Most private schools in India follow the Alphabet-Spelling method to teach reading in English. This approach bypasses letter-sound correspondences and focuses on rote memorization and sight-word recognition. In an effort to provide students with more recent evidence-based practices in reading instruction, this study examined how phonics-based…

Background: In 2018, it was found that only a quarter of Grade 3 children in India were reading at grade level. A growing demand for English education has further limited children's literacy achievement. Despite a strong evidence base in favour of using systematic phonics for building English literacy skills, many teachers in India continue to use…

Reading and comprehending the mother tongue is one of the most important basic academic skills required for the meaningful and significant learning of every subject, especially in earlier stages of education. Though National Policy Frameworks strongly advocate an integrated approach to the teaching of different skills of language, the school does…

This study explores the possibility of adapting specific progress-monitoring tools developed in the US for use in English-medium private schools in Bangalore. In the US, many teachers adopt progress-monitoring tools like the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) and Curriculum Based Measurement (easyCBM) to keep track of their…

Reading and writing difficulties are markers for some forms of learning disorders, and measuring the distance between the child's performance and an expected level of attainment is a common approach to diagnosis. However, there are several problems with relying on the gap between achievement and expectation for arriving at a diagnosis, not least…

In this article we discuss the specifics of reading fluency and provide suggestions for identifying when reading is fluent and when it is not. We then discuss the important role that reading fluency plays in the attainment of literacy achievement and briefly review research results that highlight the relationship between fluency and comprehension.…

University students in India generally dislike reading English classics, but some students well prepared in advance enjoyed Dickens'"Tale of Two Cities." They first read an illustrated comic book version, then read a dramatized version while listening to a recording, and then read an abridged version before reading the original. (CFM)

Focus in recent times on realistic pedagogy implies that we can no longer depend on a transmission model of training, either for teachers or learners. We need to develop strategies that will help teachers and learners to be co-participators in the learning process. Mental modelling is one technique suggested in this article. It is a technique…

Describes an attempt to introduce SSR in an English language school near Bombay, India. Shows that the fourth grade students involved in the program improved both their attitude and their reading achievement. (FL)

The inner world of education is explored through the examination of different types of educational materials. Content analysis and symbolic interactionism are used to study educational and pedagogical communication. These approaches are used in four studies of educational texts. Chapter 1, "Study of Educational Texts," introduces the…

This compilation of resource papers and findings is from a regional workshop on mother-tongue/bilingual literacy programmes for ethnic and linguistic minorities in multilingual settings. It was organized by Asia-Pacific Programme of Education for All (APPEAL), United Nations Educational and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Bangkok, 6-10 December…

Describes a series of activities designed to teach the content of social studies as well as promote literacy. Most of the activities involve establishing definitions and connections between vocabulary words and key concepts, places, and dates. Includes an exercise using key words and questions to study imperialism and India. (MJP)