Thoughts on Reading Theories

In Chapter 5 Theories of Literacy Development I found it very interesting how the theories were broken down by specific ways of reading development. Each theory had its own set of characteristics that fit uniquely into each theory. Although I don’t agree with only having one theory or way of literacy development I find myself taking things from each theory in order to fully understand the development of reading. I know that just as each child learns differently, we can use the different theories or parts of theories to explain their behaviors. I found the maturity theory interesting because it was said that the age children begin to really develop reading is around the age of 6.5. As a teacher having taught both first and second grades, I can see this to be true in most cases. However I also come across students that are not ready to read until the ages of 7 and 8. When reading about Holdaway’s theory that it begins much earlier from what is seen at home, I also agree with that. There are things that we can do both as parents and educators to expose our children to literature from when they are young which can help them be better prepared to become emergent readers.
When I began to read about the social perspective of reading, it made more sense that the theories of reading should somehow be more interrelated. There are things that society can do to help or hinder a child’s learning, but we must keep in mind that children develop at different rates. We can do the same exact things for two different children and not necessarily have the same outcome.
The processing theories were a bit more confusing. This is an area that I would like to learn more about. Learning more about this area can actually help me in teaching strategies that will go from short-term memory to long-term memory. If there was a way to teach children skills that they can always refer to, it would be easier to understand what we can do to help them process and comprehend information in literacy.
These readings are interesting and are allowing me to see different perspectives of the same topic and idea. So far, I am questioning what I thought I knew with things that I am reading about. There is just so much to learn and try to understand, but it must be done because what works for one person might not necessarily work for another. Reading these different theories help me understand and try to come up with more strategies in helping struggling readers.