It’s Not Magic – It’s Reading

I once had a call from a TRT trained teacher who told me it was going well, but the boys were getting through all of the TRT Levels without making much improvement in their reading. That’s not the most thrilling news I’d ever heard so thought I’d see if the problem was with TRT or with the way it was being delivered.

Me:

How much time are you spending reading in each session?

Teacher:

Oh I’m just going through the programme with them; I’m not doing any extra reading.

I think I can identify the problem.

Here’s what I think is happening: people have come to desire not programmes that work, but programmes that do the work.

It’s true that, during the first few hours of That Reading Thing, the student is learning so much about the language and gaining so much confidence with multi-syllable words that it all seems a bit magic. But, (hard truth), that all has to change when you get to the Advanced Levels. The reason we talk so much about doing ‘a bit of TRT and a LOT of reading’ at the Advanced Levels is because this is where the work happens. It’s also where the ‘real magic’ happens.The new strategies are in place and now it’s time to use them over and over again with authentic age-appropriate text. It’s not optional and it’s hard work for both the tutor and the young person.

I spent years  trying to “hear” the unexpressed thoughts of older struggling readers and here’s what I learnt: they think that something illusive and intangible called ‘reading’ happens inside the heads of good readers – something that isn’t happening inside their own heads. They don’t understand that reading is an activity with skills that can be learned and practiced.

In fact, it reminds of my son when he was about four being asked if he liked ice skating. His answer:

I don’t skate yet because I’m waiting for my balance.

I don’t read yet because I’m waiting for that thing that happens in my head.

You get balance while you practise skating (and fall down and get up and fall down and get up) and you ‘get reading’ while you practise all the skills and knowledge you need to work through text – in a safe environment, with helpful error corrections, plenty of good humour.

The last thing I want to produce is a crop of struggling readers who are really good at That Reading Thing. I want them to be good at reading, and TRT should fade into the background well before the 20 hour mark. If you want some help choosing text for you student, have a look at this page on choosing text for teens and adults who are learning to read.