On hearing and listening

Kylene Beers’ (2003) careful observations of students who struggle to read began by differentiating between hearing her students’ challenges and listening to the myriad questions implicit in phrases such as, “I don’t get it” (p. 8). She began to realize that students’ process revealed more to her than their final result. This process, towards independent reading, was far more complex than sounding out words and comprehending meaning. Rather, reading independently involves students’ minds, emotions, and commitment. And it takes a teacher who is devoted to listening to students’ cognitive, emotional, social, and textual confidence levels.

Subbing in Read 180 classes, I’ve observed small pieces of this process. I’ve heard Jamie* try to read a few sentences aloud to me, only to slam the book shut in frustration. He primarily struggled with what Beers calls “cognitive confidence,” insecure about how to say words and how to make meaning from these words (Beers, 2003, p. 18). While Jamie is highly engaged when read aloud to—potential for strong “social an d emotional confidence”—he shuts down when he attempts to comprehend words and sentences (Beers, 2003, p. 18). In the same classroom, Stefani* struggles primarily with “text confidence;” she needs the “stamina to find a text or complete a text” (Beers, 2003, p. 17). Texts Stefani has read before were enjoyable, but she hasn’t been given the tools to find a genre she’s interested in or to stick with a book that causes her to struggle initially.

Cognitive, social-emotional, and text confidence are deeply interconnected. When one is strengthened, all aspects of independent reading benefit. I appreciate Beers’ attention to the hopes and challenges of teaching struggling readers. She writes: “…making mistakes and growing from them…the most important thing I do as a teacher” (Beers, 2003, p. 22).

*Names changed for anonymity.