comprehension of students.
25
Peers can be positive or negative. The positive influence will appear when there is friendly competition among the students.
Therefore, it can be develop their reading ability.
5. The Principles of Teaching Reading
There are 14 principles of teaching reading which are noted from book “Principles and practices of Teaching Reading” by Arthur W. Heilman. They are:
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- Learning to read is a complicated process and is sensitive to variety of pressures. - Learning to read is an individual process.
- Pupil differences must be a primary consideration in reading instruction. - Reading instruction should be thought of as an organized, systematic growth-
producing activity. -
Proper reading instruction depends on the diagnosis of each child’s weakness and needs.
- The best diagnosis is useless unless it is used as a blueprint for instruction. - No child should be expected or forced to attempt to read material which at the
moment he is incapable of reading. - Reading is a process of getting meaning from printed word symbols.
- Any given technique, practice, or procedure is likely to work better with some children than with other. Hence, the teacher of reading must have a variety of
approaches. - Learning to read is a long term developmental process extending over a period of
years. - The concept of readiness should be extended upward to all grades.
- Early in the learning process, the child must acquire ways of gaining independence in identifying words whose meanings are known to him but which
are unknown to him as sight words. - Children should not be in the classroom when they have emotional problems
sufficiently - Emphasis should be on prevention rather than cure. Reading problems should be
detected early and corrected before they deteriorate into failure-frustration- reaction cases.
25
Pearson and Johnson, Teaching Reading Comprehension ,…. p.19
26
Arthur W. Heilman, Principles and Practices of Teaching Reading 2
nd
Ed., Columbus : Charles E. Merill Publishing Company, 1967, p. 3-4
The principles that have been noted previously become some of primary concerns in teaching reading. In addition, in reading class, teachers are supposed to
take the following things into account: a
When choosing reading materials, it is important to consider the students’ interests and ability level, as well as the subject matter of the text.
b Discussing new words and concepts with students before reading a text is generally helpful. It helps to activate prior knowledge and improve
comprehension. This is especially important for ESL readers. c Asking students to tell everything they know about a topic is a useful way to get
the students to activate their prior knowledge. They should then begin to think about what they don’t know. After reading, they should summarize what they
have learned about the topic. d Comprehension can be en
hanced by building on students’ background knowledge, e.g. by having a group discussion before reading.
e Using combination of different teaching strategies is better than focusing on one. f By talking to students about the different purposes for reading, they will become
more aware of what to focus on as they read. g The use of books and reading materials that are interesting and relevant to
students will motivate them to read more. h
Make connections between reading and students’ lives. i When assessing the difficulty level of a text, it is important to consider the
language used, as well as its subject matter, interest level and assumed cultural knowledge.
j Choose reading materials that utilize students’ local context. For instance, books
about what students enjoy doing would be a good starting point.
k Use information texts that contain topics with which the students are familiar. This will allow them to use their prior knowledge and to learn more about the
topic.
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B. Group Discussion
1. The Understanding of Group Discussion
Small group discussion or working in small groups has been shown to improve students’ understanding, retention of material, and problem-solving
abilities. However, most of us do not instinctively know how to work well with others in the academic setting. In order to be successful, group work must be
carefully structured and the student must receive support in order to be successful. John K. Brilhart said that group is two or more persons united for some
purpose s and interacting in such a way that they influence each other.
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Christopher Brumfit stated about group “A group is usually defined as a number of people who interact with one another that perceive themselves to be a
group”.
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Small group discussion is the discussion that take place when student work together usually in group of 5 or 7. So it can be inference that small group discussion
is the way to influence each other to get involve in order to find the way out about something they discuss about. The writer concluded, small group discussion is a
media for students to get involve to influence each other to find the way out about something they discuss about or problem solving.
27
Elizabeth S. Pang, Angaluki Muaka, Educational Practices Series-12: Teaching Reading. Brussel: The International Academy of Education, 2003. p.17
28
John K. Brilhart, Effective Group Discussion, 4
th
ed, California: Brown Company Publisher, 1982,p.16
29
Christopher Brumfit, Communication Methodology in Language Teaching The Roles of Fluency Accuracy, Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 1984.,p.9-10.
