Reading disorders can have a detrimental impact on students’ educational success and well-being. Snowling and Hulme (2012) state that reading is a challenging skill that requires a range of cognitive and linguistic abilities. Students with reading disorders have difficulties in word recognition, working memory, making inferences, applying and evaluating strategies to use while reading, and comprehending text (Jitendra & Gajria, 2011).
Students will be able to enhance their comprehension and reading ability through exposing themselves to a wide range vocabulary words and by reading regularly.Students that are experiencing frustration in reading cannot be expected by the teacher to enjoy and practice reading as much as a student who enjoys reading. Students that have significant reading difficulties in the lower grades continue to struggle as they proceed through the upper grades. Reading disorders affect a student’s ability to read and to learn in the different subjects. For example, good readers tend to be more successful in subject areas such as science and math.
It is imperative for students to learn the reading skills they need to be successful in school and in life (Melekoglu, 2011). There are two occurring types of reading disorders. The causes, as well as the treatments of these reading disorders, are diverse. Dyslexia is when a student has difficulty decoding words and understanding the relationship between spelling patterns and the pronunciation of words (Snowling & Hulme, 2012). Students with dyslexia read slowly and with error.
Also, dyslexia can affect a student’s spelling and writing ability.Deficits in phonological coding and impairments in verbal short-term memory are also seen with dyslexia. This decoding is the basis of learning to read. The other major impairment is in reading comprehension.
Students with an impairment in reading comprehension often can read fluently without difficulty, however are unable to understand what they have read. Reading comprehension involves accessing meanings of words and higher order thinking. Making inferences and self-monitoring are crucial skills needed for comprehending text (Snowling & Hulme, 2012).Numerous interventions have been implemented to help students with reading disorders achieve success in reading.
Estevas and Whitten (2011) state that teachers are responsible for providing a variety of methods of instruction and intervention that are effective in remediating difficulties with reading. Assisted reading with audio recordings is mentioned as one such intervention that has been proven to be effective for students with reading disorders (Estevas & Whitten, 2011). Assisted reading occurs when students listen to an audio recording of fluent reading as they read along.Not only does this method help students increase fluency, it also allows older students access to grade level text. The authors suggest using assisted reading with audiobooks to increase the effectiveness of sustained silent reading time in the classroom.
The research findings related to assisted reading show that this intervention improves reading fluency and promotes comprehension for struggling readers (Estevas & Whitten, 2011). Learners in the 21st century are drawn to and motivated by technology. It’s part of their daily lives outside and inside school.Once students graduate from high school, they will be expected to be able to be literate in technology as well as reading. There are multiple options when it comes to including electronic reading in the classroom.
Electronic books can be read online on a computer, sometimes at no cost. All that is needed is Internet access. There are many providers that supply free book collections (Siegle, 2012). The public domain is filled with classic titles that students can read.
According to Siegle there are advantages and disadvantages of reading books directly online.One major advantage is that there is no special hardware or software that is needed to read books online. Students can read from any device that has Internet access. One disadvantage of reading online is that students must have an Internet connection which is not always available or possible. Books can also be read on free software provided by electronic reader providers such as Amazon and Sony (Siegle, 2012). Schools can download Kindle software on their PCs or tablets and have their students read books on these devices.
Over time technology has played an increasingly important role in the success of students with learning disabilities in reading. Because of the demand for technology use, various tools have been incorporated into classrooms, including SMART Boards, iPods, Elmos, and iPads (Saine, 2012). However, technology is constantly evolving and it has been difficult for researchers to conduct studies that are relevant before the technology becomes outdated (Kennedy & Deshler, 2010). Kennedy & Deshler make recommendations for how to integrate technology into literacy instruction.Some of their recommendations include selecting or designing multimedia materials that assist students in building their literacy skills and also foster active learning. The multimedia materials should also limit extraneous processing and manage essential processing.
These researchers would like to see further study of the effectiveness of technology in literacy instruction in various learning situations including grade level, setting, and content area. Computers are more accessible than ever before in today’s classrooms.Therefore, most teachers are looking for ways to use these computers and other technologies to the advantage of struggling readers. The extra assistance and drill that a computer-based program can provide makes a big difference in the acquisition and practice of reading skills for students with learning disabilities (Stetter & Hughes, 2010).
Stetter and Hughes wanted to know how effective computer-assisted instruction could be in enhancing reading comprehension of students with learning disabilities. Technology is a tool, not a method used for instruction.Technology can help a teacher instruct; however, it is not responsible for the actual instruction. That role remains with the teacher. Technology does make a teacher more effective in classroom in regards to note-taking, record keeping and grading (Borja, 2003). When integrating technology into the classroom, administrators must examine the current trends and research.
This will allow schools to make informed decisions on effective integration of these tools into the classroom. As technology improves, school administrators, teachers, and parents need to make decisions on how much should be invested.Classroom computerized advancements happen so quickly that large-scale costly initiatives can become outdated in just a few years. It is an expensive decision that needs to be made very carefully.
