Learning and Teaching Reading  Updated on Dec 23, 2009  Helping
students become good readers is an important part of the
education process. Students need to be able to gain information
from a variety of texts, know how to access texts to solve
problems, and be able to critically examine information
presented through texts. However, providing reading instruction
that develops such abilities can be a complex and challenging
task. Therefore, this entry was designed to provide readers with
some of the more prominent theoretical positions and
instructional techniques that can be used to provide students
with excellent reading instruction. This entry is meant to serve
as a brief introduction and broad overview for teaching reading.
Exemplary reading teachers often have strong background
knowledge in theories of reading and can apply them to their
instruction (Pressley, Allington, Wharton-MacDonald, Block, &
Morrow, 2001). Theoretical knowledge allows teachers to make
more informed decisions about their instructio