Comprehension Literacy Log 3

Durkin, D. (1978-79). What classroom observations reveal about reading comprehension instruction. Reading Research Quarterly, 41, 481-533.

This text highlighted the need for professional development that showcases what current research proves is successful. This article exoressed that teachers were not teaching reading comprehension but merely assessing comprehension with text based questions if they were attending to comprehension at all.  As I read through the study I got a ittle uipset at the repeated statements about teachers not teaching comprehension in their cassrooms.  I felt a little insulted and kept thinking, yes we do, I know I do and my district's curriculum is set up to teach comprehension as well.  It wasn't until I rememberd that this study is from 1978-79 that I felt better.  I'm sure there are still many districts, schools and educators that are unaware of what comprehension instruction looks and sounds like but I also believe there are many that do and provide their faculty and students with the proper professional development and instruction to support it.  I feel confident that if a similar study were conducted throughout my school district the findings would be more positive.  I think it is so sad that Durkin only observed teachers who were were "assignment givers," and did not observe comprehension instruction or "pother kinds of reading instruction with any frequency either" (1978-79, p. 520).  The limitations of the research also made me wonder about the differences we might find if this study were redone today.  Teachers are more acclimated to being observed as it is a part of teaching now with walk-throughs and PDAS evaluations.  I'm not saying teachers love being observed all the time but I think it would be easier to find more teachers who are willing to be observed and at all different times of the day.  It would also be important to conduct observations in many schools in many different districts.  As I read through the limitations of the study it made me think about the woes of a researcher.  To get a good picture of what teachers are doing in most schools would take massive amounts of money, skilled professionals and time.  Professionals have to be reflective and discerning as they read these kinds of research studies because you have to be aware of the limitations and the subjectivity and differing understandings of the observers.  When Durkin discussed what influences teachers all I could think about was education for teachers.  She states, "adding to teachers' knowledge of what constitutes good instruction will not be sufficient to bring about change," (1978-79, p. 525).  I disagree with Durkin here, though maybe what she says was true in 1978-79.   Teachers teach how they were taught when they were students and how they were taught to in education classes in college.  Teachers teach what their districts expect of them. Professional development has to be presented by people who are passionate about their presentation and can really explain why and how. 
In her suggestions for future research Durkin writes of the observation of "good readers" in classrooms where "teachers are not teaching," (1978-79, p. 526).  I found this interesting because we all have students who seem to come to school knowing how to read and knowing how to think as they read.  I believe that some children may do this naturally or are more perceptive and sensitive to the literacy around them and have learned quickly, but I also believe reading comprehension and other reading processes are teachable to all children.  Everyone can learn something something new about anything at anytime.
I feel that our schools do have problems where "solutions are neither obvious nor simple" but I feel educators have been moving in the right direction as they push for more research and follow the practices the research finds successful, (Durkin, 1978-79, p. 527).