HOW HAS READING INSTRUCTION BEEN IMPACTED?
ALVIN D. ISIP
Whether specialized in reading and literacy or not, many educators casually predicted that reading instruction Zould Ee signiIicantly impacted Ey the gloEal pandemic 7he prediction has Eeen conIirmed, and the eYidence is apparent this year in classrooms across $merica $ recent study shoZed that, on aYerage, students Zere Iour months Eehind in reading Ey the end oI the last school year
&hildren across the country and the Zorld e[perienced a comEination oI Yirtual, hyErid, and in person learning Ior at least months, depending on geographical location 7he last ³normal´ school year Ior students Zithout interruption Zas oYer tZo years ago )or students currently in seYenth grade, their last normal school year Zas Zhen they Zere in the Iourth grade
1oZ, more than eYer, Eoth students and teachers need support in reading instruction 3resent day, the children in third grade haYe a lacN oI Ioundational reading sNills, Zhich are usually heaYily instructed in Nindergarten, Iirst, and second grade 7hese important sNills may haYe Eeen missed (ducators haYe to remind themselYes oI this imperatiYe Iact, that they may need to go EacNZard in their reading instruction, and that it is oNay
6ince reading is deYelopmental, students must learn speciIic instructional strategies to Ee successIul readers in a particular seTuence We haYe to Iill in the gaps that students missed due to ³unIinished learning´ during the &29,'
pandemic 7his year, upper grade and secondary teachers may haYe students reading on a loZer leYel than they haYe taught, Zhich means the teachers themselYes also haYe to learn more aEout the Ioundational sNills oI reading that are essential to include in daily instruction
6ome students haYe not physically Eeen in school Ior oYer tZo years either, Zhich means adMusting to more structure, school rules, and sharing space Zith to peers is a neZ Ieeling again While some students may haYe EeneIitted in e[tra academic support Irom parents during Yirtual reading instruction, they are e[pected to Ee completing ZorN more independently in school 7his Zill Ee a struggle Ior some students $ child¶s emotional and social Zell Eeing, as Zell as their home liIe, Zere also aIIected Ey the &29,' pandemic, and these Iactors can also signiIicantly impact reading instruction
1oZ that Ze understand that reading instruction has Eeen impacted due to the pandemic, Ze must determine Zhat changes need to Ee made Ior the Eetter
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7he author is 7eacher ,,, at 6an (steEan (lementary 6chool, 0acaEeEe West 'istrict, 0acaEeEe, 3ampanga