OBSTACLE IN READING &

SELECTIVE READING

D E V E L O P M E N TA L R E A D I N G

Obstacle in reading

Define as a barrier in reading. Things that obstruct us to have an effective reading.

Example: People who have a small vocabulary face a huge obstacle in reading. As people gets older the gap in their sets of vocabulary

grows larger and becomes more apparent in resultant reading difficulties.

FACTS DISCOVERED By SPECIALISTS:

• Children display dominance in the two spheres of their brain.

Ex: Children who are left-handed or left eye dominant

• Handicapped children may display spatial or directional disorientation.

Ex: Difficulties in differentiating letters.

• Intellectual or Emotional Maturation lag is a cause for reading retardation.

Reading and listening are closely related. Proficiency in listening is in conducive in proficiency in reading.

Reading is intertwined with language, and so non-speakers of a language will have more difficulties reading a second language.

FACTS THAT RELATE TO

OBSTACLES IN READING

ACHIEVEMENT.

PHYSICAL

•Malfunction of the visual and auditory faculties.

•Eye defects such as nearsightedness/ farsightedness, speech impediments, etc.

•Physical discomfort such as headache, stomach ache, hunger, thirst, etc.

PSYCHOLOGICAL

• Child's lack of self confidence, feeling of rejection and other negative personality traits.

Example: (shyness, being withdrawn, poor rapport with others, conflict with parents and peers)

• Teacher personality factors such as lack of competence, emotional immaturity, lack of social sense, etc.

• General emotional atmosphere at home and school.

- The attitude of parents in guiding their children's progress in school.

ENVIRONMENTAL

•Conditions at Home and at School.Including: Conditions of poor room lightning, ventilation, seating arrangement.

SOCIO-ECONOMIC

• Low economic status (poverty) of children of poor families.

• Policies and programs of government and of the schools on the development reading program.

• Sensationalism and Retrogressive literacy as fostered by commercialism in mass media.

ABOUT SELECTIVE READING;

Selective reading matters for knowledge work,

education, publishing, and an informed citizenry.

“Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested: that is, some books are to be read only in parts, others to be read, but not curiously, and some few to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention.”

-Sir Francis Bacon

Sir Francis Bacon, "Of Studies," 1625

Bacon understood the need for selective reading, but in nearly 400 years surprisingly little has been done to facilitate selective reading within texts. Meanwhile the need has grown much greater.

• In our era of information overload, knowledge workers have more to read than they have time for. Selective reading is now a professional survival skill.

• Even leisure-time readers appear to increasingly resist longer texts, especially non-fiction. Smart phones discourage extended reading.

One solution is to publish shorter texts (e.g., Kindle Singles), but doing

so risks superficial coverage of complex topics. Consider a 75-page book about US foreign policy in the

Middle East. A reader with an interest in the Gulf War will likely not be

satisfied with the 2 or 3 pages she’s likely to find in such a book.

Here is a blueprint for the future:

• Publishers should avoid superficial books on substantive topics. Books should empower us to understand complex issues.

• Authors should recognize that their works are apt to be read selectively and embrace designs that make selective reading successful.

• Technical communicators and information designers should try out new designs.

• Instructors at all levels should teach selective reading as an essential literacy skill. A student who can write a first-rate paper and score high on an exam without reading every word you’ve assigned is heading for success. At higher levels of education, students should learn to write texts that support selective reading.

• Readers should value texts that enable selective reading. When the topic is complex, they should favor the 400-page book that supports selective reading over the superficial, 75-page alternative.

1. Define obstacle in reading in your own words. 2. 3. Facts that relate to obstacles4. in reading achievement5. 6. 7. Give 4 reason why you have to read books8 9. 10. “Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested: that is, some books are to be read only in parts, others to be read, but not curiously, and some few to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention.”