How instruction methods can improve bilingual learning

The role of strategy training in reading skills development

Strategy has a very profound role in reading skills development. Strategy is becoming much more important given the changing dynamics of the education industry currently underway. Strategy training, for example must account for a much more diverse student population. Strategy training must also account for different learning environment including a hybrid and online formats. These different formats require different skills in order to properly attract and retain students within the classroom. These issues are exacerbated for online only courses which require teachers to keep students occupied and interested within an online format. Here, students can easily be distracted causing adverse consequences as it relates to learning outcomes.

Strategy training is predicated on the needs and desired outcomes of the course. Here the course curriculum provides a solid foundation by which strategy training can build upon. Through use of the curriculum, instructors can better formulate the manner in which they will engage with bilingual students. These initiatives can very from course to course, which require a robust strategy training program. With COVID-19 and other health issues emerging, it is also important the strategy training program to account for contingencies. Here, contingencies relate to need to quickly shift instruction in the event of an unforeseen event and circumstance. As the last few academic years have proven, having a robust contingency plan is paramount to academic success. The ability to quickly shift resources and initiatives to accommodate changing market conditions is critical. Strategy training allows instructors to have the foresight to these coming trends and take correction action for the benefit of the course and the students themselves (Catts, 2006).

Reading skills development can be very challenging from both the students and teachers perspective. Here, students will be challenge to properly comprehend the meaning of vocabulary, sentence structure, and sentence composition. Strategy training allows instructors to anticipate these mental roadblocks and formulate strategies designed to overcome them.

The relationship between word recognition (and other bottom-up skills) and reading proficiency

There is a very strong correlation between work recognition and reading proficiency. Bilingual education must having emphasize vocabulary training. There are many innovative and tradition methods in which to increase student word recognition. The most traditional approach is through the use of flash cards. This has worked as it allows students to quickly learn multiple words in a short time span. However, flash cards often can not be solely relied upon as research has shown students typically have issues with vocabulary retention (August, 2006). Here, students during a classroom session can memorize the work and its meaning, but during subsequent sessions the student either forgets the word entirely or confuses it with other words. Here instructors must be able to differentiate between memorization and comprehension. In order for the relationship between word recognition and reading proficiency to emerge students must transition from memorization to comprehension. Flash cards can be used to familiarize a student with a particularly word, but repetition and context allow students to comprehend the actually meaning of the word within the larger scale of reading proficiency. From a bottom up perspective, comprehension often requires the ability for students to decode words and recognize their meaning. Research has shown that vocabulary is the single biggest predictor of comprehension ability (Braze, 2007).

The influence of reading speed on reading proficiency

When reviewing the literature on the relationship of reading speed and reading proficiency is not fully determined. In fact, there is conflicting research in this field of study. For example, some research indicates that reading speed and reading proficiency are heavily correlated. Opponents against this research however state that other factors should as student development and over comprehension. Here, opponents believe that other factors are more important to proficiency that reading speed. In addition, researcher have found that that reading speed only had an association with reading proficiency only after the 4th grade (Hudson, 2005). Prior to the 4th grade, speed did not have a correlation to proficiency. Researchers have also determined if a correlation does exist between speed and proficiency it is not a influential as other variables such as listening, word recognition, and over student IQ. After the fourth grad however, reading speed may have a higher correlation to proficiency (Dias, 2015).

Reading for different purposes

Reading for different purposes has been shown to be very effective at help to improve reading proficiency. The most important elements are related to reading material that is heavily relevant to the study. Current events, sports, video games, or other relevant material helps students to more readily comprehend material that is pertinent to them. Here, learning vocabulary becomes less of a chore and more engaging for the student. When the student is engaged that are much more likely to retain the information and are more likely to seek information out. Reading for different purposes can also be supplemented with other elements such as listening, public speaking, role playing and other elements designed to encourage learning. From the instructor perspective, it is most beneficial to combine all of these elements into one cohesive educational package.

The role of background knowledge in reading

Research has shown that background knowledge is not a prerequisite for reading comprehension. Much like reading speed discussed above, background knowledge plays a much smaller role within comprehension and the overall instructional process. Although it helps, its influence is not as profound as many of the other elements discussed above.

Instructional approaches that lead to improved reading abilities

As discussed in detail, instructional approaches are very important element within the reading abilities of students. Instruction is arguable one of the most important elements as it can directly influence the outcomes of students. Instructional approaches must now become varied to accommodate different learning styles and approaches. Younger students in particular have a much higher proclivity for technology and online channels. To better engage students, online channels must be leveraged by instructors to better enhance reading comprehension. This could include online games along with online flashcards. These games could incorporate a leader board as teenagers enjoy competing with one another. Online discussion boards and chat rooms can also be used to supplement student learning. For one, students may be reluctant to approach the instructor for questions or concerns that my have about the course. By using technology students can better engage and learn from each other in a format they are much more comfortable with.

Hybrid course format provides a unique opportunity and challenge for instructional approaches. For one it allows for a much more customized experience for students. It allows they to leverage online tools to learn at their own pace and their own time. This is a particularly compelling value proposition for student who are often grappling with multiple responsibilities and personal requirements from home. Bilingual students in particular often have a unique set of circumstances that may not be conducive to in-person learning. Through the hybrid approach more students can learn in a much more flexible manner. The in-person sessions, however, provide instructors with a means for more intimately engage with students. This can include group work, answering any pertinent questions, and providing real world activities. Here, students are better able to learn soft skills that are often required in bilingual communication. These skills can include listening and feedback, speech tone, pronunciation, and much more. All of these soft skills will be needed in the bilingual learning process and allow students to make mistakes in a controlled environment. In summary, the hybrid approach allows for students to obtain the best elements from online course instruction and in-person course instruction. Likewise, instructors have much more flexibility in how creative they would like to be in their own instruction to the students.

Learning to read versus reading to learn/ The use of literature in L2 reading classes

Learning to read vs reading to lean is predicated on the students comprehension skills. The student must utilize all the variables discussed in detail above related to vocabulary, listening, comprehension, and practice to first learn how to read. Once the student can properly learn to read, they can then transition more seamlessly to the next phase which is reading to learn. During this phase, the student has much more opportunity to learn many of the nuance of the language that where not readily apparent during the first phase. This is also where literature can be better used in L2 classrooms. Integrating literature into L2 learning can create a learning environment that will provide a comprehensible input and a low affective filter. In addition, literary texts may be used in both extensive and intensive reading by the student to better enhance their ability to learn while reading. Literature used in an L2 classroom first provides context that students can use to develop our reading strategies and knowledge of non-fiction texts. It can be used by bilingual instructors to form a reading program with the sole purpose of providing student with new vocabulary words to learn. Finally, literature also provide students with the opportunity to learn and explores cross-cultural values in a manner that they could not otherwise do without the prior reading knowledge. The research also bears this fact out as it has shown the learners obtain an increase vocabulary, gain significant reading comprehension skills, and develop a much more positive attitude towards learning.