Teaching to read and write is today, as yesterday, one of the essential objectives of compulsory education, perhaps because knowing how to read (and knowing how to write) has been in the past and is also today the vehicle par excellence through which the people access cultural knowledge in our societies.
Introduction
It is from this idea that both the desire for literacy of the entire population and the vindication of compulsory education that acted as a tool for equality between people and as an instrument to compensate for social inequalities arose in the 19th century. Since then, the promotion of literacy campaigns and the extension of compulsory schooling have been the priority axis of the educational policies of governments and international institutions such as UNESCO.
Reading is the basic pillar of study since all the activity of academic life is based on it. Reading is a habit that is essential for the assimilation and proper expression of knowledge content, it is an activity that allows us to develop personality and intellect, promoting the acquisition of knowledge and exercise in study.
The fundamental purpose of this article is to show the importance of Reading and Writing in the educational field and because it is a subject that is still in force and will never be left untouched. The theme revolves around the discursive and interactive perspective and the implications that this has in the formation of every student in such a way that they can respond not only to the challenges that society is going to demand of them but also to their own attitude towards life and its possibility to continue learning through the habit of reading and writing so that you can achieve the skills that every program frames in the planning of reading and writing.
Reading and writing are two simultaneous processes in all the activities that man performs. In order to face a text, certain mental operations are required, which allow us to approach in an interpretive and critical way all the knowledge present in the texts. In addition, reading provides new information, which is generating in the reader's encyclopedia a new vision of the world and a possibility of transforming reality; Likewise, writing allows for more complex developments of the person, to the extent that knowledge and competencies are tested to capture through the paper the ideas and feelings of the writer.
If we think of all the types of activities that can be carried out with the texts, around the texts, we will see that one goes from speaking to reading, from reading to writing, from writing to speaking and re-reading, naturally, circulating around the written language, without the need to emphasize when "you have to read".
The way to reading
Reading is the interaction between a reader, a text and a context, the reader when reading incorporates the knowledge he has, that is, what he is and what he knows about the world and the text includes the author's intention, the content of what has been said and the way in which the message is structured. The context, in short, includes the conditions for reading, both strictly individual (intention of the reader, interest in the text, effects of reading the text in the horizon of the reader's expectations…) and social (in the case of school reading, whether the reading is shared or not, the time allocated to it in classrooms, the contrast between the various interpretations of the text….).
In the opinion of Isabel Solé (1997), reading is an interactive process in which those who read actively construct their interpretation of the message based on their previous experiences and knowledge, their hypotheses and their ability to infer certain meanings. Hence, in teaching in the school learning of reading, something as obvious as the clarity and coherence of the contents of the texts must be taken into account, that is, the adequate adaptation of the lexicon, syntax and structure. from texts to students' knowledge and reading skills.
Reading is a continuous process of communication between the author of the text and the reader; It is expressed through a variety of conventional signs and codes that help us interpret emotions, feelings, impressions, ideas and thoughts. As a result of this interaction, the reader, who takes an active role, discovers and elaborates answers, asks new questions, accepts, disagrees, or simply ignores; that is, it builds the meaning of the messages, the meaning valid for itself.
Learning to read is complex and poses certain demands such as a certain mental level, good capacity for perceptual-spatial and personal organization. In this sense, reading implies the development of aptitudes and abilities that can enhance the power of synthesis to apply cultural acquisitions and is considered the most effective instrument for the appropriation of the cultural heritage, being of fundamental relevance for the integration of man to demands of the modern world.
From this perspective, reading aims to acquire learning regardless of the type of reading we exercise (loud, silent, directed, slow, deep or fast), strategies that allow and make possible a learning and therefore personal development.
In the physical and mental aspect, the reading activity supposes the correct execution of four processes: the perceptual one, based on the extraction of the graphic signs and the recognition of the linguistic units or words; the lexical process, which contributes meaning to words using the store of existing concepts in memory; the syntactic process, which analyzes the words grouped into phrases and sentences determining their grammatical function, and, the semantic process, which discovers and constructs the message and incorporates it into the memory of the individual.
In the apparent simple act of reading the following operations are performed: first recognize, that is, understand the meaning of each of the terms used by the author within a given context, second, the meaning of each isolated word is organized, which requires identify the combination of these in sentences, paragraphs, etc., to know the content, message or idea of the writing. Then elaborate, since when reading you not only understand what the author says, but also your own thoughts and ideas arise in the reader, finally evaluate since when you capture what the author means, that content passes through the opinion of the reader, who will accept or reject it.
To study reading: Physiology allows us to understand the human capacity to read from a biological point of view, thanks to the study of the human eye, the field of vision and the ability to fix sight. While psychology helps define the mental process that takes place during reading, either in the decoding phase of characters, symbols and images, or in the association phase of visualization with the word. Clinical pedagogy deals with the educational aspects of the teaching-learning process of reading and writing, the specific disorders of reading, and the skills necessary for effective reading.
