Module Five Reflection

Rachel Butler
READ 5572
    
     The first important concept I discovered is that fluency and comprehension are so closely related.  I had assumed that word calling at a comparable rate was sufficient.  But according to research, this is not always correct to assume.  A slower reader can also be struggling with comprehension if they are not retaining the meaning of the text.  I had never realized the strong correlation between the two and the importance of monitoring both skills.

     The second concept I discovered was the importance of teaching reading strategies to content area classes.  It is so true that students are required to read in every subject area including mathematics and that reading strategies and mnemonic strategies can assist them in retaining important information to apply to equations, formulas, or notes.  If students can learn strategies that they are comfortable with and utilize them regularly, they will retain pertinent information in a more organized fashion.  It is also important to remember that these strategies need to be modeled for the student and in turn they need to be given opportunities to demonstrate and apply the strategy.

     Another concept I discovered was the importance of stressing and applying before, during, and after reading strategies to support comprehension.  Following the Elementary years, a student's exposure to text is relatively expository, and many times they will be reading efferent and not for pleasure which supports their need to be successful at identifying important information and finding and applying strategies that will benefit them the most.  There are strategies that I use every day without realizing they were strategies.  An example is; upon finding the required reading for a module, I find the chapter in the book flip through it and glance at the pictures and headings and see how long it is.  This is very effect and didn't realize it was actually a strategy.

     There are many important pieces of information that research supports that I implement or will implement in my classroom.  The first is the use of graphic organizers.  There are a plethora of them ranging from acronyms, concept maps, semantic maps, and so on.  I also personally use these.  Another important study that I highly agree with is the teaching of note taking.  It is a skill wading through information in search of pertinent information and culling out the unneeded information.  Research also supports the use of prediction and think aloud activities.  These activities not only activate and motivate students, but they give them an opportunity to create alternate endings to stories or situations.  I have also used these strategies in my Special Education classroom when unfavorable choices are made and it gives them an opportunity to reflect on what they could or should have done or said.

     Some definite changes I would like to make are tailoring strategies more to each of my students.  I also want to make writing have more meaning to them.  Another change I foresee is having students read a story or listens to a story and assists me in creating questions for their classmates.  This will give me an insight on the type and kinds of things they view are important in the text.  It will also demonstrate the level of thinking they are currently using.

     I absolutely love the KWL charts.  I have done this strategy with my blind students and I scribe their responses.  We go back to the chart several times before completing a lesson and follow up any answers that were not found in the text.  We have also used the creating your own dictionaries in a modified fashion.  I have visual representations of some of their vocabulary words and they use these to Braille short thoughts or write additional symbols to remind them of the words.  I have also used the anticipation guide in a modified sense.  I describe a book cover and a few pictures and have them predict what the story could be about.  I always cover the elements of the story during this activity.  I have also found that I use these strategies in our Science and Geography class as well without intentionally planning it. I have had a mind shift about reading with my current students and feel it is because I am finding information about reading that is supported with research.