¨
How do elements of the reading process
influence skilled or proficient reading?
Readers who
think about how they read and use active reading strategies have increased
reading comprehension and are skilled readers. Developing such metacognitive
practices (thinking about effective reading strategies), help teens develop
into proficient readers. Taking the metacognitive literacy survey helped me
understand the elements that go into the reading process, such as: re-reading,
highlighting, note-taking, asking questions, and pre-reading.
Metacognition,
or thinking about how to read, is one of the most helpful tools in becoming a
proficient reader, informed citizen, and independent adult. “Metacognition can
help students successfully make meaning of difficult texts”. This helps teens
gain insight and awareness into developing their identity, which is critical
for teens to gain highly desired independence, responsibility, self-awareness,
and through these qualities: increased confidence. Teaching metacognitive
skills empowers students and gives them ownership over their learning. This can
have long-lasting effects in motivating students so that they have an increased
desire to read independently and develop life-long learning skills.
Students can
understanding new, foreign, or difficult texts by making connections. This
occurs when students draw from personal experiences. Students have an easier
time remembering things that they can relate to. In addition, making personal
connections activates the emotional part of students’ brains, making it more
likely that they will remember the important, main ideas of the text. Finally,
students enjoy reading things connected to them personally. Oftentimes, such
readings are related to their personal interests. This helps engage students in
the reading and motivates students to read on their own, which is critical
since most teens dislike reading.
¨ How do teachers incorporate their knowledge of reading theories and processes into content lessons?
Teachers
take time to teach students metacognitive and reading strategies through direct
instruction, modeling, group work, and guided practice. They can use graphic
organizers as well, such as the double-sided diary, “So What” format.
Journaling is a great way to encourage students to reflect on what the readings
mean to them personally and develop metacognitive skills. Teachers can also
encourage metacognitive practices, such as having students self-assess their
reading processes and essays, using a rubric.
2.
Comprehension and Content Learning: comprehension and content learning are
increased through vocabulary development, and writing, listening, discussion,
and reading texts.
¨
How do teachers support adolescents’ reading
fluency, comprehension, and content learning?
Teachers use
direct instruction to teach reading and comprehension strategies, such as those
discussed above (metacognitive strategies). Select varied reading materials carefully
designed to pique student interest. Ask students progressively higher-order
questions to encourage critical-thinking skills. These questions might include,
“What do you think?”, “Why?”, “What can you infer?”, or “How does this relate
to real-life?” “Reading is thinking”. Teach students they already know how to
read actively because they can think actively. I might choose to teach reading
strategies by showing students an entertaining video clip and helping students
realize that they already use such strategies to understand a movie, or their
favorite t.v. show. This helps students realize they can apply these skills to
reading as well.
¨ How do teachers support comprehension of content text through vocabulary development?
Teach how to
“guess” the word when in context. Students should be instructed to write down
new words they don’t understand and look up them up later with a dictionary. However,
students should be encouraged to read unknown words in context first, guess the
meaning, and check later to see if they were correct. Critical vocab words
necessary for understanding content are taught separately and then returned to
in the context of their readings. Teachers also show and encourage students how
to use new vocabulary in their own writings.
¨ How do teachers use writing in various genres to help adolescents understand nonfiction texts, including informational and expository texts?
Nonfiction is
the least favorite for genre for teens, as indicated by my Literacy Survey at
the beginning of the year. Exposure to exciting, shorter texts can change this
viewpoint and motivate, especially if connected to student interest and
background.
¨ How do teachers use discussion and instructional conversations to support reading comprehension?
Class
discussion exposes students to other perspectives (class community; group work;
teacher guidance; peer-tutoring). Class discussion may help student identify
personal connections and understand herself better. Teacher guided discussions
and group discussions are great at challenging students to go beyond what they can
do on their own. Teacher’s should guide their students down the right path so
they can develop their own personal meanings from texts as opposed to just
giving them the answer. Meaning is only valuable when developed by the
individual. Each student must discover their own interpretations, feelings, and
meaning.
References:
·
Woods, B.
(2009). The right to think: giving adolescents the skills to make sense of the
world. In S. Plaut (Ed.), The right to literacy in
secondary schools : creating a culture of thinking (pp. 13-23). New
York: Teachers College Press.· Swinehart, J. (2009). Metacognition: how thinking about their thinking empowers students. In S. Plaut (Ed.), The right to literacy in secondary schools : creating a culture of thinking (pp. 25-35). New York: Teachers College Press.
· Tovani, C. (2004). The "so what?" of reading comprehension. In Do I Really Have to Teach Reading? Retrieved from http://skolar.skagafjordur.is/lestur/do I really have/DoIReallyHavetoTeachReadind2kafli.pdf
