120 hr. TEFL Course Module 3-Reading (Pt.8 Forming Associations)

Module 3: Reading

3.4 Decoding

Once you have helped your students form strong associations between letters and sounds, the next step is to work on decoding, which refers to displaying those associations by rapidly turning the written word into speech. This is an essential part of language and is most easily displayed when your students read aloud. 

3.4.1 Common questions about decoding

Why is decoding important?

Decoding is important because it is the basis for most reading comprehension skills. An inability to decode words leads to an inability to identify and understand vocabulary, a difficulty building fluency, and difficulty with overall reading comprehension.

How can you tell if a student is struggling with decoding?

Students who are having trouble decoding often believe they are stuck or that reading is something they just don’t do well. Here are some of the symptoms to look out for to identify students who are struggling with decoding:

• The student feels stuck when they need to read a lot of words because they cannot focus enough on any one word. This is common and manifests in students who can decode single words when they are presented but have difficulty decoding those same words if there are too many words at once or the words are coming at them in quick succession.

• Students spend so much energy trying to decode the words they are reading and say them properly that they are not comprehending what they read. In these cases, students might not seem to be struggling too much when they are reading (though they would not show complete fluency), but they would not have much of an idea what they read when questioned.

• The student complains that he or she simply “does not know” how to sound out words. This is usually a sign of frustration at the energy it is taking for them to decode the words that are being presented to them.