What is Fake-Reading?
“Ever since I could read words, I’ve wanted to know what else a person had to do in
order to make sense of a text. I didn’t have a problem decoding. I had a problem
understanding. I faked comprehension for years . . . I thought I was just born a bad
reader. It was a great relief to learn there was something I could do to improve my
comprehension.” Cris Tovni
What is fake-reading?
 FAKE UNDERSTANDING: Readers “fake” or pretend that they understand
what they are reading (Readers pretend that they understand material, from
broadest points to narrower points; readers “pretend” that they “get the big
picture,” or that they “get it . . .”
 TOLERATE POOR COMPREHENSION: Readers assume that poor
understanding is the result of reading (When you read, you aren’t suppose to get
much from what is read
 EXPECT DISMANTLING OR EXPLANATION: Meaning is provided when
someone else (usually a teacher) explains or dis mantles the meaning
 ASSUME THAT SOME PEOPLE ARE “JUST BETTER READERS” AND
CLASSIFY SELF IN CATEGORY OF “NOT GREAT AT READING”
How do people fake read?
FAKE READING OCCURS WHEN YOU STOP TRYING OR DON’T KNOW HOW
(either consciously or unconsciously) TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE TEXT MEANS
WHAT DO PEOPLE DO INSTEAD OF READING EFFECTIVELY?
Instead, readers do such things as:
Fall asleep
Never read for pleasure, only when you have to
Forget what you’ve read
Read the words without knowing what they mean
Read a guide or back of book instead of the whole
Watch a movie about the content instead of read
Ask what others know about the book so you don’t have to read
Read without paying attention
Read too fast
Just look at the words
Lose your place when reading
What do you do when you read?
(List)
What do good readers do when they read?
They learn how to use thinking strategies
Good readers realize that comprehension and retention involve thinking: the good reader,
using a variety of strategies, actively thinks about content
What is a strategy?
An intentional plan that readers use to help themselves make sense of their reading.
Strategies can be flexible and can be adapted to meet the demands of the reading task.
Reading then, is about thinking and constructing (building) meaning). Today’s research
defines reading as far more than decoding. Instead, reading is defined as “ . . . a complex,
recursive thinking process (Fielding and Pearson 1994; Ogle 1986).
P. David Pearson and several of his colleagues have synthesized years of research on
characteristics of proficient readers and found that successful readers (of all ages) use
seven common strategies.
What are 7 strategies of effective readers?
7 STRATEGIESOF PROFICIENT READERS:
They use existing knowledge to make sense of new information.
They ask questions about the text before, during, and after reading.
They draw inferences from the text.
They monitor their comprehension.
They use “fix-up” strategies when meaning breaks down.
They determine what is important.
They synthesize information to create new meaning.
When readers use these strategies, they are “constructing meaning” or thoughtfully and
deliberately THINKING when they read.
Reading is more than decoding
Effective readers recognize that decoding is just part of reading. In order to comprehend,
readers must also:
Understand concepts and register subtleties
Determine what is important
Connect knowledge and experience to what has been read
READING BECOMES INCOMPREHNESIBLE, OR FAKE, WHEN:
Readers insist that decoding is all that is needed and teacher shld make meaning
Readers don’t have comprehension strategies to unlock meaning
Don’t have sufficient background knowledge
Don’t recognize organizational patterns (how the text is organized)
AND YET, INSTRUCTORS EXPECT THAT STUDENTS
Know how to read effectively
Can reader faster than in HS
Can read large amounts of info in short amounts of time
Can read and gain information
Can read and understand increasingly difficult material
OUR GOAL:
Appreciate that reading is thinking
Learn comprehension strategies
Become effective readers