Dr. MahoneyResources from Vacca and Vacca

Reading mattersUsing reading to learn is what content

reading is aboutHow to learn not often taughtStudents don’t read; teachers revert to

lecture

Posing questions1. Why does “assigning and telling” stifle active

learning and deny students responsibility?2. How are literacy and learning related?3. What is content literacy?4. How does diversity affect classroom

interactions?5. How can students ‘think with text?’6. What is ‘reader response’ and ‘schema

theory,’ and how does it influence comprehension and learning?

Teachers, Students and TextEmphasis on content knowledge; more

difficult to teach than to knowTextbooks are the main teaching toolsViews of texts - Canons, authoritative sources

of knowledgeShift from teaching ‘from’ text to teaching

‘with’ textImplies readers bring contributions

Beyond Assigning and TellingTraditional teaching – recitation – assign,

question, evaluate responseTeacher is active participant; students

passiveTeacher assigns – students didn’t read –

teacher imparts contentYour text stuggests burden of learn should

shift from teacher to students

Today’s studentsDiverse students struggle with learning from

textsLittle support for struggling studentsMay be placed in ‘slower’ classes with watered

down contentLinguistic variations influence literacy learningDifference perceived as deficit

Successful teachers allow use of dialect rather than continually correcting

In Language Arts classes, students study standard English

Challenges in using textsHeavy concept load; heavy vocabulary load –

challenge for non-standard English speakers and ELL students

Failure to read on grade levelAlienated from school“Hideout” in classrooms – avoid reading,

avoid eye contact with teacher, disrupt when asked content questions, forget to bring textbook, seek help from friends – perpetuates cycle of failure; lack knowledge of strategies

Effective readersKnow how to approach the textMake plans for readingLocate and summarize main ideasOrganize contentKnow how to ‘get out of jams’ when reading

Ineffective or struggling readersLack knowledge of control of strategiesLack knowledge of when to use specific

strategiesFail to identify purpose for reading and

writingRemain passive and disengagedSense of helplessness and poor self-imageLack confidence in ability to discern meaning

Content literacyThe ability to use reading and writing to

learn subject matterLiteracy – the ability to read and write a

languageFunctional literacy – literacy needed to

survive in societyIlliteracy – inability to read and writeAliteracy – choosing not to read and writeLiteracy is situational – workplace literacy,

family literacy, etc

To be literate in content classrooms1. Students must use reading and writing to

explore and construct meaning from texts, other learners, and teachers

Teachers must help students use reading and writing as learning tools, to think about content.Reading – thinking with printed symbolsThink to discover, organize, retrieve, elaborate

on information and ideas

Thinking with textReading – a conversation between text and

reader; the mind is questioning (cognitive questioning), dialoguing with the author

Theories about the reading processReader Response TheorySchema Theory

Reader Response TheoryRosenblatt – thought and feeling components

of literacy interpretation – text demands affective interpretation

Instructional implication – create active learning environment in which students respond personally an critically to what is read

Stances – efferent, aesthetic, critical – readers shift between these stances as they read

Instructional implications – use of journals in which students record responses to text

Reader Response Questions1. What aspect of the text interested you the

most?2. What are your feelings and attitudes about

this aspect of the text?3. What experiences have you had that help

others understand why you feel the way you do?

Responses help readers make personal connections to the text.

Schema TheorySchema – technical term to describe how

people organize and store information in the mind

Schema activation – mechanism for accessing knowledge and matching to text information

How schemata influence learning1. Provide a framework for seeking and

selecting relevant information2. Help organize text information – integrate

new information with old, facilitates retention and recall; poorly organized text makes this difficult

3. Help readers elaborate information – make judgments, evaluate, gain insight

Teacher’s role – Instructional ScaffoldingProvide “necessary support”

Understand the gaps between learners prior knowledge and the assumptions texts make about students’ knowledge

Provide organizational strategiesPlanning active learning environments