Differentiating and enriching fluency and comprehension instruction

• In Event: Instruction for optimal fluency and comprehension: Approaches and possibilities

Abstract

EDC’s experiences in supporting the instruction of reading for young students and youth in Mali, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Senegal, and the Philippines have underscored the importance of developing differentiated responses to the varying needs and rates of progress that learners exhibit in these two domains of reading instruction. Responding to these needs has required a range of strategies, including increasing the emphasis on research-based writing and oral language components in existing instructional programs, integrating audio programming with materials development, reinforcing the structure and design of core reading lessons, strengthening procedures for teacher coaching and mentoring, and even using youth volunteers to provide supplemental reading support to at-risk children. In contexts like the Philippines, where EDC is working to support the teaching of reading in multiple languages, the differentiation of instruction has been even more challenging, with different learners requiring different degrees of assistance in fluency and comprehension practice in each language used. In each of these instances, program staff have had to consider what avenues for fluency and comprehension reinforcement would be most comprehensible to teachers, most cost-effective for the program, and most sustainable for the host country government in the long run. Based on these experiences, EDC offers the audience recommendations and best practices for supporting teachers to develop appropriate strategies for adapting fluency and comprehension instruction to learners’ needs in a context-specific way.

Author

• Rachel Christina, Education Development Center