Effective Reading Instruction for Struggling Readers: The Role of Direct/Explicit Teaching

Struggling readers are more likely to learn essential reading skills and strategies if the direct or explicit model of instruction is part of the teacher's repertoire of teaching methods. Directly/explicitly teaching reading means imparting new information to students through meaningful teacher-student interactions and teacher guidance of student learning. In this approach, the teacher clearly leads the teaching-learning process. At the heart of the direct instruction method are explicit explanations, modeling or demonstrating, and guided practice. Direct/ explicit instruction needs to be an integral part of learning the major content strands of the reading process - phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.