reading skills.

References

H. Brown, H. L. (2015). Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy. White Plains, NY: Pearson Education, Inc. .