Fluency for Everyone: Incorporating Fluency Instruction in the Classroom.

Abstract

Although there is no universal agreement about what constitutes reading fluency, most authorities would agree that it refers to the smooth and natural oral production of written text. Harris and Hodges (1981), for example, define fluency as expressing oneself “smoothly, easily, and readily,” having “freedom from word identification problems,” and dealing with “words, and larger language units” with quickness (p. 120). Thus, at a minimum one might expect the fluent reader to read orally with accuracy, quickness, and expression. Achieving fluency is recognized as an important aspect of proficient reading, but it remains a neglected goal of reading instruction (Allington, 1983). Most basal reading programs give little recognition to fluency as an important goal, and few reading textbooks for prospective teachers provide an in-depth treatment of the topic. Reading fluency often becomes a salient issue only when students demonstrate significant deficiencies. These students are often referred to corrective or remedial classes where they finally receive special instruction in the development of fluent reading. How can classroom teachers teach fluency to their students? Several methods have been proven successful. These include repeated readings (Dowhower, 1987; Herman, 1985; Samuels, 1979), reading while listening or echo reading (Carbo, 1978; Chomsky, 1976; Gamby, 1983; Laffey and Kelly, 1981; Schneeberg, 1977; Van Der Leij, 1981), the neurological impress method (Heckelman, 1969), and reading in phrases (Allington, 1983; Amble and Kelly, 1970; Gregory, 1986). One potential problem with these fluency training methods is that they were, in general, originally intended for use in corrective reading situations involving an instructor working with one, two, or a very small group of students. Despite many positive aspects of these methods, the focus of their application is overly narrow. Teachers who wish to make fluency instruction an integral part of the regular reading curriculum may be at a loss in attempting to use corrective fluency methods in a way that is appropriate for the more normal reader. Fortunately, the methods shown to be effective in helping less fluent readers’ suggest a set of principles that teachers may find helpful. In the remainder of this article those principles will be identified and discussed.