With chapter 3, I can see how just reading from the text books is not enough. The students see those books and how big and bulky they are, who would want to read them. Sure, they might have the information in them that is needed, but seriously, most students won't read them. I know that when I was in high school, I hated reading those text books. I rarely took them home because they were so heavy and I didn't want to carry them. One thing I have a feeling didn't change is that students still hate having to carry those huge books.
I think it is a good idea to bring in supplementary reading for the students. Get some material that relates more to them than textbooks that are probably years old in the first place. If you can get the students into reading something other than the textbook, they could possibly be willing to discuss their thoughts in class. I mean, look at the Harry Potter books. Sure it's non fiction, but kids and adults were able to relate to the characters in the books. Because people were able to relate, more and more people bought and read them.
The reading material doesn't have to be like these types of books. They can be about real people, and their life trials. If you can find a subject that can pertain to your area of teaching and the students can relate, then all the better. Also in chapter 3, I liked how it discussed the idea of have a single set of textbooks. This could give the teachers chances to give different homework projects other than reading certain chapters and then answering question at the end of the chapter. It could be good to get the teachers to think of some new ways to convey the lesson of the day. It could also allow more funding to go to supplemental teaching tools like novels that are newer and the students can get into. The classics are good, but many students these days can't get into them or relate to them so they loose interest to quickly.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Comprehension of what's Read
From the class last week, I found the activity interesting where we read the book that was just pictures. It made me think about how reading does not mean just reading words. A book without words using only pictures can just as easily convey the same story that a book with just words can. And, the activity really made me think of all the different aspects that are needed to read. To me, it is still hard to think that some people go on with there lives and don't learn how to comprehend readings and so they just brush off reading for something that they can do easily like pick up an Xbox controller and just sit in front of a T.V. playing games all day.
For me, that's what I did for so long when I was younger. We would have to do book reports and I would pick books that my dad has, then I would talk to him like I was interested in reading them and have him give me a summary about the book to see if I wanted to read it. It wasn't until my senior year in high school when I really started to read. It took awhile, but I started to get the hang of decoding what I was reading as well as the proper strategies of comprehending the text that I was reading.
In chapter 2, it talks the thinking strategies of effective readers and how they are able to comprehend what they read. Now, I know that it's hard for teenagers that don't read very often if at all to comprehend what they have to read or really want to even pay attention to what they are reading for school. The book talks about how you have to visualize, connect, question, infer, evaluate, analyz, recall, and self-monitor. Now, I know it is hard to visualize what you're reading from a text book, but if the teacher brings in novels that can grasp the students attention it could help them to visualize. That same novel could then get them to connect by getting them to think and analyze how the main character could be them in certain ways.
With teenagers these days and how they hate to read, getting them to read something that is considered a newer novel could boost their literacy skills and their will to read. Then the teachers could probably get them to discuss more on what they liked and disliked about the book and get them to broaden their thinking habits.
For me, that's what I did for so long when I was younger. We would have to do book reports and I would pick books that my dad has, then I would talk to him like I was interested in reading them and have him give me a summary about the book to see if I wanted to read it. It wasn't until my senior year in high school when I really started to read. It took awhile, but I started to get the hang of decoding what I was reading as well as the proper strategies of comprehending the text that I was reading.
In chapter 2, it talks the thinking strategies of effective readers and how they are able to comprehend what they read. Now, I know that it's hard for teenagers that don't read very often if at all to comprehend what they have to read or really want to even pay attention to what they are reading for school. The book talks about how you have to visualize, connect, question, infer, evaluate, analyz, recall, and self-monitor. Now, I know it is hard to visualize what you're reading from a text book, but if the teacher brings in novels that can grasp the students attention it could help them to visualize. That same novel could then get them to connect by getting them to think and analyze how the main character could be them in certain ways.
With teenagers these days and how they hate to read, getting them to read something that is considered a newer novel could boost their literacy skills and their will to read. Then the teachers could probably get them to discuss more on what they liked and disliked about the book and get them to broaden their thinking habits.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Emergent Literacy
I can certainly understand that children need to be introduced to reading at an early age. Children these days do not even see books until their first day at school. With so many kids waiting until they get into school before they start to read, you can understand how it is so easy to get behind. The kids struggle throughout the school year learning how to read and have trouble understanding the meaning of sentences or word. It is easy to see how the children who get behind could get frustrated and just want to sit back and not try their best.
Everyday I see a large range of people that struggle to read simple sentences or spell words that some people would think were "no brainers." With the discussion from last Wednesday, I can see now why I had trouble in school while I was young. I used to hate reading, and everything else in school for that matter. It makes sense now that since I hated to read, I had trouble understanding questions on tests or quizzes. This already gives me a perspective on some of the teenagers that I deal with at work. Some are in high school and read at a middle school sixth grade level. With that, they also don't understand certain aspects well while in school and they show their frustration by being defiant.
With this defiance they skip school or drop out all together. It is easy to just shrug these teenagers off and think that they are like this because they are thugs. But, it makes me think about how many children out there could have been better off in life if parents took the time to read to them when they were little. The parents could have easily read just a few pages a night. They could have easily started to have their children help with the reading and get involved.
With the exercises that we did in class, it gets me thinking that even though I was able to read through misprints and errors but so many would have troubles. It is also trouble to think how some people could see gibberish just from looking at a street sign or a restaurant menu.
I also think that it is very important for the students to get the opportunity to read books and articles that they choose. Even if they choose one book a semester, it could help to engage the minds of the students and then the teacher can teach them how to question and analyze just what they are reading without stressing out about it.
I like chapter twelve as well because I feel that if you get the students to discuss with the other students then they would feel more comfortable. This would help especially with the kids that are afraid to say something because they do not want other kids to make fun of their style of thinking. This would also mean that the teach would have to make the environment suitable, and nobody should make another person feel stupid for their input in the readings
Everyday I see a large range of people that struggle to read simple sentences or spell words that some people would think were "no brainers." With the discussion from last Wednesday, I can see now why I had trouble in school while I was young. I used to hate reading, and everything else in school for that matter. It makes sense now that since I hated to read, I had trouble understanding questions on tests or quizzes. This already gives me a perspective on some of the teenagers that I deal with at work. Some are in high school and read at a middle school sixth grade level. With that, they also don't understand certain aspects well while in school and they show their frustration by being defiant.
With this defiance they skip school or drop out all together. It is easy to just shrug these teenagers off and think that they are like this because they are thugs. But, it makes me think about how many children out there could have been better off in life if parents took the time to read to them when they were little. The parents could have easily read just a few pages a night. They could have easily started to have their children help with the reading and get involved.
With the exercises that we did in class, it gets me thinking that even though I was able to read through misprints and errors but so many would have troubles. It is also trouble to think how some people could see gibberish just from looking at a street sign or a restaurant menu.
I also think that it is very important for the students to get the opportunity to read books and articles that they choose. Even if they choose one book a semester, it could help to engage the minds of the students and then the teacher can teach them how to question and analyze just what they are reading without stressing out about it.
I like chapter twelve as well because I feel that if you get the students to discuss with the other students then they would feel more comfortable. This would help especially with the kids that are afraid to say something because they do not want other kids to make fun of their style of thinking. This would also mean that the teach would have to make the environment suitable, and nobody should make another person feel stupid for their input in the readings
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