Amazon.com: Understanding Reading: A Psycholinguistic Analysis of Reading and Learning to Read (116): Frank Smith: Books. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., Publishers 10 Industrial Avenue Mahwah, New Jersey 07430 Cover design by Kathryn Houghtaling Lacey Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Smith, Frank, 1928-. Understanding reading/ Frank Smith.6th ed. Includes bibliographical references and index.
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EDRD 7715
28 June 2013
Afterresearching Frank Smith, I believe his Socio-psycholinguistic theory is veryimportant for educators to be knowledgeable of when teaching literacy in theprimary grades.My beliefs closelyalign with those of Frank Smith as he presents them in his text, The Book of Learning and Forgetting. Ifound Frank Smithâs book very interesting and enlightening and my beliefs closelyalign with his attitude toward school and learning.In TheBook of Learning and Forgetting, Smith relays how people either believethat learning is something which occurs naturally or unnaturally.In his text, Smith establishes âtwo ways ofthinking about educational practice-the official view of learning and theclassical viewâ (Speaking Out,Stager).Some of Smithâs suggestions aresomewhat unrealistic and unpractical in the classroom. However, Smith makes avalid argument against the âofficialâ view of learning in the classroom.I also love Smithâs idea of providingstudents with more responsibility and encouragement along the way. FrankSmithâs beliefs have helped to open my eyes to a different way of thinking,learning and teaching and I am excited to implement them into my own classroom.
Frank Smithis a cognitive psychologist and researcher who studies the way people learn toread and use forms of language.âHis graduate work was done at the Centre for Cognitive Studiesat Harvard University, where he received his Ph.D. in psycholinguistics in1967, and he has been involved in psychological and educational research eversinceâ (Comprehension and Learning, Smith1). Smith is a literacy theorist who created theSocio-Psycholinguistic Theory.Smithbelieves in the social nature of reading and learning to read.With the Socio-Psycholinguistic Theory,readers draw upon prior background knowledge they process about a topic to gaincomprehension knowledge.The classicaldefinition of learning as a social activity is a new concept to me but afterresearch on the topic, it makes complete sense. In regards to the social nature of reading,Smith posits that students can encourage (or discourage) each other to engagein reading.Smithâs point that the amount of backgroundinformation that students possess about a topic affects the level ofcomprehension and retention that will occur as well as the social nature of readingand learning are important for teachers to understand.Frank Smithâs The Book of Learning and Forgetting âexplains the history oflearning theories and the events that shaped our current educational structure.Smith establishes two ways of thinkingabout educational practice-the official view of learning and the classicalviewâ (Speaking Out, Stager).The official view of learning can beexpressed as a theory that learning occurs best when a person is taught; inother words, the only source of knowledge comes from schooling.On the other hand, the classical view oflearning âsuggests that people learn all of the time through meaningfulexperiences and through immersion in a community of practiceâ (Gary Stager, SpeakingOut).Both views help readers to understandSmithâs Psycholinguistic Method of Teaching Reading.
Frank Smithâs psycholinguistictheory discusses the process of reading and learning to read.In an article titled On the Psycholinguistic Method of Teaching written by Frank Smith,he explains the psycholinguistic approach, ââ¦that the key factors in learninglay in the child and the childâs interaction with an informed and informativeadult, rather than in the particular materials usedâ (Smith & Goodman 65).In other words, Smith expresses how studentslearn best through previous experiences with informative adults instead offorcing teaching materials on them.Ibelieve Smithâs theory is correct, that most students who are able to makemeaning from a piece of text are able to draw from previous backgroundknowledge and make connections to the text and therefore produce strongercomprehension skills.Smith explains theimportance of interactive experiences with adults in relation to language skillsin children, âTogether, linguistics and psychology demonstrated how infants candevelop a working understanding of language in the first five years of lifewithout knowing or being told the rules they are employingâ (Smith &Goodman 63).Similarly, as proficientreaders and speakers of the English language, we read and write without knowingthe specific rules of the language.Smithhelps the reader to explore his psycholinguistic theory in his text, Comprehension and Learning.In this text, Smith reminds the reader ofthe social nature of reading and learning to read as a natural process wherehumans process information. Smith explains, âHuman learning is rarely passiveor accidental; rather, it is always directed towards the purpose of increasingunderstanding.Learning is seldomincidental. Human beings are hardly ever content just to let events happen; noteven the youngest infant is content to be an unresisting victim of the worldâswhimsâ (Smith 3).Here, Smith discusseshow the process of learning to read is indeeda process in which will naturally occur by a humanâs need to make meaning andgain understanding.Smith continues toexplain how a childâs nature and attitudes toward reading cannot be forced,âChildren are not empty vessels into which teachers pour selected skills andnuggets of knowledge. Rather, it is in the childâs nature to express anddevelop innate intellectual capacities, integrating all experiencesâ¦thatincludes hopes and fears, loves and hates, beliefs and expectations, andattitudes towards other people and towards himselfâ (Smith 3).As an educator, I believe students do havepreconceived notions and attitudes on reading and therefore it is importantthat teachers continue to encourage students in the reading process.
