Introduction When teachers think about teaching reading, they are faced with many challenges. Not only are there hundreds of different programs and strategies to incorporate into lessons, but also teachers always encounter a diverse population of reading students. There are students who are ‘natural’ readers who can pick up a book and enjoy it for hours. Then there some students that will do everything they can to avoid reading or even looking at a book. It is a teacher’s job to find a way to engage all students into reading. According to the theories of Piaget, Vygotsky, and Guthrie, a teacher must not only be able to teach the 5 Pillars of Reading effectively, but they must also engage their students in tasks that are interesting and peak
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Piaget also believed that children construct knowledge within themselves from these interactions with the environment (Esnar, 2014). Piaget divided cognitive development into four stages: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete-operational, and formal-operational (Roe & Smith, 2012, p.119). It is important for teachers to understand which stage their students are in and to adapt their reading instruction to fit the characteristics of the students at that stage. For example, a student in the preoperational stage, realized that symbols stand for spoken language, and will use them in writing to show their comprehension of a piece of …show more content…
In the classroom, teachers following the Vygotsky’s Theory of Cognitive Development expose children to a wide variety of classroom experiences, plus structured classroom activities, to increase their cognitive development (Roe & Smith, 2012). Teacher incorporate this theory through structured reading lessons and activities during guided reading and literacy centers. Within Vygotsky’s theory, he talks about the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). The ZPD is the area between what the child already knows and what they don’t know (Roe & Smith, 2012). Within this area, sensitive instruction should be given by the teacher in order for the students to acquire the skills they will then use on their own (McLeod, 2014). Teachers do this all the time when they present a new reading concept to students and provide support until students have required the skills to do it on their
Piaget also believed that children construct knowledge within themselves from these interactions with the environment (Esnar, 2014). Piaget divided cognitive development into four stages: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete-operational, and formal-operational (Roe & Smith, 2012, p.119). It is important for teachers to understand which stage their students are in and to adapt their reading instruction to fit the characteristics of the students at that stage. For example, a student in the preoperational stage, realized that symbols stand for spoken language, and will use them in writing to show their comprehension of a piece of …show more content…
In the classroom, teachers following the Vygotsky’s Theory of Cognitive Development expose children to a wide variety of classroom experiences, plus structured classroom activities, to increase their cognitive development (Roe & Smith, 2012). Teacher incorporate this theory through structured reading lessons and activities during guided reading and literacy centers. Within Vygotsky’s theory, he talks about the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). The ZPD is the area between what the child already knows and what they don’t know (Roe & Smith, 2012). Within this area, sensitive instruction should be given by the teacher in order for the students to acquire the skills they will then use on their own (McLeod, 2014). Teachers do this all the time when they present a new reading concept to students and provide support until students have required the skills to do it on their