While reading about comprehension in this chapter, I began
to reflect back on all the years I have been reading and how much I have really
comprehended from it. I think it is interesting to read the bullet-point list
about good comprehension skills and seeing if those skills still apply to my
reading today. I know the chapter focuses on younger learners, but do you still
find yourself using these skills as you read for classes now? One of the points
I paused at because I had to think if I still do this: “They slow down their
reading when they come to information that is relevant to what they want to
remember.” (206) I would say that it depends on the material I am reading. If I
were reading a book leisurely, I probably would slow down. If I were reading
material for class, let’s be honest, we read so much textbook material and take
notes at the same time, so most of the time we are skimming. Therefore, are our
comprehension skills being fully used when we need to skim books, as we are told to do by some professors? I would
say that we all do for the most part, and that as we have grown we have added
our own set of skills to the process. The book also discusses how we are
actively involved in the comprehension process and that, “That schema is never
complete because more can always be learned about a subject (206).”
We can see today in our college courses how our
comprehension skills have expanded over the years and I urge you to think back
to all the years of learning these skills in elementary school. Consider how
those lessons helped you on tests, worksheets, and future classes. Strategies
such as referring back to the article when answering questions may be too
simple to us now, but when we were learning to read it was a much bigger
concept. How, as a teacher, are you prepared to help your students learn successful
comprehension skills? What is a strategy the book mentioned that you plan on
using in your classroom?
Yes I agree. Comprehension is going to be used throughout our entire lives. It is very important that we make sure our students understand how to comprehend text because they will be using comprehension throughout their entire life. Reflecting on my previous years in school and now looking back at my previous years in college I can agree that I do read my textbook material fast. When doing so, I know that my comprehension skills are not being fully used, but when going back and reviewing and taking notes over important information allows me to find key points they I may have missed. Overall, it is important that students in younger grades understand how to comprehend information because it will help them in the long run. By being able to comprehend texts, students will not have to go back and keep re-reading the text, but instead find skim over the information and find the important parts.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the wonderful response, Brooke! I agree with you stating that these skills are so important for the long run. I think it's funny to think about how slowly I used to read my some of my textbooks in high school because I did not want to miss a main detail, but in college I am reading so much every night that I have to lightly skim each book. That's where the strategies, such as graphic organizers, can come in handy though because we are able to organize brief notes into a short web of ideas.
DeleteWhen you referenced the text regarding comprehension reading in college I noticed that it is something we still use daily, even through out the remainder of our lives. This is why I think it is something we should constantly be practicing in the classroom because it will be with the students for the remainder of their lives. When teachers are introducing the different styles of reading comprehension I believe that the should also explain what the students are practicing with that style of reading comprehension. For example, if a teacher is doing repeated reading that the students will be working on developing fluency. This way students will know what skill they are developing. It is important for students to be fluent with all of these skills since they will be using them for the remainder of their lives.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your response, Brooklyn! I could not agree with you more and I am so glad you supported my post! It's crazy to think that when our elementary teachers were teaching us these strategies we didn't know we would be using them the rest of our lives! I like that you suggested the teacher directly tell the students what they are supposed to be learning when she is teaching the lesson. This gives them a purpose and an idea of what they should be taking away from the lesson. It reminds me of the teacher in the videos we have been watching during class: she tells them what she wants them to get out of the lesson and expects them to follow along. That is a great concept to use in our classrooms!
DeleteI agree that in college, our comprehension skills probably aren't as great as they should be. Yes, we know how to comprehend, but there are days when I have over 100 pages of reading for all of my classes combined. I don't have the time to comprehend everything that I'm reading. I usually do skim. I also think that as a kid, I hated doing comprehension activities, such as graphic organizers or literature circles. My favorite thing to do was sit down, read leisurely, and not have an assignment attached to the reading. Whenever we read classroom novels and did comprehension activities, I was immediately turned off. In the future, I want to encourage students to read a book of their choice and after each chapter write down 2 or 3 sentences about how they're feeling or make a prediction. I think it would help the students show understanding of the book without slamming so many activities into their brain. This just comes from my personal experience, though so I could be wrong :)
ReplyDeleteI could not agree with you more Katie! Those comprehension strategies became petty and painful to work on through the years because we were having to create them too much. I think that is the double-edged sword to teaching these strategies because on one hand, the student hates to complete them, but on the other hand the teacher needs to prepare the students for their futures. I think that too often some students begin to dislike reading because it turns into more worksheets and strategies instead of just reading leisurely. I love your idea of having the students write their own thoughts down. I think that having them keep a journal with their short responses would be great because we aren't telling them what specifically to write. Maybe when you are introducing the journal concept we could model different instructional strategies for them to use and then they can choose whatever strategies they would prefer. That way they do not feel pressured to complete a certain one and they have more freedom with their responses.
DeleteI enjoyed your honesty during the section for comprehending college textbooks. It is fair to say that 50 pages can be a struggle, especially when good comprehension skills require you to ask questions about the text, summarize, and relate the text to previous information. From the bulleted list I try my best to generate questions about the text but by halfway through the chapter I end up having to skim the remainder of the text. It is fair to say that I usually comprehend the first half of the chapter better than the last half. Near the end of your post you asked what comprehension strategies I would use in the classroom. As a teacher I must make it crystal clear to my students what comprehension strategy we will be using. This should be done even before modeling it. If I were reading a book for the first time I would definitely use the Directed Listening/Reading and Thinking comprehension strategy. This shared experience starts off by having the students predict what will happen. While reading the book, the teacher asks students quickly for their reactions and if they can make any personal connections to the story. Lastly, the students ask questions and answer one another in a discussion at the end. I find this strategy better than any other comprehension strategy because it takes the critical elements of two to three comprehension strategies and puts them together into one. Students with good comprehension skills predict what will happen, relate the text to their lives, and ask questions all of which are included with the Directed Listening/Reading and Thinking strategy.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your thoughtful response, Jacob! I think it is funny how hesitant some college students are to admit that they do not fully read the assigned chapter. Sometimes there truly isn't enough time in a day and we are left with no other option but to skim. Note taking, or graphic organizing, is a whole other aspect that is not valued as much in college either. I like how you mentioned you would make it crystal clear to your students what comprehension strategy to use because then that strategy will stick with your students. They will remember you teaching that strategy someday and it will help them to understand a text. As mentioned in earlier posts, by explaining to students what they are supposed to be learning, I truly believe they will take something away from the lesson. I'm sure they will be able to refer back to that lesson later on when they have to read a text in college.
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