Biography: Donald Holdaway was born on 1930 and died in 2004. He is the father of the big book and the founder of “Shared Reading” and the developer of the Natural Learning Model. He worked in New Zealand and Australia with students who lacked reading abilities developed the best way to teach Malread students. His work really helped a lot of malread children in the world but there’s not a lot about him on the internet that is accessable. Please help out on the biography of this important person.
Theoretical Orientation:
Major theory:
His theory is the Natural Learning Model. He believes that all children can learn how to read by experiencing the text over and over. By following the four steps process in his Learning Model children can then become better readers. In his theory, he believes that his model is not only siblical but also recursive. Meaning, the child and educator can go back and forth between the first three processes in the Natural Learning Model before actually performing the skill learned from the experience.
Major Strategy:
Holdaway rejects old pedagogical assumptions and reinforcement theory and traces a new line of investigation that began over 25 years ago in New Zealand focusing on children's "natural, developmental learning" (from within). Holdaway's rationale for a new approach to teaching reading exemplifies the same conceptual revolution that Piaget had undergone in Europe. He too believes that as childrens learn to read they go through the four processes of the learning model he refers to as the “Natural Learning Model”. The four processes include the following;
1. Demonstration- Child watching or listening to a more knowledgable other while s/he reads a book or a story to him or her.
2. Participation-Child is watching and listening to a more knowledgable other while interacting with his or her reader making sure not to skip or omit their favorite parts of the story being read to them.
3. Role Play/Practice-At this phase the child is practicing what s/he had experienced from the more knowledgable other on their own imitating them.
4. Performance- After practicing the skill for quite some time the child then shows off their skill to an audience.
Contributions
Don Holdaway introduced shared reading in 1979, praising its instructional density, the influence of corporate learning, and its engagement of students. He explains that shared reading connects students through shared feelings and shared experiences. Thus shared reading is more than a lesson; it becomes a shared event. In 1972 he elaborates on the learning opportunities innate in shared learning involving common language that is meaningful to the students. In the 1970’s he was charged with figuring out how to best educate a population of Malread children who were entering schools in New Zealand and Australia for the first time. Their culture was quite different from that at school and many of the children were having difficulties learning how to read in traditional ways. He understood that malread children came to school having already mastered a highly complex language system and they had learn their language the same way other children do in other cultures in all the other way around the world in a social setting. So Holdaway studies the social context that supported learning and found these four types of common experiences. 1. Demonstration, 2. Participation, 3. Role Play/ Practice, and 4. Performance.
Belief about literacy instruction (Shared Reading):
Holdaway's believes that literacy instruction should be done by shared reading. He believes that children should learn how to read by following the following Acquisition Learning Sequence.
Major theory:
His theory is the Natural Learning Model. He believes that all children can learn how to read by experiencing the text over and over. By following the four steps process in his Learning Model children can then become better readers. In his theory, he believes that his model is not only siblical but also recursive. Meaning, the child and educator can go back and forth between the first three processes in the Natural Learning Model before actually performing the skill learned from the experience.
Major Strategy:
Holdaway rejects old pedagogical assumptions and reinforcement theory and traces a new line of investigation that began over 25 years ago in New Zealand focusing on children's "natural, developmental learning" (from within). Holdaway's rationale for a new approach to teaching reading exemplifies the same conceptual revolution that Piaget had undergone in Europe. He too believes that as childrens learn to read they go through the four processes of the learning model he refers to as the “Natural Learning Model”. The four processes include the following;
1. Demonstration- Child watching or listening to a more knowledgable other while s/he reads a book or a story to him or her.
2. Participation-Child is watching and listening to a more knowledgable other while interacting with his or her reader making sure not to skip or omit their favorite parts of the story being read to them.
3. Role Play/Practice-At this phase the child is practicing what s/he had experienced from the more knowledgable other on their own imitating them.
4. Performance- After practicing the skill for quite some time the child then shows off their skill to an audience.
Contributions
Don Holdaway introduced shared reading in 1979, praising its instructional density, the influence of corporate learning, and its engagement of students. He explains that shared reading connects students through shared feelings and shared experiences. Thus shared reading is more than a lesson; it becomes a shared event. In 1972 he elaborates on the learning opportunities innate in shared learning involving common language that is meaningful to the students. In the 1970’s he was charged with figuring out how to best educate a population of Malread children who were entering schools in New Zealand and Australia for the first time. Their culture was quite different from that at school and many of the children were having difficulties learning how to read in traditional ways. He understood that malread children came to school having already mastered a highly complex language system and they had learn their language the same way other children do in other cultures in all the other way around the world in a social setting. So Holdaway studies the social context that supported learning and found these four types of common experiences. 1. Demonstration, 2. Participation, 3. Role Play/ Practice, and 4. Performance.
Belief about literacy instruction (Shared Reading):
Holdaway's believes that literacy instruction should be done by shared reading. He believes that children should learn how to read by following the following Acquisition Learning Sequence.
Holdaway generates a remarkable congruency and balance between theory and practice, with insight, wit and admirable respect for the language learning potential of young children. Anyone who has been following language learning theory and research for the past decade will not be surprised by his theoretical stance on literacy as a developmental, natural process rather than as a skills- item-oriented product, nor by his strong emphasis on a language environment which is invitational and emulative rather than prescriptive and instructional.
Seminal Publications: Here is a list of some of the books written by Donald Holdaway that have helped changed the way reading has been taught.
1. Independence in Reading
2. The Foundations of Literacy
3. Stability and change in Literacy learning
4. Models of Natural Learning in Literacy Development
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Seminal Publications: Here is a list of some of the books written by Donald Holdaway that have helped changed the way reading has been taught.
1. Independence in Reading
2. The Foundations of Literacy
3. Stability and change in Literacy learning
4. Models of Natural Learning in Literacy Development
Bottom of Form