Approach to Remedial Reading Instruction:
My approach to tutoring is based on the Component Approach developed by the late Dr. Jeanne Chall for use in the Harvard Reading Laboratory. The Component Approach stipulates that reading is not a single skill, but a composite of several sub-skills, which, when working together, produce comprehension. In this approach to reading instruction, all of the components of reading are individually assessed and based on the results, a remedial plan is developed. Within this plan, the instructional emphasis of each of the reading components varies depending on the student’s strengths and needs. Unlike most “reading programs” which only teach to a single component, the Component Approach to literacy addresses all or most of the components of reading within a single lesson, and, most importantly, teaches students how to integrate these skills - thereby achieving comprehension, the ultimate goal of instruction.
Components of Reading (sub-skills)
Phonological Awareness
Decoding
Automatic Word Recognition in Isolation
Automatic Word Recognition in Context
Vocabulary
Comprehension:
Background Knowledge
Language (syntax)
Literal and inferential thinking
*While I am certified as a Wilson teacher (a multi-sensory systematic approach to teaching children and adults how to sound out words), I use this approach only after the assessment and trial lessons indicate that it is appropriate.
