Lizzie
McCalley
EDRD
7715
Dr.
Ritchie
June 7th,
2012
Reflection on Weaver’s, Reading Process and Practice, Chapter
One
I
found this chapter very interesting in regards to children’s ability to use
skills they have learned to read but their inability to comprehend. This
discussion reminded me of a field placement when I taught guided reading
lessons to one student. I remember having to meet all these requirements; doing
initial testing to figure out his reading level, letterbox lessons, etc. It
became very hard for the student to understand the value of comprehension and
the skills necessary to grasp the meaning of a story when there were so many
other requirements. I resonated with the educators who struggle to meet every
requirement while also encouraging comprehension.
This
chapter was a great review of specific terms I have not studied in a while. I
enjoyed comparing different students writing and miscues because it is always
valuable to reflect on students work and see if their mistakes at that age are
similar to personal experiences of students you have worked with of the same
age. Reading and writing is so invaluable to students and their education needs
to remind them of the power and importance reading has. This chapter made me
very excited to continue on this reading endorsement path and learn how to
teach reading in the most effective way possible.
Reflection
on Weaver’s, Reading Process and Practice,
Chapter Two
I
really enjoyed reading this chapter.
The examples of what schemas are was tremendously helpful to me. In this
chapter, Weaver referred to schemas as a type of “transaction” between the
reader’s own personal schema and the material that is being received by the
reader. I had never quite thought about reading in such a sense as a
“transaction.” I had always recognized that when you read something, your
personal opinions, beliefs, and experiences do come through. But, viewing it as
a trading and mixing explains how necessary each account is to each other, how
the text and reader really depend on each other.
Due
to reading being a transaction, it now makes sense that “in human communication
the message received is never identical
to the message sent, whether the communication is oral or written” (Weaver,
23). This point made by Weaver paints a grand picture of how personal schemas
are and the value of individuals using their own backgrounds and making
transactions with the words on the pages. Due to this receiving of messages and
the differences that can occur, it suddenly made sense to me how inner-city
children may struggle with reading because their schemas are incredibly
limited. Since these particular types of children may not have had many life
experiences, their ability to interpret the text is going to vary greatly from
their classmates. This shows how important it is to encourage each child at
their own pace while also providing as many new experiences to build up in
their schema as possible.
Lizzie,
ReplyDeleteI too am excited about learning more about how to teach reading in the most effective way. I can remember struggling more with teaching reading as a first year teacher then I do now, but I know there is still a lot more I can learn to improve myself and better assist my students. I also found the information about schemas and reading being a transaction quite helpful. Working with such young children, I am now wondering how often I’ve assumed a child knew what I was talking about when he/she really didn’t, maybe because they haven’t had a worldly experience with the topic yet. For example, when the Weaver text used the word “run” in the sentence about the dog I wasn’t quite sure about the meaning of the sentence. It wasn’t until I kept reading and found the definition of “run” in that context that I could completely understand the sentence. I have never heard or been exposed to the definition of run meaning the enclosure at a kennel for a dog. Once I read the definition I said to myself “Oh! That makes sense now.” So many times I’ve heard my students proclaim that same statement after figuring something out for the first time. Just like the book said, children’s schemas may be inadequate for making sense of what I’m saying. This is why I feel it is important to brainstorm with students about topics, before you start teaching, to see what prior knowledge they may have and provide explanations for questions students may have about the topic. Then, from there a teacher can start to build on what students already know as well as provide new experiences for students to add to their schemas.
Lizzie,
ReplyDeleteThese chapters were also helpful for me; my mind’s been refreshed of terms I haven’t used in a while. The portion of the text on schemas reminded me that students don’t all come to the table with the same set of skills and prior knowledge. I think that’s why the pre-reading portion of any lesson is so valuable. (Like Nikole above.) This will not only help the students activate prior knowledge, but also give an informal measure of what vocabulary, necessary skills, and content need to be introduced or reviewed. Often a simple thumbs up or down will visually demonstrate familiarity with the concepts and content.