Subjects Matter
(Page 32) “In short: understanding what we do now, we will teach reading, not just assign it…”
I love how Daniels and Zemelman use all of the different reading examples in this chapter to show us what a difference a little background information makes when reading text. I think one of the things we run into as teachers is that because reading something related to our content comes pretty easily to us, we don’t realize how daunting it can be for our students. I would be interested to know if our social studies and science teachers were able to understand the sample passages with their first readings…I know I was clueless when it came to reading these excerpts. It’s so easy to think that it’s the English teacher’s job to teach student to read, but they have their own content to cover: language and literature. There’s no way they could possibly teach how to read everything—lab reports, maps, primary documents from different disciplines, manuals, etc. Besides the fact that they don’t have the time to do that, they’re not experts in all of the subject areas, so they’re not the best resources in teaching kids how to think like scientists, historians, car mechanics, etc. I think Daniels and Zemelman are showing us that while reading is very complex, there are some not-so-difficult things we can do to make text much more understandable for students.
When Kids Can’t Read
(Page 36) “…we can’t fix the reading problem by buying a particular program; instead, as teachers, we must learn how to teach students to comprehend texts.”
(Page 32) “In short: understanding what we do now, we will teach reading, not just assign it…”
I love how Daniels and Zemelman use all of the different reading examples in this chapter to show us what a difference a little background information makes when reading text. I think one of the things we run into as teachers is that because reading something related to our content comes pretty easily to us, we don’t realize how daunting it can be for our students. I would be interested to know if our social studies and science teachers were able to understand the sample passages with their first readings…I know I was clueless when it came to reading these excerpts. It’s so easy to think that it’s the English teacher’s job to teach student to read, but they have their own content to cover: language and literature. There’s no way they could possibly teach how to read everything—lab reports, maps, primary documents from different disciplines, manuals, etc. Besides the fact that they don’t have the time to do that, they’re not experts in all of the subject areas, so they’re not the best resources in teaching kids how to think like scientists, historians, car mechanics, etc. I think Daniels and Zemelman are showing us that while reading is very complex, there are some not-so-difficult things we can do to make text much more understandable for students.
When Kids Can’t Read
(Page 36) “…we can’t fix the reading problem by buying a particular program; instead, as teachers, we must learn how to teach students to comprehend texts.”
There have been times when people have asked me what program they can use to help their students become better readers. It certainly would make things easy if there was a magic program that we could administer to all of our students to make them great readers, but that just isn’t going to happen! If that were the case, everyone wouldn’t be in a tizzy about making sure all students are proficient by 2013 per the NCLB mandate. The key is that teachers need to be knowledgeable about best practices in teaching students how to read and write. Once a teacher has a toolbox of resources, they can decide which one will work best with certain students and topics. Not every strategy will work with every student—I think we’ve seen that in our class; we all haven’t necessarily liked the same strategies. One of the key words Beers uses in this quote is “how.” So often students are just told to read something but they’re never told HOW to read it. Or, they’re given a practice HSAP or SAT test and told to do it and given their scores, but they’re not told HOW to solve the problems. It would sort of be like giving me a test for medical school. I could take it 50 times and get my scores back (failing miserably each time, no doubt), but until someone explains to me HOW to solve the problems, I won’t do any better. There’s nothing that can replace the teacher. A program may have some great features, but it won’t know the student like the teacher does and can’t make judgment calls based on a student’s ability.
12 comments:
From Karen Kish...
How Smart Readers Think:
I think it’s easy to assume that students, particularly high school students, will have the prior knowledge necessary to be confident and capable readers. It’s not even a desire as much at it is an expectation. It’s difficult to remember that age alone does not determine ability. Even if students have no prior knowledge of a subject, it’s something that we can provide for them if they feel comfortable enough to let us in on what they do and do not know. I think it’s our job to help them understand that it’s okay if they don’t know something asked of them, but its not okay to leave it as unknown when the help is available if they ask and want to learn.
Dependent Reading Behaviors:
I agree holding tight to one methodology limits the teacher and the student. Even one person can learn in different ways depending on the subject, so how can we expect multiple kids to learn the same way or the one way that works for us just because it’s what we know or are good at? I think it’s not as important that teachers know everything as it is that we are willing to research and use all avenues to find the answers necessary.
