15 - The importance of comprehension in reading problems and instruction

Summary

Overview: In many American schools, reading and learning skills of most students are comparable to or worse than those of diagnosed dyslexics, particularly with regard to reading comprehension. This high incidence of reading problems does not lessen the importance of clearly defining and understanding “true” dyslexia as a neuropsychological phenomenon, but it highlights the importance of translating knowledge about remediation for dyslexics into practices for use with children whose poor academic skills do not involve neuropsychological causes. In an essay for this chapter Sandra Priest Rose describes the deep needs of schools for tools to help diverse students learn to read and write more effectively. We suggest that research should focus on similarities and differences between dyslexics' poor reading and the reading of other disadvantaged children, with the goal of determining useful connections for improving learning of reading skills in both populations.

The Editors

I am neither a neuroscientist nor an expert on reading differences. I am a psychologist who is interested in children's learning and who has turned his attention to how to design classroom-based learning environments that accommodate children who show strong individual differences in learning in schools. The goal is to foster ways in which all children can be stimulated to achieve high levels of literacy.

A broad view of reading, with a focus on comprehension

Ann Brown and I have worked with a team of researchers and educators in inner Oakland and Alameda in California, collaborating with specific groups, entire classrooms, and sometimes a whole school.