In the text,Understanding Reading by: FrankSmith, Smith explains how reading is a natural activity that should not beforced on students, âIf reading is a natural activity, then literacy educationshould obviously center on aspects of reading that are most natural to us.The most natural activity for human beings isto engage in interesting experience, the absence of which leads to boredom andwithdrawalâ (Smith 55).As educators itis vital to remember not push students too far when teaching reading and tounderstand that it is a natural process that will occur over time.Instead, we should find ways to engagestudents and encourage them to read by planning lessons and activities whichinterest them.Smith explains, âPeopleusually accumulate information without trying, in the course of engaging ininteresting experiences. The interest is always in the experience, rather thanin the informationâ (55).With this statement in mind, I am excited tolearn the various backgrounds and learning styles of my future students to planengaging lessons to create meaningful learning experiences for them.
Frank Smithhas made many wonderful contributions to the field of education and hasenlightened many educators on his reading theories.In Gary Stagerâs Article, Speaking Out: Meet Frank Smith, Gifts ofwisdom for educators, he explains the many insightful works of Smith.Stager explains, âFor those of you unfamiliarwith his work, Smith is a 75-year-old psycholinguist, currently living inOntario.His many books, including: Insult to Intelligence; Reading WithoutNonsense, and Joining the LiteracyClub are popular favorites among literacy educatorsâ (SpeakingOut, Stager).FrankSmith is considered an author of choice and his âbeautifully written The Book of Learning and Forgettingexplains the history of learning theories and the events that shaped ourcurrent educational structureâ (SpeakingOut,Stager).Smith has truly made animpact in the literacy community through his text Twelve Easy Ways to Make Learning to Read Difficult and One Difficultway to make it Easy. One educator,Ebelechukwu Okafor, posted on his blog âThe Pedagogy Gardenâ comments on FrankSmithâs Twelve Easy Ways to Make Learningto Read Difficult⦠Okafor explains, âIn this essay, Smith ascertains thefamous platitude that âa man that knows something knows that he knows nothingat allââ¦When Smith states that the one difficult rule for making learning toread easy is to 'make reading easy' I automatically knew that I wasgoing to have to reassess everything that I was taught in the past aboutchunking, phonics, word association etc...(Okafor, âThe Pedagogy Gardenâ).As an educator, I too was inspired when Icame across Frank Smithâs Twelve EasyWaysâ¦text.Smith gives educators onesimple guideline to teaching reading: âThe only way to make learning to readeasy is to make reading easyâ (Smith 19).When I first came across this statement, I was humored.I thought, how can it be so easy? However,after completion of the reading, Smithâs words made perfect sense.Smith discusses the pressures teachers andparents place on students to read by enforcing rules to reading which make theprocess more difficult, when reading alone is a daunting task.I love how Smith compares reading to riding abike, âChildren learn to read only by readingâ¦The skill of riding a bicyclecomes with riding a bicycle. We do not offer children lectures, diagrams, anddrills on the component skills of bicycle ridingâ¦Forcing them to worn-aboutlaws of motion and centers of gravity would obviously confuse themâ (Smith19).This statement paints a clearpicture of how educators and parents can make the reading process much moredifficult than necessary by enforcing rules when teaching students toread.By continuously making criticalcomments during a childâs reading, forcing students to re-read words how theyare pronounced correctly, and forcing a child to slow down or speed up in theirreading process is detrimental to a childâs attitude and perspective towardreading.
Frank Smithbeautifully criticizes the rules of reading and offers simple suggestions toencourage emergent readers.Smithencourages educators to take a step back and let the child take responsibilityof their own learning, ââ¦motivation and direction of learning to read can onlycome from the childâ¦Learning to read is a problem for the child to solveâ(Smith 19).As educators, Smithâscontributions to the field of education and literacy learning encourageteachers to approach reading by his one difficult rule: âRespond to what thechild id trying to doâ (19).Smith emphasizesthe responsibility of a learner to motivate himself.In TheBook of Learning and Forgetting, Smith challenges teachers, âStudents, liketeachers, exhibit more responsibility when more is given to them; they take thetasks they are engaged in more seriously and experience far greatersatisfactionâ (Smith 95).Smithâsamazing contributions to the field enlighten educators to take a step back andallow students to grasp hold of their learning.
FrankSmithâs socio-psycholinguistic theory to the social nature of reading andlearning to read advises that we can only learn from activities that areinteresting and that we are able to make meaningful connections with.Looking back on my precious educationalexperiences, I have to completely agree with Smith; when I was enjoying myselfand engaged in the learning process where I was making memories and drawingfrom previous experiences, I retained information.In regards to teaching students to read inthe primary grades, I was inspired by Smithâs approach in Twelve Easy Ways to Make Learning to Read Difficultâ¦As educators itis important to reflect on our teaching and continuously make an effort toallow students to take responsibility of their own learning so they will makemeaningful connections.This researchhas helped open my eyes and mind to a different approach to teaching readingand I know my students will benefit from this learning experience.Frank Smithâs theory will serve as awonderful reference for me as a student and educator and I am grateful for thisopportunity to research such a brilliant theorist.