The first chapter that I read was the one from ‘Subjects Matter’. As I read it, I thought about how I do try to teach kids the strategies that good readers use. I know that reading is an ‘active’ process and I make a concerted effort to model thinking strategies as I read and teach. I know that those strategies need to be explicitly taught to struggling readers. I clearly teach students what to do before, during, and after reading in order to comprehend the material. Then I got to page 31- “… prior knowledge is the strongest determinant of understanding, and that new knowledge can only be built upon existing knowledge….” That truly shocked me. I had always figured that all of the strategies had their usefulness, although certain strategies would be more important for particular students or for particular tasks or at particular times; but I never imagined that you could say that prior knowledge was the strongest determinant of understanding. It made me realize how much more work is necessary on my part in order to activate, develop, build upon, shape, AND add to the students’ prior knowledge so that they are able to read. The chapter in “When Kids Can’t Read’ only served to make me hope that there are real concrete suggestions to come. As a spec educ teacher, I can assess reading skills and determine that some kids need to be taught word recognition skills, some need decoding strategies, some need comprehension strategies, others need vocabulary development, etc. What I don’t know is how to give each child what he or she needs within the current system. I can see how hard kids work at maintaining an image in front of their peers. Unless we can create very small groups of students who all need remediation in the same general skill area, I am doubtful that the current set-up is especially conducive to letting kids take the risks that are necessary to be an active (hard-working) learner/reader in the classroom. And I loved the if-then chart on page 28.
I enjoyed both of these chapters, especially the Subjects Matter chapter. And I agree whole-heartedly with what Diane said about English teachers. It’s easy for other subject area teachers to assume we’re in charge of reading, but many times we’re not the experts on the other topics. I like to think I understand other subject matter, but I know I’ve got a LONG ways to go. I thought I could explain RNA, but I was LOST in that sample reading passage.
As I read through those practice passages and found myself completely lost, I didn’t even notice the ways I was trying to tackle the difficult texts. Then, as I read on, I was surprised to note how many of the reading strategies I actually used. I had tried to activate prior knowledge, visualize, make connections, etc. And I wasn’t even aware of it! I was doing it in a matter of seconds. I love how Daniels and Zemelman relate this to driving a car without even paying attention to how we get from Point A to B. It’s so true! We’re experienced readers, so we don’t pay attention to the details along the way. We read, we interact with the text without even thinking about it, and we understand. In addition, when we’re driving in unfamiliar ground, we’re on our toes. I’ve never thought before at how my students felt this way with reading. They don’t know how to get from Point A to B and understand what they’re reading along the way. That’s why they need the help with improving their reading so that they can gradually gain experience.
I also love the “Thinking Strategies of Effective Readers” that are found on page 24. These are the strategies I’m striving to teach to my students throughout the year. Honestly, I find that teaching reading can be difficult since I’m an experienced reader, but breaking it down into manageable steps and useful strategies will help my students.
While reading Beers’ chapter three I definitely related to the lists on pages 24-26 that describe difficulties students may have when they say they can’t read. As I was reading this list, various students’ faces popped into my head. But I like how Beers’ doesn’t leave it at that. She then gives a list on pages 34-35 that describes what good readers do. I want to generate a list with my classes like this. I want them to be aware of how reading is not something you’re naturally good at. It’s something we have to work at, and on the same note, it’s something we can ALL get better at!
There was one passage that particularly stood out to me in Beers’ chapter three. She writes on page 38 how teachers can help their students as readers. Item number six describes these teachers as those “who encourage a wide range of reading, who give their students plenty of opportunity for sustained, silent reading, who read aloud to their students on a regular basis, who provide ongoing opportunities for students to discuss—in small- and large-group settings—their understanding of a text, who encourage extensive rather than intensive reading, who encourage self-selection of some texts, and who recognize that students become better readers by reading, not merely practicing reading skills…” In a nutshell, this is the teacher I want to be. I have these goals. I want my students to become better readers while enjoying themselves, too. I want them to look back at their reading lives this school year and to be shocked at how much of a better reader they have become without even being aware of it all!