The art of writing
Writing is defined as the action and effect of writing as a form of expression and representation prescribed through signs and codes that serve to facilitate and improve communication. Many authors affirm that reading and writing must go together, because both occur gradually and interact in the teaching-learning process. From this, I consider that writing is the result of learning to read, that is, the recognition of letters: signs, symbols, representations, among others.
As long as writing is conceived as an action, as an instrument or means to fulfill objectives with respect to the world, the following functions are granted:
- Communication function: writing, as a graphic transmission medium, materializes the message and allows the sender to connect with the receiver remotely in time and space. Registration function or mnemonic function: it allows expanding the human capacity to memorize. Registration through writing makes it possible to archive the recorded data. Function of regulation and social control of behavior: it closely relates writing to social organization, to the point that it is argued that the social "existence" of individuals depends of the written record in social documents such as taxes, voting, etc.
The student needs to know the objective of writing to know what intention is when writing a text therefore, it is convenient for the student to familiarize himself with the type of text before practicing the skills involved in writing and any aspect that is taught should demonstrate through a model.
A writing lesson must follow three phases that must not be independent of each other, but must be intertwined (Pincas, 1982), the first is the "familiarization" stage in which a type of text is chosen as a model and work through an activity that can simply consist of reading comprehension of it.
The second phase consists of a series of controlled or guided exercises that introduce the student to the writing process. Finally, we have the stage of "free writing" is the phase of production and creativity on the part of the student. It is a real activity that establishes a certain relationship with the exercises and previous stages but that makes the student develop their own writing.
The habits, skills and abilities of reading and writing
Habits can be formed in two ways: as a result of conscious actions and operations, automated during practice, by adapting the activity to the given conditions or by pure imitation.
It is well known that the habit is what a person does without effort and that is a source of pleasure, so the habit of reading and writing gradually becomes a skill and then becomes a capacity and all this is developed in the practice of the activities.
Skill: Assimilation of the general structure of an action, of the procedures that can be applied in the performance of other similar skills. Activities are linked to habits and must be carried out in parallel (Androvskaia-Lovonstern, 1973). The skills are programmed and regulated by the fact of reaching the level of capacity development that means reaching a new qualitative stage.
Learning to read and write is closely related to the development of reflection skills on the language, so it is necessary that the methodology used to teach reading and writing makes it easier for students to become aware of the structure of the oral language (awareness of the most basic words, syllables and sounds), which will allow them to relate their elements to the written code.
The skill will be developed when there is conscious control and wise direction in the execution of reading and writing activities; the ability, when acting automatically, without control or direction and habit; when the automatic activities have been carried out several times with the constant accompaniment of writing and reading, in such a way that there has been a strong need in the latter to repeat these activities (the execution of such activities provides pleasure).
Reading-writing skills have a dynamic potential that allows new constructions to be generated once the basic model has been assimilated. They are also transferable so they can combine and reproduce under conditions other than those in which habits are exercised. The fundamental difference between habits and skills lies in the speed with which the skills allow the units of reading and writing to be produced, as well as their transfer capacity (Antich, 1987).
Reading and writing are currently considered to be psycholinguistic abilities that are developed on the basis of oral language and whose acquisition implies reflection on the different structural elements of the language (sounds, letters, syllables…), for which it is necessary help and guide. The levels of reading and writing ability are a measure that indicates how the student is progressing in these areas, if she is below the prescribed level in any of these, it can be deduced that she needs additional help to improve her skills in them.
However, between reading and writing there is a close relationship; they are association processes between the spelling and the sound, they are based on the same communicative code, the graphic code. Only in writing the oral speech is recoded, but also when writing, the words are pronounced in the inner speech and this contributes to the formation of oral expression skills.
Written expression is a production skill that involves the simultaneous acquisition of the elements of reading comprehension, since the student when writing reads what he is writing. Reason why it is necessary to introduce it after the student masters the phonological system of the language.
Reading and writing conceptualized as competences
The main objective of school institutions is to alphabetize students and this process begins with the teaching of reading and writing in the primary grades, the goal of teaching reading and writing in classrooms is to develop basic communication skills in the students, that is, developing mastery of the four language arts; speak, listen, read and write, keeping in mind that these components are interdependent and must be taught simultaneously.
Competency is understood as knowledge put into action, it refers to the integral development of knowledge, skills and attitudes in all stages of basic education that lead to the use of knowledge in different situations with which the student may or may not be familiar..
Reading literacy; It considers the measurement in three domains or aspects that it is necessary to master to adequately understand what is read, these domains are information gathering, interpretation, reflection and evaluation.
