Module 3: Reading Reflection

Do you agree with Marilyn Adams (1990, p. 108) who argued that rather than relying on context, Skillful readers of English thoroughly process the individual letters of words in their texts? Why or why not?

From personal experience as a reader, from teaching reading, and after reading Weaver's text I do not agree with Adams. I think that poor readers try to process individual letters of words because they do not have enough skills and strategies to read using visual cues and context to gain meaning. It is said that they eye and the brain work together to perceive data. The eyes receive the data and our brain creates perceptions from the text we read. Skilled readers perceive only some  of the text and still gain meaning instead of each word and sound being identified. Proficient readers can read text with missing letters, and still gain meaning. The exercise on  pg. 91 where a story was given where the vowels were missing is a perfect example of being able to gain meaning from a text without processing individual letter sounds. The beginnings and ending of words are most important, and consonants play a more important role than vowels in word identification. A word can be identified by a proficient readers with missing parts. A story can be comprehending with missing letters in words as well. Poor readers would not be able to identify such type word with missing parts as well because they do not have the skills to pa attention to beginnings and ending of words. Fluent readers do not process words letter by letter  but rather by visual cues. Words can be recognized further away with small letters, where as small individual letters are harder to identify. Every individual letters in the English language also makes different sounds and blends which makes it difficult to say that skillful readers process individual letters sounds every time they read. Research has also suggested the children do not remember all phonics rules, but yet they become proficient readers and gain meaning from text.  I personally am not familiar with teaching phonics. I do not even recall being taught phonics in elementary school. I think that that proficient readers to do read rapidly, but not exact. There are many factors that impact a persons ability to read besides word identification. I believe readers read words to gain an overall understanding and meaning, but I think an overall meaning can only be gained according to individual schemas, learning abilities, experiences, knowledge, etc.