Reading Practice for me

As a second language learner of English growing up in the island of Tonga, speaking, reading, or writing in English was like trying to reach out and touch the stars. For a start, our Tongan language was our national language of communication, so there was hardly any receptive English language accessible for any acquisition. None of my parents could utter words in English, so to start learning English or to read in English was non-existent at my home. Even when I went to school, English was supposed to be a medium of instruction, but most of my teachers were Tongans so they resorted to teach and speak mainly in Tongan. To top it all off, computers did not arrive yet to our schools and books were a scarcity. I am referring here to the 1950s onward.

So how did I land here now at a place of contrast from what I have just explained? As clear as daylight, I can think of 'personal reading practice' as like a friend in such times of desperate needs. I remember how among us close friends of about 5 girls in high school, we passed around some 'Mills & Boons' among us and that's what we read for our independent personal reading. Those were the ones most available for us to read. I remember how I never slept for a night or put down the book until I finished because I had to pass it to the next one the following day. I didn't realise it then, but I do now, that that's where and how I practice how to read and learn English - 'Personal Independent Reading Practice'. That's the initial pathway I took which led me to my English capacity today.

It was practice, practice, practice, practice personal reading!

Practice is recognized as an essential component of any learning process (Willingham, 2009). The role of practice and hard work (rather than fixed intelligence) in academic accomplishments is beneficial for both motivation and performance (Mueller & Dweck, 1998).

As it relates to reading in particular, research indicates that time spent reading books is the best predictor of overall academic achievement, even more so than socioeconomic status or ethnicity (Kirsch et al., 2002).

Research shows that reading practice builds vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, writing and higher order thinking skills. Reading practice also enhances general abilities such as visual information processing and speech perception. Though beneficial in all forms, reading practice is most effective when guided—that is, when it is coupled with feedback and instructional support tailored to the individual student.

So in our modern space today, what do we do to students who are still underachieving in reading, or at the reading achievement 'tail' or commonly referred to as struggling readers? Should there still be some at our midst while we have all the modern accessibility available for reading? At the college level, what do we do to students who arrive at our door still reading below their expected curriculum levels? These are questions and experiences that I still grapple with daily while striving to provide answers and bring hope to some of these children. It is an ongoing battle that perhaps warrants ongoing inquiries and practices.

With the countless evidence-based strategies presented by research for interventions, the question is, which are the most effective ones? I feel that reading instruction should never be substituted, but independent reading practice should never be underestimated either.

Indeed 'Independent Reading Practice' is a door we can walk through to find answers!