Reading “the Word” and “the World”: Promoting Learner Agency through an Engagement Model of Literacy Instruction

Learning to read in English is not just about learning to decode words, but about learning to make sense of the world through the language. However, EFL reading instruction tends to focus on developing decoding and word knowledge in an isolated manner, neglecting learners’ sense making beyond the text. This text-based approach of reading instruction often leads to students’ low interest and engagement in English learning and low profi ciency in English achievement. Drawing on examples from current research and practices in K-12 schools in the U.S. and Canada, this paper introduces an engagement model of literacy instruction, INSPIRE, that focuses on involving students in reading and writing for meaningful purposes beyond learning to decode. This integrated model of literacy instruction capitalizes on students’ personal interests and lives of school, allows choices in materials, and follows students’ lead to promote learner agency for deeper learning and comprehension. When students are more engaged in learning the world through the words, they achieve better learning outcomes in both language skills and attitudes.