Teaching And Learning From Texts Vacca Ch1
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Transcript of Teaching And Learning From Texts Vacca Ch1
Dr. MahoneyResources from Vacca and Vacca
Reading mattersUsing reading to learn is what content
reading is aboutHow to learn not often taughtStudents don’t read; teachers revert to
lecture
Posing questions1. Why does “assigning and telling” stifle active
learning and deny students responsibility?2. How are literacy and learning related?3. What is content literacy?4. How does diversity affect classroom
interactions?5. How can students ‘think with text?’6. What is ‘reader response’ and ‘schema
theory,’ and how does it influence comprehension and learning?
Teachers, Students and TextEmphasis on content knowledge; more
difficult to teach than to knowTextbooks are the main teaching toolsViews of texts - Canons, authoritative sources
of knowledgeShift from teaching ‘from’ text to teaching
‘with’ textImplies readers bring contributions
Beyond Assigning and TellingTraditional teaching – recitation – assign,
question, evaluate responseTeacher is active participant; students
passiveTeacher assigns – students didn’t read –
teacher imparts contentYour text stuggests burden of learn should
shift from teacher to students
Today’s studentsDiverse students struggle with learning from
textsLittle support for struggling studentsMay be placed in ‘slower’ classes with watered
down contentLinguistic variations influence literacy learningDifference perceived as deficit
Successful teachers allow use of dialect rather than continually correcting
In Language Arts classes, students study standard English
Challenges in using textsHeavy concept load; heavy vocabulary load –
challenge for non-standard English speakers and ELL students
Failure to read on grade levelAlienated from school“Hideout” in classrooms – avoid reading,
avoid eye contact with teacher, disrupt when asked content questions, forget to bring textbook, seek help from friends – perpetuates cycle of failure; lack knowledge of strategies
Effective readersKnow how to approach the textMake plans for readingLocate and summarize main ideasOrganize contentKnow how to ‘get out of jams’ when reading
Ineffective or struggling readersLack knowledge of control of strategiesLack knowledge of when to use specific
strategiesFail to identify purpose for reading and
writingRemain passive and disengagedSense of helplessness and poor self-imageLack confidence in ability to discern meaning
Content literacyThe ability to use reading and writing to
learn subject matterLiteracy – the ability to read and write a
languageFunctional literacy – literacy needed to
survive in societyIlliteracy – inability to read and writeAliteracy – choosing not to read and writeLiteracy is situational – workplace literacy,
family literacy, etc
To be literate in content classrooms1. Students must use reading and writing to
explore and construct meaning from texts, other learners, and teachers
Teachers must help students use reading and writing as learning tools, to think about content.Reading – thinking with printed symbolsThink to discover, organize, retrieve, elaborate
on information and ideas
Thinking with textReading – a conversation between text and
reader; the mind is questioning (cognitive questioning), dialoguing with the author
Theories about the reading processReader Response TheorySchema Theory
Reader Response TheoryRosenblatt – thought and feeling components
of literacy interpretation – text demands affective interpretation
Instructional implication – create active learning environment in which students respond personally an critically to what is read
Stances – efferent, aesthetic, critical – readers shift between these stances as they read
Instructional implications – use of journals in which students record responses to text
Reader Response Questions1. What aspect of the text interested you the
most?2. What are your feelings and attitudes about
this aspect of the text?3. What experiences have you had that help
others understand why you feel the way you do?
Responses help readers make personal connections to the text.
Schema TheorySchema – technical term to describe how
people organize and store information in the mind
Schema activation – mechanism for accessing knowledge and matching to text information
How schemata influence learning1. Provide a framework for seeking and
selecting relevant information2. Help organize text information – integrate
new information with old, facilitates retention and recall; poorly organized text makes this difficult
3. Help readers elaborate information – make judgments, evaluate, gain insight
Teacher’s role – Instructional ScaffoldingProvide “necessary support”
Understand the gaps between learners prior knowledge and the assumptions texts make about students’ knowledge
Provide organizational strategiesPlanning active learning environments