I was excited to learn that I was assigned this chapter
to start our discussions on "Reading to Learn". I attended a seminar
about three years ago instructed by Sue Beers, a reading specialist, who opened
the seminar with this exercise that I
would love you to try. (Really, please try it! The results are profound!) Read
the following passage and answer the questions:
A Marsden Giberter
Glis was very fraper.
She had dernarpen Farfle’s marsden.
She did not talp a giberter for him.
So, she conlanted to plimp a marsden binky for him. She had just sparved the binky when he jibbed
in the gorger.
“Clorsty marsden!” she boffed.
“That ‘s a crouistish marsden binky,” boffed Farfle, “but my marsden is on Stansan. Agsan is Kelsan.”
“In that ruspen,” boffed Glis, “I won’t wank you your
giberter until Stansan.”
Why was Glis fraper?
What did Glis plimp?
Who jibbed the gorger when Glis sparved the blinky?
Why didn’t Glis wank Farfle his giberter?
Do you understand anything you just read? So, how are you
able to answer the questions? This exercise made me realize how many
assessments I had done that I assumed the kids were"getting it"
because they answered the questions correctly. In reality, they weren't
comprehending anything. Our students have learned to "play the game",
and they play it well.
We have a responsibility to re-train them to read for
learning, not just to get the answer to the question correct. This
responsibility of teaching them to read for learning should not fall
exclusively to the Language Arts teachers.(HaHa! Like this!) Teachers of each
content area are in the strongest position to help students know how to use
their textbooks or any selected text as a resource for learning. Content area
teachers know their subject matter and the standards they should be meeting.
They also understand the literary demands of their content; how to read the
different kinds of text; how to write in formats associated with each subject;
how to recognize key concepts and vocabulary terms. Teaching reading in the
content areas is NOT so much about teaching students basic reading skills as it
is about teaching students how to use reading as a tool for thinking and
learning.
As teachers our objective should be to effectively use
before, during, and after reading strategies within the classroom to accelerate
and improve student learning.
Before reading strategies should activate prior knowledge
and focus attention on the purpose of reading.
During reading strategies should give the students the
opportunity to think critically, organize and question while they are
interacting with the text. We need to teach them to be active readers.
Instruction that encourages students to continually summarize, visualize,
connect, predict, question, and infer will increase their comprehension.
After reading strategies should help students consolidate
their learning, reflect on the new information and integrate it to prior
knowledge by applying new concepts.
Questions for discussion:
1. The author suggests that each of us should help
students to read in our discipline they
way that we learned when we were novices in our field. What would that look
like in your classroom?
2. The following are links to some resources,in addition
to what we find in the chapter, that provide strategies to use before, during
and after reading. Share strategies that you think you will be able to
incorporate in your classroom this year.
When I was a novice in my field, I read everything I could get my hands onto about history and teaching strategies in general. I read because I was motivated to succeed, aka not to look like a dummy in front of my kids and my principal. I read because I wanted to learn! I read with questions in my head SEEKING the answers.
ReplyDeleteThe author's words on page 84 are profound and easily adaptable. Start with a question! We must teach our students to ask questions because readers who ask questions are showing evidence of comprehension. "They are engaging in the process of constructing meaning, finding answers, solving problems, and clarifying thinking."
Going further, how do I get my students to understand new or difficult material and like it? The learning log suggestion is great! Giving the students small amounts of material to read/dissect then sharing their findings in a group setting or as a whole class. If the student takes on the role of the teacher, there is a higher level of comprehension. Finding things for the students to read that peaks their interests is important. Using media to encourage reading is also key with today's media-savvy adolescents.
I stumbled onto a site that contains lots of helpful suggestions for encouraging reading, The Brown Bag Teacher's Blog".
