Principles of Learning
Learning is a process of actively constructing
knowledge.
Students construct knowledge and make it meaningful
in terms of their prior knowledge and experiences.
Learning is enhanced when it takes place in a social
and collaborative environment.
Students need to continue to view learning as an
integrated whole.
Learners must see themselves as capable and
successful.
Learners have different ways of knowing and
representing knowledge.
Reflection is an integral part of learning.
The following is the introduction to the book Weather by Seymour Simon (New York:
1993, Morrow Junior Books). Highlighted are things you could say to show students
how they might try to make sense of unfamiliar words or concepts and relate them to
things they already know:
Earth's weather is driven by the intense heat of the sun. "is
driven by": another way to say that would be "is caused by," so that
must mean that the heat of the sun makes our weather happen here
on earth The sun's energy travels through space in the form of
visible light waves and invisible ultraviolet and infrared rays.
"visible" means I can see it, "invisible" means I can't. I've heard of
ultraviolet and infrared rays, but I'm not sure what they are — I
think they can burn you if you don't put on sun block. About one
third of the energy reaching Earth's atmosphere is reflected
back into space. reflected like with a mirror? What makes it
reflect back into space? The remaining two thirds is absorbed
during a process called insolation (from incoming solar
radiation). I've heard of "insulation" but not "insolation" — wonder
how these things are different. "Insulation" helps you keep warm,
sounds like "insolation" would make something warm, too.
“If I had to pick the element of
Reading Workshop Instruction
that is the most beneficial to these
adolescent struggling readers, this
(Think-Aloud) is it.”
(Mueller, 2001, p. 120)
"Kids become better readers by
reading," she says. "We allow
them to choose books they want
to read and give them the time to
read. I believe that all kids can
become readers."
Think-Aloud
(Beth Davey, 1983)
Thinking Aloud is making thinking
visible, disclosing how you read by
modelling/demonstrating how you
think about what you read.
Voices inside the head…
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Narrative voice – the text itself
Interacting voice – makes connections, asks
questions, identifies confusions, agrees or
disagrees
Reciting voice – occurs when the reader
only recites the words but gains no meaning
Distracting voice – pulls reader away from
the text and its meaning – unrelated
thoughts
Tovani, Cris, I Read It, but I Don't Get It: Comprehension Strategies for
Adolescent Readers. Stenhouse: 2000
Think-Aloud
Think-Aloud provides
readers assistance in
examining and developing
reading behaviors.The
strategy incorporates five
aspects of a skilled reader’s
thinking: predicting,
visualizing, making
connections, questioning,
monitoring and
self-correction.
Six strategies:
Making
Connections
Questioning
Visualizing
Inferring
Determining
Importance
Synthesizing
MAKING
CONNECTIONS
• text to self
• text to text
• text to world
“ This remind me of … ”
Making connections activates
and utilizes prior knowledge.
Make analogies by linking prior
knowledge to new information.
“ This situation is like _____."
“ This is like a time . . . ”
QUESTIONING: interacting
with the text through a series of
questions/queries. Asking questions and
looking for answers before, during and
after …
“ What does that means?”
“ I wonder what would happen if …?”
“ Why did the author use that word or that
point of view? ”
“ What if…? ”
“ What happened and why did it happen? ”
“A reader with no questions might
just as well abandon the book. When
our students ask questions and
search for answers, we know that
they are monitoring comprehension
and interacting with the text to
construct meaning, which is exactly
what we hope for in developing
readers."
Strategies That Work by Harvey and Goudvis
: the key to understanding
the picture the text has helped a
reader to create (I see… I feel…)
enhances meaning with mental imagery
enables readers to become part of
text
stimulate imaginative thinking
heightens engagement
strengthens relationship with text
Describe the picture that is forming
internally.
“ I can see . . . ”
“ I have a picture in my mind . . .”
“ … research suggests that readers
who are able to visualize what they
are reading – for example, characteristics
of setting, events in the story, or character
traits – are better able to comprehend
what they read.”
(Lessons in Comprehension, Frank Serafini, 2004)
INFERRING:
•making assumptions based on
clues within the text
•questioning and drawing
conclusions
•making predictions
•reflecting
•reading beyond the words.
Predict by using the title, pictures,
and opening sentences.
“ I believe this part will be about
_____. "
“ From the title, I think this selection
is going to be about . . . ”
“ In this next part. . . ”
Predictions are inferences. We base
a prediction on what has been
stated in the text, but we add to it
an informed guess about what is to
come.
Mosaic of Thought, Keene & Zimmerman p. 153
Sue blew out the candles and got presents.
John went running into the street without
looking.
We bought tickets and some popcorn.
When I woke up, there were branches and
leaves all over the yard.
Yesterday we cleaned out our desks and took
everything home.
Use Fix-Up
Strategies:
When I get stuck
I can ...
Verbalize confusion by pretending
lack of understanding.
"This doesn't make sense to me.”
“ I'm not certain what the author is
suggesting."
“ This seems confusing. . . ”
“I am not sure how this fits. . . ”
Model strategies to assist with
decoding or comprehension.
“ I'd better read this part again."
"Perhaps if I read this section aloud, I
will understand it better."
"If I think about the way we talk, I may
be able to read this sentence better.”
“Fixing Up” Comprehension
When I get stuck, or when reading
bogs down, I know what to do.
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I can read ahead to get more meaning.
I can re-read to check meaning.
I can look at charts, graphs, pictures.
I can think about what I already know
and make a good guess…
I can sound out words or look for parts
of words I do understand.
DETERMINING
IMPORTANT
IDEAS:
What is the main idea of the text?
“ I understand what the author is
saying…”
What is important to remember
about this text?
Synthesizing:
combining what is known
with new information to
understand the text
Now I understand …
I learned …
I get it now!
Some activities for making synthesizing
concrete include making orange juice,
doing a jigsaw puzzle, and building with
Legos.
All are activities that involve putting
assorted parts together to make a new
whole, which is what synthesizing is all
about.
Strategies That Work, Harvey & Goudvis
Comprehension of Reading
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may not be easy – students should be
encouraged to struggle, but with strategies to
call upon
is aided by the teacher’s enthusiasm for what is
being read – how the teacher finds the material
valuable
needs to be modelled – show how you construct
meaning. Different materials require different
strategies.
T
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f
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T
H
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G
a
b
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t
■ Think Aloud
■ Graphic Organizers
■ Brainstorming
■ KWL (KWHL)
■ Anticipation Guide
■ Dramatic Performance
■ Probable Passage
■ Slow Down Your Thinking Post-Its
■ Coding Text (*, ?, X,BK, T-S,T-T,T-W, R)
■ Bookmarks
■ Double entry Journals
■ Sketching
■ It Says, I Say, and So…
■ Say Something
■ Mental Mapping
■ RAFT –Role-Audience-Format-Topic
■ The Last Word
Best Practices
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Are reading strategies explicit?
Are reading strategies modelled?
Are there links between the reading and writing,
speaking and listening, viewing and
representing?
Are there supports for struggling readers and
writers?
Are books available to students? Do students
have choices?
Is there quality instruction?