Podcast Reflection #6 "Practice, Practice, Practice: The Value of Repeated Reading"

In this episode of Teacher Created Materials, Dr. Rasinski discusses the importance of repetition and practice in teaching students to read. According to Dr. Rasinski, there are over forty scientific studies showing a positive relationship between repeated readings and the level of comprehension and success. He points out that not only is it important for students to be reading the information silently, it is also important for students to give a voice to the material by repeating it out loud. In doing so, the student will gain a deeper understanding for both the information and the character behind the story. An example Dr. Rasinski brings to mind is Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" Speech. When students read this text once, they probably will not understand it's meaning as fully as they would if they were to recite the speech out loud and attempt to put themselves into that time and place. While the idea of "practice makes perfect" might seem rather obvious, it is important to keep in mind when planning reading lessons and teaching students in your future classroom.