Literacy Journal - Student Comprehension

Student Comprehension

Both Routman and Cooper would agree that often times teachers do not teach comprehension in a strategic, and methodical way for their students. The irony of it, and Routman I’m sure would concur is, we assess it all the time though. I, all too often see my students superficially reading during their read alouds to me, and construct very rudimentary retells from it for me, often times just giving the general gist of the passage with little detail or meaning sometimes. I should temper my comments in that the kids I am working with already have problems in not only comprehension, but in all aspects reading. (I have yet to lead a group, or class in this activity)Even with good readers, while giving good details they often forget to cite how the characters are feeling, or that deeper meaning that both authors strive for in comprehension.

Both, cite modeling on our part to be a key in student understanding of the different strategies that they should employ. It is interesting in that I have yet to see that in either of my placements. A deliberate method on the MT’s part to model how she is thinking as she demonstrates these strategies. What am I thinking of? Why do I think this is important? Can I predict what is going to happen next? Maybe I should re-read this section because I am not clear? (Routman’s single most important strategy pg. 122) These are the questions you need to model for your kids, so that that start thinking that this is what good readers do, and how they extract meaning from what they read. Routman (pg. 121) makes it very visible (reading/thinking) to the student.

One thing I did not see in Cooper as I look back over it, is the fact that regardless of strategies, the mere process of reading, reading reading in itself is probably the single most important way to eventually find for yourself what works best, and eventually we become not even aware of the unconscious way we process the information we are reading. While Cooper suggests posters that reinforce the strategies, and whole I don’t think its a bad idea, I think kids understand more though modeling by there teachers or in fact by their neighbors in turn and talk exercises during read alouds. Certainly as children get older, the more methodical approach by Cooper may benefit some students. Modeling comes at the end of the piece, and is less emphasized I think than what Routman suggests.

Many aspects of the optimal learning model come into play certainly, as the teacher gradually transitions from active instructor, to observer, problem solver, coach. Here we expect to see

• I do, we do, you do
• modeling
• think alouds
• read aloud and reflection
• guided practice