Hello, everyone! I hope you’re having a wonderful weekend.
These two chapters were a much needed reminder for me. If I’m not careful, I find myself teaching straight to the best students in my class who are able to keep up with the way I think, assuming the others aren’t paying attention and will get it as they see their classmates demonstrate whatever it is we’re working on.
But I have to remember that not everyone has waited all their lives to learn German, as I had. The texts in Subjects Matter reminded me of how difficult it must be for my students at times. They’re having to deal with an entirely new language! And I expect them to make inferences and figure out grammar patterns when many aren’t clear what the difference is between an adjective, an article and a verb.
As a teacher who has given relatively little thought to my students’ literacy levels, I found Beers’ chart on p. 28 especially helpful. I’m beginning to recognize that many of my students are struggling because they are having trouble reading in English, but I honestly didn’t even know how to help them with that. So I like that she offers suggestions for different issues students might face. It at least gives me a idea of where to start.
So I do have one question. How do you all, in your classes, keep your students occupied to allow yourself time to work one – on – one with students who need individual attention? Most assignments I give are too short to allow me the time. And I find that certain troublesome students either won’t do or rush through longer assignments so that I spend most of my “free” time handling classroom management issues, as opposed to helping students who are struggling with word recognition or decoding the sentence structure, etc. Suggestions?
From Deb Hightower...
These chapters made me think back 26 years to my first year of teaching. I had a 9 year old student who I was told couldn't read. I asked the question what do you mean, "he can't read?" The question was never answered. With my limited knowledge I wondered what to do? I can't remember what I did, what steps I took, but I must say there was success.
In 1998, I had a 9th grader that I was told couldn't read. This was the result of an incident where he consumed lead paint and developed brain damage. This student couldn't read as I thought then, but amazingly could answer any questions in any given text. He was actively engaged in the text. He was my honor roll student. He did not perform well as an oral reader, but apparently used some of the thinking strategies of an effective reader.
In reading these chapters and remembering these situations has made me more aware of what it means, "I Can't Read". I didn't understand it all then, but the reading of this text has enlightened me to the many innovated approaches to teaching.
Lastly, these chapters remind me to always be cognizant of my students' difficulties. Also, it reminds me and helps me to be more aware of the frustrations that my students may have while reading. We as educators should always be aware of this fact, and govern our teaching methods to meet the challenges of our students.
Nicole--depending on the type of short assignments you give students...perhaps sometimes after they are finished working independently on the assignment, they could pair up with another student to discuss their work. They could then even get in groups of four for a discussion that could lead to the entire class discussing the assignment after you've had time to work with individual students. Just a thought...
As I read these two chapters the first thing that came to mind is I wish I had read this while I was still teaching. The chapter that dealt with background knowledge goes so well with teaching science. One of the most important things in science in writing a lab report is making sure you gathered background information before writing your hypothesis and designing an experiment. It is important to look at what other scientists have found out. There is no need to reinvent the wheel.
I think teachers do assume that students have background knowledge. I have heard where students have been told that they should know this from middle school. The mistake here is that students may have had the information presented to them in middle school but because they have been exposed to it does not mean they know it. So providing students with background information before they read is important and will help students be able to better understand what they read.
I think the other chapter made a good point in that the teacher is an important part of teaching students to read. There are a lot of strategies out there but students need guidance in how to use these strategies. Teachers play an important role because they are the ones that need to determine what problems students are having and then come up with what strategies they need to provide the student with. This is a big task since every student in the class is different. I think this chapter provided a lot of good information in how to analyze what problems students were having and suggestions on how to help them. I wish I had this available to me when I was teaching.
After reading both selections, I really had to think about what I would post in the blog. I felt like one of my students trying to absorb and make sense of the reading. I knew I had just finished "reading," but I couldn't make any connections. I had to go back several times and read my notations as I was reading. I had underlined a sentence in When Kids Can't Read that talks about knowing the problem in order to correct the problem. Following this statement was a list of possible problems students may have with reading. I never knew kids could have so many different reading problems. I just thought people couldn't read because they couldn't read. I never realized that there were so many different things going on when we read. I am now more aware of what is troubling my students when they read. I can address the specific problem with my students instead of being frustrated when they are having trouble with the material in my class.
