Learning Blog #3--Chapter 4: Assistance in Learning

I think the part on page 81 that says "Teachers need to know that reading is more than a basic skill" is very important, because some teachers just assume everyone can learn to read easily.  Obviously, this is not true, good readers are able to process analytic, interactive, constructive, and strategic ideas and concepts.

There is strong evidence that suggests students can be taught comprehension strategies, to help them learn to read.  MARSI, is Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies Inventory, which teachers can pick strategies for instruction that coincide with the specific problem area that specific student is having.

Adjunct Strategies: are any strategy used during reading, an example is:

Mapping: Demonstrates adjunct strategy of organizing information into big and smaller ideas.  It is the same thing as organizing key elements of the story, and can assist readers in understanding concept ideas.  The primary purpose of mapping is to use visuals to portray relationships of major and supporting ideas, it forces the students to refer back to the reading material and engage in interactive learning with peers.  Mapping can also aid in reflection and as study aides.

Constructivism:  Emphasizes the important role of the learner in literacy tasks, allowing readers to feel comfortable with learning because they are so fully integrated in putting it all together.  This knowledge is not just received, but actively constructed by the learners on the basis of prior knowledge, attitudes, and values, it is all "constructed" in the student's mind.  In this environment the student's are encouraged to use higher order thinking skills, teachers do not stress a correct one word answer, but that any answer a student can construct independently is good.

Directed Reading-Thinking Activity:

DR-TA helps students understand that each segment of a text can help them figure out the next segment, and so on.  The teacher's duty is to decide in advance to the reading how to segment, or separate the material.  DR-TA has three-basic steps: predicting, reading, and providing.  Predicting involves asking readers to use not only what prior knowledge they have, but also whatever else they learn.  Predicting prepares the readers for what will happen, and gives chances to reflect on other classmate's predictions for time of debate and discussion.  A simple prediction guide works by on one side putting what the THINK will happen, and what ACTUALLY happened.  This teaches students the correct sequence of reading: reading, then predicting to prove they did read and are on the correct path, and proving what they predicted by finishing the reading and making conclusions.

Guided Reading Procedure:

GRP offers ways to teach students to gather and organize information around main ideas.  It uses brainstorming to collect information as accurately as possible, and then rereading to correct anything wrong. 

1.  Prepare students for the lesson by clarifying key concepts about ht eroding, asses prior knowledge, explain vocabulary.

2.  Assign a collection of appropriate length and ask students to remember all they can about the reading.

3-4.  After the students have completed the reading assignment, have them close the book and relate everything they just read, have students look for inconsistencies and wrong information.

5.  Create major categories for the passage, help organize and categorize concepts into a loose outline.

Structure of Text: Is how the paragraphs are arranged and ordered, and this CAN affect the reading comprehension of students.  Also, students who are taught paragraph structure use that when learning to write and have an easier time with that.  As in last chapter I said re-writing is very important, so is the structure of text, I can restructure just a few sentences, and it makes all the difference in the world in reading the passage and also comprehending the passage.

Discourse Analysis:  Identification of organizational structure in written material, as well as student and teacher verbal interaction and reaction to text structure.  Collaborative Reasoning: Approach for discussion in any content area that stimulates critical thinking.  After reading, the teacher poses a central question that is worded so students take a pro or con position, get in groups and collaborate, debate, and engage in discussion.

--Mystery Clue Game: small group, good thinking, reading, and socializing

Pattern Guides: Help students see casual relationships, distinguishing cause and effect is important, so that students do not misuse things they learn, and can see the actual connection.  Activity 4.8!

3+ Level Study Guides

Teaches comprehension-3 steps

(I would like to learn more about this, book was kind of confusing explaining it to me)

Improving Comprehension through Questions and Questioning:

The Question-Answer Relationship:

Practical way to teach students how to formulate questions at different levels.  It is straightforward, easily implemented, can be used at any level, and useful and any grade so it is a strongly encouraged method.  It has been proven to increase students' comprehension more than several other questioning strategies, because students are thinking of their own questions, and also incorporates writing skills, and promotes higher level thinking skills.

This chapter has shown many activities, and given many examples to be used in the assistance phase of the PAR lesson framework.  To understand the material, students must be able to construct meaning by using their prior knowledge when learning new information.  Students must understand text structure, and there are different strategies to do so.  My favorite was the question-answer relationship, because I think it really stimulates the students' minds, and can be made into a group activity, by switching questions and having somebody else answer it for them.