My major in college was Theology with an emphasis on Biblical studies and Women's Ministry. So, naturally, my primary "textbook" was the Bible. I grew up not knowing how to actively engage when I read it and when I got to college and had to put together exegetical commentaries on specific passages, I didn't know what I was doing. However, the more I learned to dissect God's Word and understand it the more addicted I became to reading it. I used and still use to this day an acronym to help me actively engage when I am reading the Bible: ESPN. Easy for the guys to remember. Each letter represents a question to ask. E-is there an example to follow? S-is there a sin to confess? P-is there a promise to claim? N-is there a nugget to keep? If I could get my 8th grade students to begin reading God's Word like this at their age, they will be able to retain and understand so much more of the Bible when they are older.
ReplyDeleteThere are several strategies that I could better implement in our classroom. I love to discuss openly as a class almost everything we talk about but could do this more in a way that prompts the students to ask the questions and discover the answers together. There are so many terms that they have never heard before pertaining to a Christian Worldview. They don't stand a chance of really comprehending the meanings without first being briefed on the reading and given a chance to have that passionate desire for understanding before the reading even begins. The things we are learning so desperately important in their life and if I'm not helping them see the connection, the passion for learning it probably won't come. I am looking so forward to implementing these reading strategies and seeing the difference in our students!
When I read science texts or journals, I highlight statements that spark questions in me or ideas that I need more clarification on and then I research until I find the information. I write down key points that interest me. In the classroom, I would need to include time for the students to research and discuss their findings. The details of helping each grade level get a start would need to be prior planned on my part and would vary but could be done.
ReplyDeleteMy content areas, World Geography and Tennessee History, can both be incredibly boring (nothing but FACTS), unless one can make connections and understand why this information might be useful personally and practically. I always read looking for words and information that I do not understand, knowing that I will not be able to make connections without further research to answer my questions. I am eager to stir up curiosity among my students. I realized how simply this can be done while looking at a famous mural last week in downtown Knoxville. The mural description mentioned that one person was barely visible. That statement alone made me want to search for the hidden person.
ReplyDeleteI will be able to use many of the reading strategies from CISD in my classroom, such as the anticipation guide, brain-writing pool, and the double-entry journal to lead students to take responsibility and become active learners rather than memorizers of seemingly random information. (Many thanks to Wendy for multiple new strategies!) I am most excited about the "evaluating questions" strategy to be able to explain different types of questions and their importance in comprehending, understanding, and learning.
I often tell students that the facts that we learns are tools in our tool belts. We can walk around with a tool belt full of facts/knowledge, looking like and believing that we know what we are doing. However, the tools in our belt are not really of any benefit if we cannot remove them and use them properly, together with other tools, in a meaningful and practical way.
With new science material, I often read and reread material. In addition, when the concept I am learning involves an activity or experiment, I will watch videos(if available), look at diagrams and visuals, and physically work the steps out. When the material covers something for which I have no prior knowledge, I will access various reference materials to build my knowledge in that area.
DeleteI found several strategies I can incorporate in the classroom. Before reading, I can use an anticipation guide to gauge what my students prior knowledge is. After reading, the students can revisit the guide and change their answers, if necessary, after they read the material.
I also like the retelling idea which I would use after reading. This will allow students to communicate what they learned with the rest of the class.
As an English major in college, I was constantly reading in an effort to be familiar with as much "good literature" as possible. I wanted to be knowledgable in my field, and I felt that reading was an important part of that knowledge. Just as I was interested in broadening my knowledge base through reading, I think our students are the same way. If we can find a topic they are interested in, it will be much easier to engage them in reading. I think we as teachers have to be on the lookout for that spark of interest in our students as we teach our content. When a student shows interest, then we can guide him or her to additional reading on that particular topic. In doing so we can create independent learners who will seek the information they need rather than waiting for the teacher to spoon-feed them.
ReplyDeleteI really like the idea of getting students interested in reading before making the reading assignment. One strategy that I have used successfully is to show short news or film clips that relate to the story we are about to read. For example, before reading a nonfiction selection about firefighters, I showed a short news clip about the wild fires in California. After reading the article, I asked students to research other real-life rescue stories and share them with the class. One student's father was a firefighter, and he was able to share some insights that neither the textbook or I could have taught. I think anything we can do to make reading interesting on a personal level is definitely worth the extra effort!