Creating Literacy Instruction for All Students, Enhanced 9th Edition

Creating Literacy Instruction for All Students, Ninth Edition Chapter 7 Comprehension: Theory and Strategies Developed by: Thomas G. Gunning, Professor Emeritus Southern Connecticut State University Process of Comprehending Three interacting factors The reader The text Context in which the text is read Process of Comprehending Schema theory-comprehension is a process of activating schema (unit of organized knowledge). Relate what we are reading to our background knowledge. Build a mental (situation) model. Mental (Situation) Model Surface Code-exact words & syntax Propositional textbase- statements that retain the meaning of the text but not the form. Situation or Mental Model- integrates textbase with reader’s background knowledge & goal for reading. Constructing a Situation (Mental) Model Build on textbase Integrate prior knowledge or schema, goal for reading, and other reader factors with the textbase Check mental model with textbase Mental models vary because of readers’ diverse backgrounds, goals for reading, & perspectives Constructing a Textbase Understanding essential details at a literal level Integrating text across sentences and paragraphs Making low-level, text-based inferences –inferring antecedent for a pronoun Monitoring for meaning Process of Comprehending Standard of coherence- reader’s criteria for quality of comprehension Role of reasoning Role of attention Role of surface features Developmental nature of comprehension Approaches to Teaching Comprehension Strategy - encourages students to think about their mental processes & use specific strategies to construct meaning Content analysis - engage students in attending to text ideas & building a mental representation of the ideas Combination of strategy & content analysis Comprehension Strategies Preparational Organizational Elaboration Rehearsing Metacognitive Affective Strategy Instruction Introducing the strategy Demonstrating and modeling the strategy Guided practice Independent practice and application Assessment and reteaching Ongoing reinforcement and implementation Preparational Strategies Previewing (Surveying) Activating prior knowledge Setting purpose & goals Purpose-question to be answered Goals-reasons for reading- pleasure, gain knowledge Predicting These strategies may also occur during reading. Organizational Strategies Comprehending or constructing main idea Determining relative importance of information Organizing details Sequencing Following directions Summarizing Elaboration Strategies Making inferences Using QAR It Says-I Say-And So Macro-cloze Mystery passages Imaging Using manipulatives Question generation Other strategies Using Manipulatives Ties meaning to action--students manipulate objects or pictures to show what a piece of text is saying. “Meaning arises from simulating the content of sentences.” Students who simply viewed the manipulations had improved comprehension. Students replace manipulation with imaging. Monitoring Strategies Knowing where and how to use strategies (metacognition) Knowing oneself as a learner Regulating Checking Repairing Click and clunk technique Repair Strategies Slowing reading rate Pausing Reading aloud Jumping over (skipping) Looking back Rereading Paraphrasing Using text aids Using references Reading an easier version Social-Constructivist Nature of Comprehension Effective with struggling & achieving readers Collaborative Reciprocal Teaching Uses predicting, questioning, clarifying, summarizing Questioning the Author Emphasizes content Making Strategy Instruction Work Based on student needs Teacher repeatedly models & explains Teacher adapts instruction Fosters affective factors Provide instruction that is sufficiently explicit Integration of Strategies Several strategies are applied simultaneously Takes time to learn strategies Strategies learned at one level may need to be refined at higher level Explicit Versus Nonexplicit Instruction Better readers infer strategies. Struggling readers need explicit instruction. Explicit teaching is intentional and direct. Provides clear instruction. Importance of Affective Factors Attentive Active Reflective Students are more motivated & involved when consulted, given choices, feel competent, see value of reading, & when they collaborate with classmates. Comprehension Strategies for Bilingual Learners • Use same strategies as native speakers • Also translate information • Also transfer information from one language to another • Are more metacognitively aware Assessing Comprehension Use process questions Use think-alouds Administer mystery passages Also use observation, work samples, quizzes, & tests Importance of Prior Knowledge Makes a greater contribution to comprehension than decoding or reported use of strategies. Students having a richer background can make more connections between what they know & what they are reading & have better comprehension and retention.