Point 1
After the baseline data has been established, the teacher designs a diagnostic lesson based on her hypotheses about the student’s reading. The teacher selects a technique that matches the reader’s profile. The second section is to establish new reading strategies. Modifications can occur as the teacher responds to the student’s need during instruction.

Response 1
I agree with this. I think that students learn from the teacher modeling the techniques. For example in the book Ted a second grader, did not self correct. So the teacher modeled her own self correction aloud to him. I think teachers that model these techniques help the students learn. As discussed in a previous learning log, in my first grade student teaching placement the teacher used a printing exercise. The exercise she displayed on the overhead contained mistakes. The students were asked to find the teacher’s mistakes. This technique illustrates that even teachers make mistakes and it shows them different strategies to find the errors.

Point 2
Sometimes the diagnostic teacher needs to use several techniques to produce the desired change. Using this approach, the techniques are more effective than just using one of them alone.

Response 2
After we conduct Qualitative Reading Inventories to determine the student’s reading ability, we utilize a number of reading techniques depending upon what their needs are, for example if they are lacking in fluency we may use a different technique than if they were lacking comprehension. The teacher could easily get overwhelmed trying to incorporate numerous techniques with numerous students.

Point 3
The teacher determines the amount of task modification that must be done prior to instruction. The diagnostic teacher selects techniques to implement during the diagnostic lesson. The teacher determines how she is going to promote active reading.

Response 3
This makes perfect sense. The teacher determines the learning technique to be used based upon the students needs, and determines whether the lesson will need modification before starting instruction. There are times that I think I know the best way to present the material or assume I will know how a student will respond to a technique just to find that the student is not responding and the method needs to be modified.


Point 4
The teacher uses an informal reading inventory as a measure of what the student can do when he reads independently. However, the teacher also establishes how the student constructs meaning with text as the teacher is teaching. Therefore, the teacher continues her assessment and establishes a level at which the student profits from her instruction.

Response 4
I agree that the teacher has to strike a balance between offering challenging material to allow the students to grow in their reading ability and hitting the level of frustration. A frustrated student is going to profit far less from instruction. I think that striking this balance could be a time consuming task if a teacher is working with a large classroom of students with varied abilities. This can be especially difficult when a teacher is trying to incorporate literacy techniques into other subject such as Math, Science and Social Studies. Understandably, literacy is the foundation but there are other concepts to be taught in these subjects as well.

Point 5
The diagnostic teacher identifies at what level the student can incorporate the targeted reading strategies as a result of specified instruction. The level is determined by calculating the difference between the level of unaided performance, and the level the child could achieve with aid. This is referred to as mediated reading level.

Response 5
I think that mediated reading level is the balance that a teacher is looking for in reading development. Mediated reading level provides the student with challenging (not frustrating) opportunities. To be effective this assessment would need to be conducted on a regular basis, perhaps quarterly, to re-evaluate learning level. Regular re-assessment insures that the student is constantly being provided with this challenging, stretch and grows opportunities.