Chapter 2: Reading is Strategic
In this chapter, the authors reiterate the fact that reading is an interactive process which involves both decoding words and constructing meaning. As we have all learned before, both of these are essential. Of course the main purpose of reading is to construct meaning, but meaning cannot be constructed when it takes a backseat to decoding. Because of this, students need explicit instruction in both decoding and comprehension strategies. Furthermore, students need to be taught a repertoire of strategies so that they can become “strategic readers” – readers who think about their own learning and adjust accordingly.
According to Perkins and Swartz (1992), there are 4 types of readers/ learners:
Tacit: students who lack awareness of how they think when they read
Aware: readers who realize when meaning has broken down, but lack strategies to fix the problem
Strategic: readers can monitor and repair meaning when it is disrupted by using comprehension and thinking strategies
Reflective: readers who can apply strategies flexibly depending on their goals and purposes for reading, and also reflect on and revise their use of strategies
In our group, we discussed the importance of evaluating where your students are, within these 4 levels. We thought that knowing where each child falls within this spectrum can better guide the individual goals and instruction that you develop for your students. Teachers and students could benefit from creating realistic expectations and goals based on where the students fall.
Of course the best way to help students evolve into strategic and reflective readers is to provide ample practice reading authentic texts. The more students read, of course, the better they will be. The text, like so many we have read before, recommends that teachers build in specific time each day for students to read independently.
As a middle level teacher, Jamie especially expressed her concern in this area. As she said, she KNOWS how important independent reading is, and wants her students to have time for it each day. When a middle or high school teacher only has a particular class for 40 minutes, however, it is difficult to “set aside” time to allow students to read independently, but also squish in all the curriculum that the students need to not only succeed in life, but to pass certain IMPORTANT standardized tests (which shall remain nameless). For us elementary teachers finding silent reading time is easy, but what do you middle and high school teachers think? Do you have a certain school policy pertaining to time spent reading independently, or is it getting thrown out (or at least put on the backburner)?? Is there something you have tried that works within a short class period?
And speaking of time constraints…that leads us to one of the main points we discussed from Chapter 3.
Chapter 3: Effective Comprehension Instruction: Teaching, Tone, and Assessment
Jenna, I know that you mentioned in your first post that many teachers don’t spend enough time modeling appropriate behavior to their students. In the chaos of the moment, it’s very quick to just try a quick behavior fix. Well, this chapter talks about the same mistakes we make as teachers when giving instructions for certain lessons. In a dream world we’d have enough time to do as much as we wanted in a period, and study everything in-depth, but in the real world we often find ourselves with 5 minutes left in a class, and 20 other things we wanted to be able to do.
We all agreed in our group that it is SO hard not to “surrender to the clock,” as the book puts it. Again, with the pressures we are under to cover so many topics in any given day, it is tough to take the time out to explain things thoroughly. When it comes to strategy instruction, kids need to be taught very specifically what they are supposed to do. The authors put it best, I think:
“Don’t surrender to the clock. It takes time to show kids how, but it is time well spent. When it comes to instruction, it is nearly impossible to be too explicit. “
I remember Christy Leaken saying one semester that it’s not about adding MORE to your day, it’s about REPLACING what doesn't work. I completely agree with this idea, but it’s hard to decide what should go and what should stay. Plus, we are not always allowed to replace the things that we want to. I know several teachers in my school who would fight tooth and nail to replace cursive writing with additional reading, writing, or math time!!! Any suggestions on things you’re doing to fight the clock? Are you facing the same struggles? We’d love your input!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Since I am in a different situation, teaching an adult, the adult is there because he wants to be. He is self motivated even at an older age. I don't think it would bother him if others made comment on his actions. Every week I feel that I have teachable moments with my student. I find myself stopping and addressing the definition of a word, or an application to a word family, or even the student himself realizing that he is reading better that he did the week before. Your book seems to be interesting and I look forward to future postings.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Reflections on Chapter 1 by Jamie, Michelle, and Lauren
After reading and discussing chapter 1 ("Reading is Thinking"), our group discussed the following issues... Please feel free to comment on any or all of them! We'd love to hear your input!
--We think that it is interesting that there has been a shift in "comprehension instruction" since 1979 (page 14). We remember the OLD days where we had to read stories and answer comprehension questions from the textbook. The authors claim that this is only a method of assessment and it doesn't actually teach kids how to better comprehend what they read. Comprehension strategies need to be explitly taught in the classroom. There are still teachers using the 1979 question-answer method! I'm sure names are popping in your head right now!
