Empowering Students to Develop Conscious Awareness in Decoding

Introduction: Successful word decoding goes beyond mere recognition of letters and sounds; it involves connecting two aspects of language. This process requires students to abstract beginning sounds from spoken words and compare them with those of other words. Piaget termed this ability "decentration," reflecting a student's capacity to consider two aspects of a situation simultaneously. Decoding words is indeed a complex cognitive process, akin to a mental puzzle-solving activity where students break down words into smaller parts to unlock their meaning. Central to this process is the cognitive skill of decentration.

Decentration, as conceptualized by Piaget, allows students to hold onto beginning sounds, identify vowel patterns, and seamlessly blend sounds together in their minds. This article delves into the pivotal role of decentration in word decoding, highlighting its significance within the framework of the science of reading. By integrating insights from the science of reading, which encompasses evidence-based practices rooted in research on literacy development, educators can effectively incorporate decentration into their teaching methodologies, thereby empowering students to become proficient readers.

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Teaching Chart: Developing the Cognitive Process of Decentration

1. Hold onto beginning sound

Encourage students to focus on the initial sound of a word when decoding. Provide activities where they identify and isolate beginning sounds in words.

2. Identify vowel patterns

Teach students common vowel patterns and encourage them to recognize these patterns when decoding words. Practice activities such as word sorts and word families to reinforce vowel patterns.

3. Blend sounds together

Guide students in blending individual sounds together to form whole words. Use multisensory activities such as finger tapping or blending boards to reinforce this skill.

4. Monitor thinking

Teach students metacognitive strategies to monitor their thinking during decoding tasks. Encourage them to ask themselves questions like, "Does this word make sense?" and "Do the sounds I'm making match the letters I see?"

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?Teacher Using Decentration to Open and Expand Students Thinking

Decentration plays a vital role in expanding students' awareness and consciousness as they decode words. By teaching students to utilize decentration, teachers can empower them to approach word decoding with greater cognitive flexibility and depth. One effective strategy is to monitor students' thinking during decoding tasks, providing them with opportunities to reflect on their cognitive processes and make connections between different linguistic aspects of words.?

Scenerio: Mrs. Thompson’s 2nd Grade Class

?Consider Mrs. Thompson, a second-grade teacher, who incorporates decentration into her reading instruction. She begins by explicitly teaching her students about the concept of decentration, explaining how it enables them to hold onto the beginning sound, identify vowel patterns, and blend sounds together to decode words. Mrs. Thompson provides her students with engaging activities and tasks that encourage them to practice using decentration, such as word puzzles, phonemic awareness games, and guided reading exercises. She also monitors her students' thinking during decoding tasks, providing feedback and support as needed to scaffold their understanding and skill development.

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Decentration Observation Checklist:

Holds onto beginning sound ?? / ?

Identifies vowel patterns ?? / ?

Blends sounds together ?? / ?

Monitors thinking ?? / ?

Empowering Students to Apply Metacognition in Decoding Independently

?Empowering students to independently apply metacognition in decoding is essential for nurturing their proficiency as readers. Metacognition, the process of reflecting on one's own thinking, plays a pivotal role in decoding by enabling students to monitor and regulate their cognitive processes while reading. Educators can equip students with metacognitive strategies such as self-questioning, clarification, and monitoring pace to navigate the complexities of decoding autonomously.

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By engaging in metacognitive practices, students gain awareness of their reading strategies and can adjust them as necessary to improve comprehension and fluency. Through explicit instruction and modeling, teachers guide students in seamlessly integrating metacognitive processes into their decoding routines. As students become skilled at applying metacognition in decoding, they cultivate a sense of agency and confidence in their reading abilities, setting the stage for lifelong literacy success.

Strategy Description

• Self-Questioning

Encourage students to ask themselves questions about their thought process while decoding.

• Clarification

Teach students to recognize when they encounter sounds or concepts they don't understand.

• Predicting

Encourage students to make predictions about what will happen next in saying the word..

• Summarizing

Encourage students to pause and summarize what they have decoded..

• Visualizing

Teach students to create mental images or "mind movies" as they are decoding..

• Monitoring Pace

Encourage students to monitor their decoding pace and adjust it as needed.

• Reflecting

Encourage students to reflect on their decoding experiences and think about their strategies.

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These strategies empower students to become more aware of their thinking processes while decoding and help them develop greater control ?and automaticity in decoding so that they can grasp the meaning of text when they are reading for meaning.

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?In conclusion, decentration is a powerful cognitive tool that enables students to expand their awareness and consciousness as they decode words. By incorporating decentration into their instruction and providing students with opportunities to practice and apply this skill independently, teachers can empower students to become confident and proficient readers. Through collaborative efforts and a commitment to evidence-based practices, educators can nurture a generation of lifelong learners who are equipped to navigate the complexities of the written word with confidence and ease.

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