References
Goodman, K. & Smith, F. (2008). âOn thePsycholinguistic Method of Teachingâ Revisited. Profiles and Perspectives, 61-65.Retrieved from http://andreawiselanguagearts.edublogs.org/files/2008/09/smith-and-goodman.pdf
Okafor, E. (2010, October 31). âThe PedagogyGardenâ: Twelve Easy Ways to MakeLearning to Read Difficultâ¦By:Frank Smith. Retrieved from http://thepedagogygarden.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2010-11-02T10:21:00-07:00&max-results=7&start=7&by-date=false
Smith, F. (n.d.). Comprehension and Learning.Retrievedfrom http://arvindguptatoys.com/arvindgupta/franksmith3.pdf
Smith, F. (1998). The Book of Learning and Forgetting. New York: Teachers CollegePress.
Smith, F. (n.d). Essays into Literacy: Twelve Easy Ways to Make Learning to ReadDifficult and One Difficult Way tomake it Easy. Retrieved from http://arvindguptatoys.com/arvindgupta/essaysintoliteracy.pdf
Smith, F. (2004). Understanding Reading. Retrieved from http://ehis.ebscohost.com.proxy.kennesaw.edu/eds/detail?vid=2&sid=adb234ee-c21b-42b5-b349-482350421070%40sessionmgr111&hid=115&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#db=nlebk&AN=109930
Stager, G. (2003). Meet Frank Smith: Gifts ofwisdom for educators. Speaking Out. Retrieved from http://www.districtadministration.com/article/meet-frank-smith
Frank Smith is a contemporary psycholinguist[1][2] recognized for his contributions in linguistics and cognitive psychology, both nationally and internationally, over the past 35 years.[3] He is regarded as an essential contributor to research on the nature of the reading process together with researchers such as George Armitage Miller, Kenneth S. Goodman (see Ken Goodman), Paul A. Kolers, Jane W. Torrey, Jane Mackworth, Richard Venezky, Robert Calfee, and Julian Hochberg.[4] Smith and Goodman are founders of whole language approach for reading instruction.[5] He is the author of numerous books and his books have been republished through several editions.
Life, career and education[edit]
Frank Smith was born in England and currently lives on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. He started out as reporter and editor for several media publications in Europe and Australia before commencing undergraduate studies at the University of Western Australia. He received a PhD in Psycholinguistics from Harvard University in 1967.[6][7]
Smith held positions as professor at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education for twelve years, professor of Language in Education at the University of Victoria, British Columbia as well as professor and department-head of Applied English Language Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa.[8] Before taking the position at the Ontario Institute, Smith briefly worked at the Southwest Regional Laboratory in Los Alamitos, California.[9]
Research and work[edit]
Frank Smith's research made important contributions to the development of reading theory.[10] His book Understanding Reading: A Psycholinguistic Analysis of Reading and Learning to Read is regarded as a fundamental text in the development of the whole language movement.[11] Amongst others, Smith's research and writings in psycholinguistics inspired cognitive psychologists Keith Stanovich and Richard West's research into the role of context in reading.[12]
Smith's work, in particular Understanding Reading: A Psycholinguistic Analysis of Reading and Learning to Read, can be described as a synthesis of psycholinguistic and cognitive psychology research applied to reading.[13] Working from diverse perspectives, Frank Smith and Kenneth S. Goodman developed the theory of a unified single reading process that comprises an interaction between reader, text and language.[14] On the whole, Smith's writing challenges conventional teaching and diverts from popular assumptions about reading.[15]
Apart from his research in language, his current research interests include the psychological, social and cultural consequences of human technology.[16]
Ideas[edit]
Smith advocated the concept that 'children learn to read by reading'.[17] In 1975 he participated in a television documentary filmed by Stephen Rose for the BBCHorizon TV series while based at the Toronto Institute for Studies in Education. The programme focused on his work with a single 3 1/2 year old child called Matthew.[17]
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He was against the 1970s idea that children should first learn the letters and letter combinations that convey the English language's forty-four sounds (Clymer's 45 phonic generalizations[18]) and then they can read whole words by decoding them from their component phonemes. This 'sounding out' words is a phonics, rather than a whole language, technique which is rooted in intellectual independence. The whole-language theory explained reading as a 'language experience,' where the reader interacts with the text/content and this in turn facilitates the link - 'knowledge' - between the text and meaning. The emphasis is on the process or comprehension of the text.[19]
Books[edit]
Co-authored books[edit]![]()
Essays[edit]
Articles[edit]
Co-authored articles[edit]
References[edit]
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Frank_Smith_(psycholinguist)&oldid=931687683'
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