Reading in the ESOL Classroom: A Technique for Teaching Syntactic Meaning - Article Example

The author expounded on theoretical assumptions that were deemed to form the basis for the effectiveness of the technique. As disclosed, the assumptions focused on: (1) the differentiation between processes of decoding (listening and reading) in contrast to encoding (speaking and writing) a foreign language; (2) the importance of syntactic meaning; and (3) identified aspects of the noted transformational model of syntax which were validated as useful in the preparation of materials for reading (Wilson, 1973, p. 259). Wilson (1973) initially discussed the difficulties faced by teachers and educators in the application of appropriate reading techniques ranging from insufficient knowledge about the reading process and the lack of knowledge on “what aspects of reading comprehension are "universal" and what aspects are related to the structures and concept organization of a particular language” (Wilson, 1973, p. 260). After having identified the areas of meaning in reading comprehension as lexical, structural, and cultural meaning, the author explicitly indicated the focus on delving into presenting a technique for teaching structural meaning; where the focus of the technique was to “teach the students the sentence patterns which are found in formal prose such as that in textbooks” (Wilson, 1973, p. 260.)