FROM RESEARCH TO THE CLASSROOM: WHY FLUENCY MATTERS FOR OLDER READERS
Prosody, Pacing, and Situational Fluency (or Why Fluency Matters for Older Readers) by Melanie R. Kuhn and Paula J. Schwanenflugel (Journal of Adult & Adolescent Literacy, 2018)
“Rather than view fluency as comprised of accuracy and automaticity for its own sake, we consider it critical to take a more nuanced view, both in terms of fluency as a construct and its importance in the reading process—one that emphasizes pacing, understanding, and knowledge building rather than racing through a text (Kuhn et al., 2010). In the following sections, we discuss a broader definition of fluency and its implications for instruction, which includes exploring prosody, pacing, situational fluency, and the importance of wide reading in helping to close the achievement gap. In this way, we highlight how and why fluency plays a critical role for adolescent and adult readers.”
Summary
Over the past two decades, fluency has come into focus as an important factor in students’ ability to comprehend complex text. However, the predominant definition has become relatively narrow, resulting in a similar narrowing of fluency assessments and recommendations for instruction. Assessments and instructional practices that focus on reading rate have reflected and promoted this view of fluency.
An overreliance on reading rate as an indicator of overall reading success comes at the expense of other components of literacy learning.
Although accuracy and rate are two components of fluent reading, Kuhn and Schwanenflugel maintain that fluent readers also use appropriate phrasing. They define fluency as a combination of:
accuracy, automaticity, and oral reading prosody, which, when taken together, facilitate the reader’s construction of meaning. It is demonstrated during oral reading through ease of word recognition, appropriate phrasing, and intonation. It is a factor in both oral and silent reading that can limit or support comprehension.
Prosody plays a critical role in comprehension by contributing to the shades of meaning readers develop from texts through the application of elements such as intonation, stress, tempo, and appropriate phrasing. The feedback readers receive from prosody may better ensure their understanding of the text. Prosody assists readers with holding messages from text in working memory and supports comprehension processes such as inferencing and gist development
Accuracy, automaticity, and prosody continue to contribute to comprehension of text beyond the early grades when readers are expected engage with large amounts of material and increasingly complex text.
The authors caution that, while it is true that fluent readers are better prepared to meet the challenges of volume and complexity, “fluency is not an all-or-nothing trait.” For example, a reader may be more fluent when reading about familiar topics or in their preferred genre and form. Recent research also suggests that information texts are often read with less fluency than narrative texts.
Because fluency is situational, it is important for educators to consider this broader definition of fluency across the curriculum. For example, we cannot assume that a student who is fluent in narrative texts in ELA class will be fluent in content-area textbooks and vice versa. Readers need support to develop the fluency, stamina, and metacognition for the wide range of genres and text complexities they encounter both in and outside the classroom.
Kuhn and Schwanenflugel recommend four instructional strategies that provide scaffolded practice:
- Listen-Read-Discuss: After students listen to the teacher introduce the key concepts and vocabulary of a section of the text being read, they independently read that section and discuss what they have read to solidify their understanding.
- Laddering/Text Sets: Providing a series of texts with a range of difficulty levels on the same topic or theme helps students build the knowledge of concepts and vocabulary needed as they progress through increasingly complex texts.
- Scaffolded Silent Reading: Students are supported with selecting and independently reading a range of texts through such scaffolds as text selection, comprehension strategies, and reading conferences.
- Partner Reading: Partners take turns reading aloud and supporting one another with any challenges encountered in the text.
Conclusion
“If carefully scaffolded, fluency can be developed through, and contribute to, the successful reading of complex texts. Also, as students read more and more varied texts, they experience the kind of positive reading cycle that can contribute to the closing of the achievement gap (Stanovich, 1986). As such, we see time devoted to fluency development to be classroom time well-spent.”
Takeaways For the Classroom
- Expand your definition of fluency to include prosody.
- Encourage and provide support for wide, voluminous reading.
- Use fluency assessments that incorporate prosody, such as the Multi-Dimensional Fluency Scale and listening to students read during reading conferences.
- Provide explicit instruction on elements of prosody, including intonation, stress, tempo, and phrasing.
- Encourage students to be mindful of their fluency and its impact on their comprehension during silent reading.
- Plan with disciplinary colleagues to promote and support fluency across the school day.
- Incorporate routines such as Listen-Read-Discuss, Laddering, Supported Silent Reading, and partner Reading.
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