ENTRY #6

According to Freeman and Freeman's Essential Linguistics (2004) there are two views of reading and how it is learned and two views to approach writing.  Below I will highlight the major aspects of both views and how they differ from one another.

WORD RECOGNITION/ TRADITIONAL LEARNING VIEW:
The main goal in instruction is teach language directly so that students are able to identify words and construct meaning from those words and use language correctly.  This is done through phonics instruction to put sounds to letters to form words that we recognize through oral language.  Word that do not follow typical phonics rules are memorized as sight words.  For longer words, we break them down in to word parts that we recognize, such as prefixes and root words, and adds meaning to the word.  Writing is also taught in parts and moves from letter to word to sentence to paragraph, etc.  In classrooms where this is present, teachers will preteach new words and vocabulary that their students don't already know or cannot figure out through phonics.  Writing is taught systematically through activities and exercises that build on one another.  Teachers also provide many experiences with reading aloud as a class or large group and provide students with missed words and correction of errors.  The belief is that if the corrections are given to them, then they will remember it and be able to read or write it correctly the next time.

SOCIOPSYCHOLINGUISTICS/ ACQUISITION VIEW:
This views focus is on constructing meaning as both the reader and the author.  While phonics are used, background knowledge is relied on heavily, as well as other methods focusing on meaning.  Students are encourage to write authentically and given many opportunities to do so.  There is the understanding that vocabulary will be learned through making meaning of the text and that writing conventions will come as more authentic writing occurs.  It is a very student-centered approach with not a lot of focus on pre-teaching.  Instead of correcting every mistake, the teacher focuses more on what the student is trying to say and provides them with support to get there.