Dependent readers don't see the text as active. They can't understand how independent readers interact with and think about the text because this process is invisible.
I like the idea of making this thought process visible and bringing conversation into the classroom as students are reading. If the class is silently reading to themselves, the teacher usually assumes that the students are drawn into the material and fully comprehending the text- this is not always the case. Struggling readers may read over the words but not think about what he or she is actually reading about. Getting the class to discuss their own responses to the text as well as HOW to make the reading make sense would benefit all readers. (A teacher must be careful about using the following strategies because if the class is full of proficient readers they may become bored and even annoyed.)
I think the "Say Something" activity is valuable and I will most likely use it in my classroom. This reminded me of some of the activities we've done in class like when we got that passage that was a 'pop quiz' and we got in groups and discussed what we did to try and comprehend what we had just read.
I also liked the 'bookmark' activity. A teacher can get creative and jazz that activity up by using colored paper. I did not really have difficulty understanding texts while growing up so I never used to mark-up what I read. Now that I am in college I cannot read without a pen in my hand. I think that marking up a text definitely coincides with a reader comprehending and analyzing the text.
This chapter really showed me the importance of modeling behavior. The strategies for teaching reading rely on a lot of teacher modeling, even repeatedly. If a student can understand what a teacher is doing they are more likely to know that they can do it as well.
I was really intrigued with Beers’ idea of making thinking visible, as well. And your story of the students silently “reading” not necessarily equating understanding is totally true! I find myself doing this with my college readings (especially if it does not particularly interest me). If I do not force myself to engage with the text either through “mark-ups” (as you have mentioned) or some other reading strategy, then I am just skimming the words on the page. No comprehension, no understanding, no reading.
ReplyDeleteI started my field experience at Firestone, as did a good portion of the class, and after talking with my student and going through a few OGT prep questions, I found out that he is one of those students who think reading is just identifying the words on the page. He guessed a lot of the questions and never went back to the text to find the answer. Just like you, I never had a problem before, but now, I could never read a book in college without marking it up. The different mark-up techniques that Beers talks about in this chapter are different than what I do personally, but they make a lot of sense, so that's what I will be using to help him with his comprehension.
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