According to Scarcella and Oxford (1992), in order to write correctly and effectively, one must master the four components of communicative competence that Canale and Swain (1980) defend: grammatical competence, use of morphology and syntax, vocabulary and certain mechanisms of punctuation or Spelling, sociolinguistic competence allows the use of language to be varied with respect to the subject, genre, reader and purpose of the text to adapt to the discursive competence that consists in organizing the text so that it has coherence and cohesion. In strategic competition, it is about using strategies that increase competition to write effectively such as planning, composing or revising the text.
From the first stages of the learning process, students build the meaning of the texts they read, that is, they understand. Reading skills are acquired in meaningful reading situations and in the case of writing, at the same time that students try to produce meaningful texts, they also develop skills related to learning calligraphy, spelling and syntax. This is how they acquire skills from the simplest to the complex, but for this, teachers develop skills for the production of written texts based on three didactic moments: first version, revision and rewriting. In the case of reading, the three didactic moments are before, during and after reading a text.
Process that is still talked about in recent times
Reading and writing are fundamental processes used by the members of a society to exchange ideas, knowledge and knowledge in general. In such a way that, from the first grade, the primary purpose of school is to develop activities that allow the mastery of these processes to be acquired efficiently, which undoubtedly constitute a valuable support for the achievement of future learning that contributes to the comprehensive development of the citizen that requires a democratic society.
The learning of reading and writing is a process that serves as the basis for the integral formation of the human being and that is necessary to get ahead in a competitive world, thus being important in the integral communication of every individual, as well as for their cognitive development. and his personality.
Reading has been, is and will continue to be one of the main instruments, if not the main, of access to knowledge, and nothing suggests that this situation will change with digital information and communication technologies. Because "reading is the key to knowledge in the information society". But it is a key, the handling of which requires mastery of new knowledge, new knowledge and skills, and above all, it allows creating and accessing new types of texts and new types of legal practices for those who possess it.
Many children find it difficult to learn to read and write and as a consequence are prone to school failure and grade repetition. One of the expectations is that children will be able to read and write at the right time, they will be competent students and in the future they will be able to respond creatively in a changing society and take advantage of the opportunities it offers.
This skill has to be developed by the school, and it is the responsibility of the teacher, that is why it is necessary to identify the levels in the learning of reading and writing, to look for alternative solutions to this problem. Because reading and writing are the primary competences that frame all curricula from the basic level to the later levels, they are skills that are evident in all subjects at all educational levels, but above all, we must add that it is essential to be able to lead in society and be able to access a better standard of living.
Conclusions
Knowing how to read and write, in today's world, implies a very wide and varied set of capacities and skills, which require making reading not only a permanent activity but an object of permanent learning and improvement, beyond the school and the system. educational in a general sense. Regarding the formation of the reading and writing habit, it is always necessary to develop skills and capacity in the practice of these activities.
Reading and writing are common tasks in the classrooms of our schools and institutes, if we look at that miniature culture, that communicative scenario that is a classroom, and look at the things that students do in class, we will see how reading, text comprehension and writing are some of the most common activities in each and every one of the knowledge areas.
When learning to read, when learning to understand and when learning to write, students also learn during childhood, adolescence and youth to use written language as a quality (and quality) tool for communication between people and between cultures. In the same way, when learning to read, understand and write, they learn to guide thought and build in this process a shared and communicable knowledge of the world. As Juan José Millás (2000) points out, “You do not write to be a writer nor do you read to be a reader. It is written and read to understand the world. So no one should come to life without having acquired those basic skills. ”
It is obvious that reading, understanding what is read and writing constitute linguistic, cognitive and sociocultural actions whose utility transcends the school and academic environment by inserting itself in the different areas of personal and social life of human beings. Hence the almost infinite diversity of written texts and hence also the different social uses of reading and writing in our societies: from reading the usual written texts in people's daily lives (news, chronicles, catalogs, instructions for use, reports, interviews, announcements…) to the enjoyment of literary reading, from the practical use of writing (notices, letters, contracts, reports, instances…) to the more technical uses (reports, essays,outlines…) or artistic of the written texts (writing of literary intention…).
In any case, through reading and writing, adolescents and young people express feelings, fantasies and ideas, immerse themselves in fictional worlds, access knowledge of their physical and cultural environment and discover that knowing how to read, knowing and understanding Writing is enormously useful in the various fields not only of school life but also of your personal and social life.
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Carvajal, Lizardo, La Lectura, 10th edition, Cali Colombia, ED Faid, 1994.
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Condemarín, M.Chadwick, M (1990): «The teaching of writing. Theoretical and practical bases ». Viewfinder. Madrid.
Solé, I. (1992). "Reading strategies". ICE Graó. Barcelona.
Wells, G. (1988): »Learn to read and write». Laia. Barcelona.