--A story was told about a father of a 3rd grade student who participated in a parent-child book club. This book club used comprehension strategies to make reading understandable and exciting. He explained that he had previously dropped out of high school because he hated to read. His friends could not believe that he actually chose to read with his 3rd grade child and enjoyed doing it. We thought this story was very powerful. Does anyone have any other stories like this?
----We would like to try the suggestion made on page 13. The authors say to ask your students to define reading and keep a chart posted with their responses. Over time, hopefully their response will change to reflect the true definition of reading. The authors emphasize that reading includes decoding AND making meaning. Many students just think that it has to do with sounding out words. Once comprehension strategies are taught, their view of reading will change. Has anyone tried asking their class this question before?
----Jamie and Michelle thought that the definition of synthesizing was interesting. (p. 19) It's not just stating or recalling facts from the story. It's integrating new information from the text with existing knowledge to change your thinking. There's a difference between summarizing and synthesizing. Lauren explained an interesting strategy that could be used to practice synthesizing information while reading. She said to make columns titled "What you think you know", "Confirmed", "Misconceptions", "New information", and "Still wondering". The kids put sticky notes with information in the appropriate columns while reading. Jamie thought it would be great to use with older kids especially. Has anyone else tried this particular strategy? It's similar to a KWL. What books have you used it for?
--We thought it was interesting that the authors said that kindergartners come to school with many questions. By the time they are in fifth grade, their questions disappear. The authors blame it on the teachers for not fostering and facilitating a "question-asking" environment. We just demand answers from kids. We have our agenda and they must conform to it. We discussed that the cause of the problem is the state standards and standarized testing. Teachers need to remember how important it is to ask higher-level thinking questions and allow the kids to explore. We all agreed that we feel such pressure to get through our lessons each day and meet all of the state standards. We need to remember to take advantage of "teachable moments".
Have you had any teachable moments this past week? Please share! :)
--We think that it is interesting that there has been a shift in "comprehension instruction" since 1979 (page 14). We remember the OLD days where we had to read stories and answer comprehension questions from the textbook. The authors claim that this is only a method of assessment and it doesn't actually teach kids how to better comprehend what they read. Comprehension strategies need to be explitly taught in the classroom. There are still teachers using the 1979 question-answer method! I'm sure names are popping in your head right now!
--A story was told about a father of a 3rd grade student who participated in a parent-child book club. This book club used comprehension strategies to make reading understandable and exciting. He explained that he had previously dropped out of high school because he hated to read. His friends could not believe that he actually chose to read with his 3rd grade child and enjoyed doing it. We thought this story was very powerful. Does anyone have any other stories like this?
----We would like to try the suggestion made on page 13. The authors say to ask your students to define reading and keep a chart posted with their responses. Over time, hopefully their response will change to reflect the true definition of reading. The authors emphasize that reading includes decoding AND making meaning. Many students just think that it has to do with sounding out words. Once comprehension strategies are taught, their view of reading will change. Has anyone tried asking their class this question before?
----Jamie and Michelle thought that the definition of synthesizing was interesting. (p. 19) It's not just stating or recalling facts from the story. It's integrating new information from the text with existing knowledge to change your thinking. There's a difference between summarizing and synthesizing. Lauren explained an interesting strategy that could be used to practice synthesizing information while reading. She said to make columns titled "What you think you know", "Confirmed", "Misconceptions", "New information", and "Still wondering". The kids put sticky notes with information in the appropriate columns while reading. Jamie thought it would be great to use with older kids especially. Has anyone else tried this particular strategy? It's similar to a KWL. What books have you used it for?
--We thought it was interesting that the authors said that kindergartners come to school with many questions. By the time they are in fifth grade, their questions disappear. The authors blame it on the teachers for not fostering and facilitating a "question-asking" environment. We just demand answers from kids. We have our agenda and they must conform to it. We discussed that the cause of the problem is the state standards and standarized testing. Teachers need to remember how important it is to ask higher-level thinking questions and allow the kids to explore. We all agreed that we feel such pressure to get through our lessons each day and meet all of the state standards. We need to remember to take advantage of "teachable moments".
Have you had any teachable moments this past week? Please share! :)
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