Module+8

1. What does research say about this topic? JULY 15, ONLY LYNN AND JM WERE HERE. Lynn: We can help students acquire the strategies and processes used by good readers--and that this improvess their overall comprehension of text, both the texts used to teach the strategies and texts they read on their own in the future.

JM: Having balanced comprehension instruction is important in helping students become good readers. Students must be introduced and exposed to a variety of strategies to use while reading.

Lisa: I love the list on pages 205-206 of our text. It describes what research has found to be true of good readers. It speaks of being active readers, using prior knowledge, reading differnt types of text differently, ect. I think this list shold be a list of goals for all teachers to instill in their students. All of these elements have been proven to be essentials, and all can be taught. ML: I love that list as well, Lisa. Research suggest that comprehension skills be explicitly taught. The text gives a model for comprehension instruction that includes explicitly describing the strategy, modeling, collaborative practice, guided practice, and independent practice with the strategy. RV:Research shows that comprehension needs to be modeled and facilitated through the instruction of strategies. 2. Why must teachers go through extensive preparation to teach comprehension?

Lynn: Teachers must learn to teach strategies, not skills. Many teachers find this type of teaching a challenge, because they have not been prepered to do it.

MS: yES, YES,...STRATEGIES DURING THE PRE, DURING, AND POST PARTS OF READING ARE ESSENTIAL FOR COMPREHENSION. Lisa: I also agree, it is a difficult switch to move from teaching skills to teaching strategies. Teaching skills is a pretty straight-forward approach, teaching strategies is a more dynamic teaching approach since the teacher will need to modify which strategies she is teaching to best suit the student, text, and subject matter.

JM: Teachers must know their students needs and what strategies will be effective in helping them succeed. Preperation is necessary in order to do this.

Lisa: Has this 2 year masters program in fact been an extensive, intensive preparation for us to ensure our students have great comprehension? We must be adequately prepared because there are many specifics of reading comprehension that must be dealt with and also becuase comprehension is the ultimate goal of reading instruciton. ML: We are use to teaching comprehension skills, but comprehension strategies are more complex. The teacher has to know what the strategy is and how to teach it before she can be effective. There is more thinking involved! RV: REading Comprehenison is the culmination of all areas of reading coming together in a perfect blend which allows the reader to take information from a passage and create knowledge with it. This isnt an easy process and many strategies are needed to cover all students needs.

3. Why has the pendulum changed to balance comprehensive instruction?

Lynn: While good instructional practices are a must, there are other features that must be present for comprehension instruction to "take hold and flourish". These include spending a great deal of time reading, experience reading real text for real reasons, experience in reading a wide range of genres, providing an environment rich in vocabulary and concept development, accurate and automatic decoding of words, lots of time spent writing texts, and an environment rich in high-quality talk about text.

JM: Balanced comprehensive instruction is important because it includes all the necessary parts in helping students become successful readers. Not only should students be taught effective strategies, but they also need time to practice these strategies while reading, writing, and in discussions.

Lisa: I think the reason the pendulum is 'balancing out" is that research has now proven what is most effective. Educators can't ignore cold, hard facts. It has been proven that a balanced approach is most effective, with specific strategy instruciton along with ample reading time to apply strategies. Educators are responding to what researchers have found. ML: You girls have done a great job answering this question. What good is teaching strategies if students do not have ample opportunities to use them. RV: I think it is the same for phonics instruction- there has always been a battle between whole language and systematic phonics. Once teachers found out that a balance of both worked best, students began to learn in the most effective way. Good practices along with modeling, discussion, and practice provide the most effective instruction.

4. Your questions from your group. Lynn: ** Why is current research about reading comprehension not reflected in current practices?* ** MS: I FEEL TEACHERS WERE GOOD READERS GENERALLY AND DON'T REALIZE THE STRATEGIES THEY USED EASILY AND INTERNALLY MUST BE SHARED WITH THE STUDENTS IN THE CLASSROOM. I ALSO FEEL ALL STUDENTS BENEFIT FROM THE USED OF STRATEGIES (GIFTED, REGULAR, AND STRUGGLING), AND THE INTEGRATION OF EFFECTIVE STUDY SKILLS SHOULD BE INCORPORATED ALONG WITH THE READING STRATEGIES.

IN TIMES PAST, THE TEACHERS THEMSELVES DIDN'T LEARN BY STRATEGIES AND AGAIN THEY HAVE NOT BEEN "SKILLED" OR EXPOSED IN THE APPLICATION OF STRATEGIES. IF THEY WOULD USE THEM IN THEIR CLASSROOMS, THEY WOULD SEE BENEFITS. Lisa: I agree. I have always been a "reader". It is easy for me to gather information by reading. I did not realize until this masters program that I actually had developed my own strategies to help me be a good reader. I also had been a skill-driven instructor and wasn't mindful of teaching strategies. I also found this INTERESTING!! My 19 year-old stepson started college this year. I was looking at the text and notes he had in his freshman orientation class. . . there were reading strategies!! I couldn't beleive that some of the same strategies I would be teaching young kids were being taught to college freshmen! I think this proves that strategies are not taught in public k-12 schools,yet colleges know they are essential for success. JM: Do certain comprehension strategies work better for different genres? *  MS: STRATEGIES CAN BE GENRE SPECIFIC, DOMAIN SPECIFIC, AND AGE SPECIFIC. ALMOST ALL OF THE STRATEGIES CAN AND SHOULD BE ADAPTED FOR EACH GENRE, DOMAIN, OR AGE.

Lisa: **I recently had this question from an adult regarding comprehension. They were taking a written test to get a job. They have to read every question 2 or 3 times before the comprehend what the question is asking, and then they could find the answer. They said no matter what they read, newspaper, magazine, instructions, ect. they had to seperate passages or paragraphs and read each 2-3 times before they understood what was being said. They wanted to know what to do and how to 'practice' so they could comprehend on the first read. I was embarassed that I didn't have a quick answer. What should I have said to them?**

ML: Jenny, I am going to be teaching 5th grade for the first time this year. What is one of your favorite comprehension strategies to use with them?

RV: What are the best strategies to use in 1st/2nd grade that the students can them use on thier own? How in depth should comprehension strategies be for younger children? Should we focus on comprehension before at the same time or after fluency instruction in the timeline of reading instruction?