Active self-regulation One of the seminal features of the Active Model is its emphasis on broad learning skills (referred to in this model as active self-regulation ), in addition to reading-specific skills, that are crucial for effective reading. Prior studies have found that approximately 10 to 30 percent of children in their samples who have grade-level decoding and listening comprehension abilities still have difficulties comprehending text (Catts et al., 2003; Catts et al., 2005; Ebert & Scott, 2016; Aaron et al., 1999; Morris et al., 2017). So why do children who have the necessary reading-specific skills still struggle? It may be because reading is an effortful task that requires sustained motivation and engagement . Reading also requires strong executive function , or higher-order thinking skills, to plan and execute behaviors that serve the goal of reading, such as good strategy use . Without these important self-regulatory skills, children will face barriers to reaching their reading potential. Thus, the Active Model encourages educators to support the development of children’s self-regulation.
Pillars That Are Essential to Reading Instruction
With high-quality instruction, typically developing children can successfully build the core skills needed for successful reading over the course of K–3 education and beyond. But which reading skills need to be emphasized? And when? For several decades, scientists have assessed the effectiveness of different approaches for teaching children to read, which has led to greater knowledge of best practices in reading instruction. Drawing from this research on reading instruction, the National Reading Panel (NRP) identified five components, which they refer to as pillars, that are essential to reading instruction: Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Fluent Text Reading, Vocabulary, and Comprehension (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development [NICHD], 2000). This section summarizes recommendations from researchers and educators on how to implement each NRP pillar in K–3 education. Additionally, given the importance of active self-regulation to reading (Duke & Cartwright, 2021), this section also outlines strategies for increasing students’ executive function skills and motivation and engagement.
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The Science of Reading | What Research Says About Setting Young Readers Up for Success
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