Insight from the Eyes: The Science of Efffective Reading Instruction

With all the calls for "scientific research" to support reading instruction, here's a book that delivers the real thing on a topic that's often misunderstood and manipulated-eye movements. But what can the eyes tell us about the reading process?

For decades, educators have been haunted by myths about eye movement studies that claim readers fixate on every word, even every letter, as they read. Now, at last, we have definitive, scientific proof that charts the pattern of eye movements of real readers engaged in real reading of authentic, complete texts-not single words or out-of-context phrases and sentences. Insight from the Eyes demonstrates that readers interact with a text, selectively sampling as they construct meaning from the printed page. Authors Paulson and Freeman not only describe their breakthrough research; they show that it has practical significance for the classroom.

Here you will find effective instructional strategies for teaching reading based on what new EMMA (Eye Movement Miscue Analysis) research reveals about the reading process. The authors discuss strategies for use with a variety of reading levels and ages, from early readers to college students and adults, as well as content-area literacy concerns. Additionally, they correct several myths about the reading process which continue to influence reading instruction.

Whether you're a literacy researcher, teacher educator, or classroom teacher, read Insight from the Eyes to understand how reading really works.

Eric J. Paulson is Associate Professor of Literacy Education in the Division of Teacher Education in the College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services (CECH) at the University of Cincinnati. His teaching interests include community college literacy teacher education, the psychology of reading processes, miscue analysis, and methods of teaching ESL. His research interests include theories and models of reading processes, eye movement research, analogical processes in reading, miscue analysis, retrospective miscue analysis, college reading issues, and EMMA (Eye Movement Miscue Analysis).

Ann Ebe began her work in education as a Spanish/ English bilingual elementary school teacher in California and later worked in bilingual schools in Arizona as a bilingual literacy specialist and as an administrator. She then went on to spend four years in Hong Kong as the Associate Principal and Literacy Specialist for the Hong Kong International School where she worked with an international group of teachers and students. Upon returning to the United States, Ann served as Assistant Professor in the Graduate College of Education of the University of Massachusetts Boston prior to her work at Hunter College. Until the fall of 2015 when she moved to Mexico City, Ann was an Associate Professor of Literacy Education and the Director of Bilingual Education Programs in the Graduate School of Education at Hunter College in New York City. Ann was recently awarded a grant from the Brooke Astor Fund for New York City Education to work with schools in East Harlem to improve literacy education for emergent bilingual students. She also worked extensively in schools throughout New York through the City University of New York - New York State Initiative on Emergent Bilinguals (CUNY - NYSIEB). This State funded grant aims to improve education for emergent bilingual students through helping schools value bilingualism as a resource and develop multilingual ecologies. Ann's research interests include exploring translanguaging in classrooms, the reading process of bilingual students, and the ways in which teachers can support their literacy development. Ann has published book chapters and articles on these topics She presents regularly at both national and international conferences. Her work with teachers in the United States and abroad involves developing and implementing language arts curriculum to put literacy theory into practice. Ann has been invited to share her research with teachers and administrators in Norway, China, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong. She now lives in Mexico City. Her book on the teaching of reading, published by Heinemann, is entitled Insight from the Eyes: The Science of Effective Reading Instruction.