Once you know the words, what do those darn sentences mean anyway? Both readings this week provided instructional strategies that support student's independent and active monitoring of their own comprehension. ONe chapter was more tactical, the other more conceputual.
Routman (Routman, 2003) makes the point that comprehension is a personal process. Making meaning is most easily taught with text that students are interested in. When a student is interested in the content, they will be motivated to comprehend. This chapter focuses on text selection and prioritizes what should be modeled. She makes the connection of modeling within the context of the text you are reading.
Cooper (Cooper, 2009) sees teaching comprehension strategies as a isolated concept and suggests using visual cues in the way of posters to remind students throughout the year of the strategies they can employ to make meaning from what they are reading. I thought that the posters would only be useful to teachers, reminding them of the process of the comprehension strategies. Out of context, the posters seem like a waste of wall space, unless comprehension was a unit onto itself.
Cooper's reference to multiple intelligences is important to consider, and is illustrated by the multitude of results in Routman's survey of teacher's comprehension strategies. But I think this plays out differently than posters on the wall. That different strategies work for different learners and when reading for different purposes should drive instruction. This is a complex puzzle.
In my placement we have one child who is on a reading comprehension IEP, and several who are reading below grade level. On these same students desks I see large chapter books that they can't possibly be understanding. I know my MT models comprehension, but I think the missing link is modeling with just right books for these readers instead of with some of the more difficult literature the class is reading. Student interest is the key.
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Gayle, I like what you noted about the Cooper piece; that the posters are better suited as reminders for teachers than for students. In my placement our room is covered and smothered with "reading strategies" and "what good readers do"posters. My MT seems to think that students can refer to them while reading but my question is do they?
ReplyDeleteI have also had a similar experience in my placement where students are reading far to difficult books, I think for two reasons: they want to fit in with their peers and not be embarrassed carrying around books that are just right for them, and also they are legitimately interested in these books. My MT will come right out and say, "these books are too hard for you pick something else." I often wonder how students feel when they walk away from this conversation...
Ashley, I think that "too hard for you" conversation could be a relief for a child if it is presented with grace and allows the student an "out", maybe a really good book at their level. As a new teacher, I would practice that at home before a risked crushing a child!
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