The need for reading intervention is widespread and growing as more students are pressured to improve their skills early. This pressure is not only based on the need to improve standardized test scores but also out of concern for kids who will fall behind. Although intervention is an effective method to help slow readers, it is not the only way to boost the literacy skills of children. The right reading intervention can help students improve their skills while making reading fun and a natural part of their lives.
For example, a literacy coach can help a school improve student performance by providing model lessons and observing classroom instruction. The literacy coach builds a relationship with teachers and helps them feel comfortable sharing feedback. In the end, it helps to make the students more enthusiastic about reading. But a literacy coach is not the only solution to reading problems. Educators can help close the reading gap by implementing research-based curricula, providing relevant content, and using frequent assessments.
Several elements make up a reading intervention program. It can be tailored to individual student needs or can be generalized for everyone with similar reading problems. It relies on a variety of techniques and focuses on several concepts, including phonemic awareness, phonics, comprehension, and vocabulary. The aim of reading intervention is to increase a student’s confidence, but patience is needed to make the program successful. Reading intervention programs are also beneficial for children whose first language is not English. This will help them overcome language barriers.
Another strategy to boost student motivation is to reward students’ achievements. Often, students will be less motivated to read if they feel like they are failing or losing. This is why it is important to celebrate each little accomplishment students make. Using specific praise for each small reading accomplishment is a great way to show your student that they are succeeding. Moreover, breaking large, difficult tasks into smaller ones will help them feel confident and successful from the start.
While reading comprehension interventions are the most effective way to improve students’ comprehension, the effectiveness of vocabulary instruction and fluency interventions is still debated. While there are mixed results from studies, many studies show promise. Among fourth grade students with reading difficulties, comprehension interventions and word recognition exercises showed the highest effects. Moreover, some studies implemented multi-component interventions. These interventions were most effective if they helped students become independent readers. They may be effective in a targeted reading intervention or even in a general classroom setting.
Another study aimed to improve students’ comprehension with target vocabulary words. The children were assigned reading passages and were assigned target vocabulary words. Then, they completed comprehension activities with the same words. However, one group received video-assisted instruction. They watched a chapter on a videodisc that was centered on the content of the passage. The other group received printed texts. Both groups performed equally in the same manner, but the students in the video-assisted group did better in comprehension tasks than the non-video-group.
Various researches have shown that students’ progress in reading is not the same in all cases. Various factors can affect this progress. For instance, a person with a learning disability may not read at a high speed, whereas a student who is not under any special study could read a book faster than another student. Then again, practice makes perfect, so it’s important for teachers to use a variety of strategies to improve the reading skills of students.
In the same way that teachers need to become strong writers, teachers must also have excellent reading skills. Reading intervention can make a classroom more hospitable and welcoming to struggling students. Effective intervention programs focus on the different learning styles of each student. By providing individualized attention, students can develop their reading skills. And reading is the most important skill a student can acquire. But unless the right teaching resources and instruction are provided, they won’t learn how to read and write.
Children with reading difficulties may have decoding and language problems. They may also have a slow reading speed. Reading comprehension requires several brain areas to be engaged. As such, a child’s reading ability will depend on many factors, including reading fluency and speed. In addition, the child may be able to learn to read a word quickly by sight, which can make it more difficult to comprehend a text. This is why reading intervention is so important.