Summary Post for Kelly D, Pat D, Asheley & Emily (TIP Chapters 5,6,7)

Overall, I think all 4 of us agree that there are a lot of theories about reading out there & they are all very detailed. All of us seemed to comment on Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development & how these stages will help teachers understand how students are thinking based on their age & stage of development, and use that info to create lessons that are developmentally appropriate. Also in chapter 5, we all seemed to disagree with the Maturation Theory. Of course children should be exposed to reading at a young age. However, it's also important not to push kids- let it happen naturally as many of the theories state. Finally in ch. 5, all of us mentioned the importance of literacy starting in the home environment. The benefits of beginning reading with children at home seem crucial for further success. In chapter 6, some of us focused on personal teaching experiences that stem from many of the social theories, such as literature circles & buddy reading. Some of us also mentioned the statistics of how many words children are introduced to based on the type of home environment they grow up in, and how this affects their reading abilities. In addition, a few of us mentioned how the Social Learning Theory emphasizes modeling good behavior & how teachers should reinforce that behavior. Finally, in ch. 7, something that bothered some of us from a teaching perspective is how a lot of learned information doesn't get past the short-term memory phase & therefore is later forgotten. We were thankful that learning to read is a skill that will go to the long-term memory & not be forgotten. Lastly, the Interactive Model is one that stuck out for a few of us because it's not a linear, one directional approach. We liked that it provides top-down AND bottom-up strategies for identifying words, such as using context clues, decoding, etc. Teachers, of all people, know that there isn't just one way to do something & this process mirrors that belief.