Historical and Theoretical Perspective on Teaching Reading Essay

Historical and Theoretical Perspective on Teaching Reading - Essay Example Teachers can teach reading through several methods, one of these methods is the testing and measuring approach, in this method the teacher uses tests and assessments to measure how well the student has read and learned from the assigned tests (Lapp, 2007, p.423). The objects that are measured through these tests are informed to the students before hand during the sessions of instructions and then the teachers check whether these objectives have been accomplished. The tests should be consistent with the learning objectives and then it is checked whether the objectives have been met. This method pays emphasis to focused activity based teaching as the teacher teaches those parts that will be assessed. Curriculums that are designed on these methods are highly structured as this curriculum focus on the objectives that need to be attained by students. Students can learn through this teaching method if they are motivated with the assistance of reward for attaining set goals. The downside of using this method is that restricted amount of learning and teaching takes place as students only learn and obtain information which is going to be tested and other information is ignored. One of the most appropriate methods of teaching how to read is the subject method approach which pays emphasis on the significance of subject matter derived by students while they are involved in the process of reading (Richards, 2001, p.19). The basis of this form of reading is that a message should be transferred to the reader of a particular text.