5 Ways to Help Students to Read Better

posted on Aug 10, 2021

How exactly does reading difficulty look like in young students? The first scene that comes to mind is a child unable to pronounce the words of a sentence and facing trouble comprehending what is written.

How exactly does reading difficulty look like in young students? The first scene that comes to mind is a child unable to pronounce the words of a sentence and facing trouble comprehending what is written. On the flip side, what about the student who can read fluently, maybe can also comprehend the meaning of the sentence, but cannot connect it with the context of the overall passage? Is this student also facing a reading difficulty? Certainly, yes.

The best schools in Greater Noida Extension are now recognising reading difficulties among students in various forms. Not just a lack of vocabulary or comprehension but the inability to stitch a story, understand the plot or connect the theme to another text are all categorised as reading difficulties. Here are 5 ways in which the top institutions are tackling the issue. As a parent, you can employ the strategies at home as well.

1. Teaching comprehension directly

Instead of expecting students to read and comprehend everything by themselves, teaching comprehension directly is still the most effective method to help struggling students. While reading a textbook or poetry, the teacher explains the meaning of each line or passage without depending much on the student. This builds a foundation upon which students can build later. The mind learns what each word and sentence mean and ingrains the contexts into the memory. When the student revises again, he/she recalls the meaning and reading comprehension flows naturally keeping the process efficient.

2. Questioning while reading

What did the author mean by that – a common question teachers ask in classrooms. And the query follows after reading a particular sentence, not at the end of the passage or chapter. The strategy immediately invokes the analytical side of students. They are compelled to question and comprehend the meaning of the present sentence before moving on to the next. Breaking down comprehension into single sentences helps reduce the bulk of the task and students can focus on understanding the meaning of one sentence at a time. Often, reading difficulties stem from the load of the text. This technique eliminates that.

3. Involving more senses

The best school in Noida Extension 2021 stresses on highlighting important sentences while reading. Some teachers even suggest using a pencil or pen to follow every word or reading aloud so that the student can hear himself/herself read. The motive is to involve more senses than just the eye. When a student uses a pencil to highlight or reads aloud, the sense of touch and hearing are also mixed into the reading process. This involves the brain more. It works harder to juggle input from multiple senses and does not get distracted easily which happens when only the eye works to read. Interestingly, many students face reading difficulties because they get easily distracted.

4. Building a rich vocabulary

Probably the oldest trick in the book to improve reading skills! A student will naturally struggle to comprehend the meaning of the sentence if he/she does not know the meaning of every alternate word. The mind will find it difficult to maintain flow and keep attention focussed on the text. Here again, direct learning can help. Teaching students the meaning of common words separately so that he/she can instantaneously recall the same while reading. Another way to build a rich vocabulary is to teach students to deduce meanings from context. Even if the word encountered is new, the student should be able to understand the meaning from the context and not by looking in the dictionary.

5. Discussing in a group

Students read a passage in a group. Then, they discuss what they comprehended among themselves without the teacher getting involved. Such forms of peer-to-peer learning help students to learn comprehension, gain perspectives and question ideas. There is also a sense of competition, mutual assistance and teamwork involved. Group discussions while reading help teachers understand the exact type of reading difficulties that students might be facing. And this paves the way for personalised reading assignments that can help each student improve on their weaknesses.

BGS Vijnatham School, the top name in the list of schools in Noida Extension, teaches reading skills to its students through these methods. BGSVS teachers are well-versed with the modern methods of improving reading comprehension and focus not only on fluency and vocabulary but contextual understanding and inter-topic relations. Reading skills are completely developed when students can use the same for effective communication and gaining education. Any fallacy here can weaken the academic base that might manifest itself into something irreversible. Reading is an important skill and BGSVS naturally keeps it as a priority.