“Using mobile digital devices – iPods, personal digital assistants (PDAs), Tablet PCs or advanced cell phones – is becoming a big campus trend” (Galuszka, 2005). Students’ lives are ingrained with technology. It is important for schools to continue addressing the use of technology. The use of computers in the classroom is a natural progression of the use that occurs with technology outside of the school setting.A tablet computer system is a new form of technology that has recently been integrated into the classroom. A tablet is a laptop computer with extra abilities.
The machine can be used with a keyboard, and information can be entered and displayed using all of the functions of a basic laptop. Additionally, a tablet is a convertible device. With the use of a pen input device, known as a stylus, the user is able to interact directly with the display screen. This screen can an also be turned around and folded to mirror the image of a notebook.By interacting with the screen, users can write directly upon the screen and simulate a pen and paper experience (Foster, 2003).
The classroom use of the tablet is fully realized with the use of a wireless communication system and a digital projector. With this set up teachers have the ability to move around freely in the classroom. Instructors no longer need to stay at the board or an overhead projector to give class instructions. This mobility allows teachers the use of proximity to increase teacher and student interaction.
Students are benefiting from the integration of technology in the classroom. Using laptops in the classroom have helped improve students’ motivation and collaboration, strengthens the connections between disciplines, improves students’ problem-solving skills and promotes academic achievement (Barak, Lipson, & Lerman, 2006). The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of a wireless laptop system as a tool for teacher/student interaction and to impact student performance. In this study, the instructor and the students were all given the same wireless tablet laptop.This study of classroom technology indicated that students felt, with the use of tablet laptops in the classroom, they were better prepared with their homework.
The technology assisted with their note taking skills, and helped when they received extra assistance from their teacher. A benefit of reading using the iPad is the ability for a student to customize their reading experience. A book is a book. But on the iPad, students can adjust the text size to meet their visual preferences, change the background from white to sepia to black, and choose from a variety of font types.The students can hold the iPad vertically to show a single page or turn it horizontally to simulate a book with two open pages side by side.
This can be motivating to students who normally might only be able to read a page or two of text within ten or fifteen minutes. If their font is set to a larger size, then there are fewer words on a page, giving them the opportunity to turn the page more frequently (Ferriter, 2010). Ferriter states that his students feel like they are reading more on their electronic readers. Students enjoy turning the page with a swipe of their finger and easily bookmarking where they need to keep their place.Another benefit is that struggling readers may not be so overwhelmed by the amount of reading ahead of them.
Only viewing one or two pages of a book at a time keeps them from focusing on how much they have left to read and becoming discouraged. Font size, line, and word spacing are all features that have an interactive effect on reading speed (Connell et al, 2012). McKenzie (2009) discusses the benefits of these easy to use functions for struggling readers. One of the functions she mentions is the option students have to look up unfamiliar words in an electronic reader’s built-in dictionary.
A classroom is filled with a variety of learners. It is the role of the teacher to address the educational needs of students through a variety of pedagogical methodologies. Teachers are continually striving to create lessons that not only present information to students but also assist them in their retention. Presentation of information, therefore, requires teachers to use a variety of delivery methods. Teachers must be willing to take the same content and present it using various modes of delivery.
Resources created by teachers need to be diverse enough to encourage participation from the entire classroom.According to Steve Darn (2006), in his study the school of thought delves into the psychology of learning, particularly the cognitive and constructivist perspectives, has incorporated terms such as collaborative learning, problem-based learning, discovery learning, and active learning. Collaborative learning instruction has the teacher assign specific goals and roles to students as they work together in groups. Students learn through the discoveries they make during their group activities. During a problem-based learning activity instructors present their students with an open-ended situation.
Specifically, students must find their own solutions, with the teacher as a guide. Teachers will ask their student-leading questions, but not always provide ultimate information. Another important strategy for making text more meaningful to students is the use of graphic organizers to represent ideas (Jitendra & Gajria, 2011). Graphic organizers facilitate learning as well as teaching of comprehension strategies. Jitendra and Gajria (2011) discuss various studies conducted at the high school level that resulted in increased comprehension scores for students with learning disabilities.Graphic organizers provide struggling readers with a visual tool that helps them retain information and increase text comprehension.
One of the studies mentioned in this article investigated the use of graphic organizers as a post-reading strategy. Results showed that students using graphic organizers outperformed students that were not using graphic organizers. The use of the graphic organizers after reading allowed students to more easily recall and organize important information (Jitendra & Gajria, 2011). Behjat, Bagheri, and Yamini (2012) researched the impact of blogs and wikis on reading comprehension.
They say that Internet access alone is a motivating factor for students to read more extensively. Reading on the Internet requires that students use higher order comprehension like making inferences and responding to text. The researchers point out those online texts has links to other texts. This feature gives students more of an opportunity to read and try to analyse what they are reading without the help of a teacher. (Behjat 2012) Their research indicates that these technologies have a positive impact on students’ reading success.Struggling readers may also deal with the worry that their peers are criticizing their reading selections.
If they read on a lower level, they may feel uncomfortable choosing books that are appropriate for them. They do not want to be seen reading a book that appears to be for younger students. This can be frustrating and further deter their motivation for reading. Choosing a book on an iPad can help to eliminate that concern.
Each student can choose a book at their reading level without worrying about what their peers might think of their choice (McKenzie, 2009).