I made a note at one time in both of the texts that says, "Students will try to make sense of text that originally is difficult to read." I feel as if I do this all of the time when I read. I am definitely not the best reader when it comes to comprehension. I struggle with making sense of text when I read. I "read" the words without constructing any meaning of my reading. I am all of the time trying to make some sense out of nothing. I try my hardest to make some kind of connection with the text when I can't understand. The author suggested setting up reading for students. Giving a little background information can go a long way when reading a difficult passage. I will have to make an effort to prepare my students for any reading I give them in my class.
I currently have English III and IV-CWP and the number of them who appear to be struggling readers is quite an eye opener for me. At the beginning of the school year I made sure to set ground rules in all three classes that there were to be no comments about anyone reading aloud. It takes so much for the students to muster up the confidence to even read in front of their peers. That being said, I really like the chart in Subject Matters on page 30. I think it is important to have stages like that in mind when preparing for a lesson in a class of struggling readers. I like to use a lot of reader response and visualizing activities during lessons. My hope is that it will help students who may have trouble following or understanding a text. What Beers said about the importance of identifying the type of problem a struggling reading is also key to helping students who have difficulty reading understand and succeed. It not just about not understanding what is read, it goes much deeper than that. Beers mentions George and while he can follow and understand the text when he is read to, he often has trouble converting his own reading to meaning because he reads much slower than a non-struggling reader. George, like many other struggling readers would probably benefit from a shared reading activity or audio. This is another technique that seems to help struggling readers not feel so overwhelmed with decoding of words. I thoroughly enjoyed both these readings.
Though the Beers book seems to give more direct information as almost a handbook for teachers, the Daniels and Zemelman book is more entertaining for me to read. This makes me relate the content of the books to how I respond to them, as the chapters discuss. There are many things that 'good readers' do that unexperienced or poor readers simply do not understand. The problem that I see in this is that as a good reader, I need to identify how I make use of those good practices, such as connecting to prior knowledge and using context clues to gain information about unfamiliar vocabulary, and determine the best ways to teach students to use these same good practices.
I've never really thought much about teaching students to read, becasue, as is stated in ch. 2 of Subjects Matter, upper-grade level teachers "cast aspersions down upon our colleagues in the lower grades," wondering why they didn't do their job to teach the students the basics and prepare them for our classes. But the matter of the fact is, if the students don't have the basics, someone's got to teach them, and that someone becomes us, the high school teachers.
I've always known that reading is more than just decoding words, but I think it's important to be reminded of all of the aspects that go into reading and comprehending a text. It is so obvious to me, that I might not realize that for my students, they truly don't understand how to comprehend what they decode. Even in my classes right now, I have students like Mike, Sharamee, and Amy, as discussed by Beers. The overall aversion to reading by Mike is the easiest to let go of, because getting him to read becomes a class disruption. Students like Sharamee are sometimes difficult to recognize because they decode so well that we, as teachers, may assume that she understands all of the words she says. Students like Amy are the easiest to work with and help, because Amy has the tools needed to be a good reader. She just needs guidance to find something she enjoys so that there is some relevance to reading for her.
I definitely visualize when I read. When we read aloud in class I ask students to visualize what is going on. Therefore, reading is more than just reading the words and moving on. It is about comprehension. I would much rather click than clunk and the passages in the chapter were challenging even though the social studies one on C squared was easier for me. Forget the science. Anyway, I do understand there are stages of reading and we must employ all of them to attain the meaning of whatever we are reading!
Subjects Matter Ch2
When Kids Can’t Read Ch3
B. Raines
I make the mistake of assuming that high school students already have the tools necessary to read, comprehend, and apply. However I often find that many are much like me and have never developed a love for reading. Knowing that and knowing that I am not an English teacher (blasted spell check keeps correcting my spelling) I have to concentrate on showing students how to apply the text directly to the task at hand.
Students do learn at different levels and this has to be addressed in the classroom as the learning process continues.
I find that struggling readers usually have great motor skills and are therefore well suited for my class especially when engaged in lab activities.
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