An Essential History of Current Reading Practices

by Mary Jo Fresch, Ed Fresch

An Essential History of Current Reading Practices describes the key research and trends that have informed, shaped, and given direction to reading education over the last half-century. This volume - penned by some of the best-known experts in the field - can familiarize any educator, from novice to expert, with the complex nature of teaching reading. It also can provide readers a starting point for examining particular topics in depth. The contributors review landmark research from the middle of the 20th century through today, highlighting political and social pressures that have influenced research, policy, and classroom practice. Eleven chapters explore the historical underpinnings of the reading process, phonics, family literacy, guided reading, comprehension, fluency, content area reading, children's literature, remedial and clinical reading, vocabulary and spelling, and teacher education and professional development. To provide readers with a jump-off point for further study, each chapter presents questions for future research as well as Essential Readings resource lists. The author invites you into a deep understanding of each topic. You will gain perspective, ground your own work, and come to appreciate the rich, varied interpretations of these areas of reading.

Genres: Education

268 pages, Paperback

First published November 27, 2007

About the author

Dr. Mary Jo Fresch is Academy Professor and Professor Emeritus and of the Department of Teaching and Learning at The Ohio State University. She is a consultant and author providing professional development workshops across the country. Fresch began her career as a 3rd grade teacher in Kent, Ohio. She taught adult literacy at the University of Akron and reading methods at the University of Nebraska (Lincoln). Fresch completed her Doctorate in Language, Literature, and Culture at The Ohio State University. She moved to Melbourne, Australia where she taught for three years in teacher education at Deakin University and The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. Fresch returned to Columbus, Ohio in 1995. She joined the faculty at The Ohio State University at Marion, where she taught in teacher education for 20 years. Fresch's professional presentations have taken her across the United States, as well as abroad to New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, Scotland, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Jamaica, and Canada. Her research focus is the developmental aspects of becoming a reader, writer, and speller. Her articles have appeared in peer reviewed journals and she has written 20 books for teachers to assist in their literacy instruction.