KG is a first year teacher whose teaching area is 6th grade earth science and a middle class suburban school district in Texas. Our personal conversation at my house turned to sharing reflections on what each of us are learning about teaching in our different contexts. I asked if she was familiar with reading strategy instruction and whether she used any of those strategies in her classroom.
KG: Yes, reading strategies were included in my certification training ... and we also talked about that during our new teacher orientation before school started. But there was so much that we talked about and I hadn�t taught yet. I really need to go back now and look over that material again. Now I know better how to apply it.
PG: Yeah, it is hard to know what is going to be really useful until you�ve had some experience�.it is interesting that your school district is encouraging reading strategy instruction in the content areas. Sometimes people think it is just the L.A. teacher�s job. What kind of reading do your kids do? Do you mostly use the textbook, or do you have tradebooks about different topics for supplementation?
KG: Mostly, we use the textbook. And we do activities in class to give them experience. But it seems like they don�t always make the connection, especially if the concept is more abstract� like this week we are studying matter and they really didn�t seem to get much from the text.
PG: You know, I�m reading this book right now that might be helpful to you. (I show her the book) One of the things I�ve learned from this book, is that a lot of times kids aren�t aware of when they stop understanding. But there are some easy things you can do to help make them more aware of their comprehension breakdown and move forward�
For example, there is this great technique of using sticky notes. When you give them a reading assignment for homework you can emphasize that you want them to pay attention to what they understand and what they don�t understand in the text. Everyone will understand different things. You tell the kids to read the section and whenever they come to something they don�t understand, they make a note with the sticky note and make a comment about what is confusing�
KG: They could even write a question they have to help them understand!
PG: Exactly. Then, when you come back together again, you talk through the text together and discuss their questions. You can even break them up into small groups for this. Because different kids will understand different parts, they�ll probably answer each others questions. And then, you can summarize the material together as a class �
KG: Maybe using a web diagram or a chart or something � what a great idea! (scroll down to continue)
JK is currently the secondary level assistant school principle at an international school in Central Asia where I have worked. In her role at this small school she wears several hats: Language Arts department head, occasional secondary English teacher, diagnostician, supervisor of staff and curriculum development. Through an email interview, I asked her to comment on how she sees
PG: I'm working on a book review of Cris Tovani's book "I Read It, But I Don't Get It: Comprehension Strategies for Adolescent Readers" because I've been puzzling for a while over a.) how to teach comprehension strategies (especially to struggling readers) and b.) how to train/teach others to do the same.... The first question isn't so hard, I know it will come with practice. But the second one has stumped me and I've been on the lookout for resources....so much is dependent on modeling.
So would you have a chance to give me some feedback on the ideas in this book? You can take a look at my webpage if you want to know more about comprehension strategies in this book. (www.geocities.com/dvenewa in the left-hand column, click "Professional Book Review") �But I�m betting that you already know this stuff...my real questions relate to application�
... do you use these strategies in teaching?
JK: I have not read Cris Tovanis' book, however, after reading your book review I would say that I am very familiar with the content and ideas presented in the book. I define reading as understanding text. Decoding is not reading either because it infers comprehension. Understanding of the levels of comprehension and consistent informal assessment by teachers of student comprehension is vital to learning in every subject across all grade levels.
If I had to define reading in a more complex way I would say
Decoding+individual meaning of words+context+speed=reading fluency
You can have a problem with any part of this equation and not have reading fluency. Different kinds of problems require different kinds of remediation.
PG: Do you see other teachers incorporating reading strategy instruction in their classrooms? Would Tovani�s video series be useful for professional development in your situation?
JK: We are currently providing teachers with material and holding them accountable for using best practice reading instruction strategies in their classrooms. We use Reading Strategies for the Content Areas, Volume 1 and 2 as a basis for some of our professional development, and as I observe teachers and students I recommend different and extended approaches to reading instruction in their classrooms.
PG: Do you think strategy instruction is effective?
JK: The list of strategies are definitely a starting place. All teachers should be doing all these things as a matter of course during teaching. Teachers should be teaching students to do these things themselves as they read. However, teachers and students may do these things and still have reading problems.
PG: I�m interested in what you do for your own professional development. Are you a member of a professional organization? Have you attended any professional confederacies?
JK: I am a member of Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development and read their best practice reports on language development and literacy development. I have attended conferences in the past that were sponsored by my State (Virginia). I helped to write the Whole Language Literacy program for our school district and have continued to keep up with the research and learning theory connected with reading and literacy.
PG: This is great, JK, thanks for taking the time :-)
I found the resource you mentioned at the ASCD website. Looks really good. More thorough coverage with concrete application ... the strength of Tovani's material is the modeling. But if you've got enough teachers who are comfortable modeling for one another, it may not be an issue for you.
I appreciate you pointing out that there is no ONE ANSWER to reading success. English is a funky language to read and there are a combination of elements that have to work together for a reader to read meaningfully.
I'm so excited for you to have some professional development in place for this particular topic. It was a great need that I saw while there ... I needed help too, as I was clueless. So are you seeing good results?
One more follow-up question....have you seen a good resource that I can offer to PARENTS that would help them understand the issues and support them in expanding their homeschooling instruction beyond fill-in-the-blank responses to developing reading strategies and real thinking?
JK: What I usually offer to parents are good quality study guides on particular books. You can get good literature study guides on line now as well. Of course most parents don't know the difference between higher level thinking and reasoning questions and concrete, simple sort of questions so it is hard.
Also, Oxford University Press has a book (and it is part of series) called Literature, Criticism, and Style: A Practical Guide to Advanced Level English Literature, Steven Croft and Helen Cross. ISBN 0198311729 It is a great introduction and study of how to analysis literature, poetry, drama, a novel, a short story, and non-fiction, plus a section on Developing language of criticism, and Revision and Assessment. We use it 7-12 as a resource. It has activities, examples, and great summaries. I highly recommend this book.
