When I first began teaching, I taught reading strategies in order as stated by my curriculum map. One day, I was dutifully teaching students how to predict, complete with a really cute crystal ball. After students started practicing at their seats, I overheard one student ask another student:
"Do you think I have to predict today? I've already read this book before."
#READINGSTRATEGYFAIL
In that moment, I realized that I was placing more emphasis on the strategies themselves than the actual comprehension of the text. Students saw the strategies AS THE POINT instead of a tool. Clearly, I was addicted to teaching reading strategies, not teaching reading. Essentially, I cared about the strategies more than the reading. (Although this error was well-intentioned, it was absolutely ineffective.)
Are you addicted to teaching reading strategies?
Here are a few signs:
Sign 1: In most cases, every student is working on the same reading strategy in the room.
You direct the use of reading strategies of reading strategies in your classroom at all times. You tell students which strategies to use when. You prompt, model, and prompt again until students get the answer you expect.
Sign 2: Students in your class tend to use one reading strategy at a time.
If we're working on summarization, we summarize. And that's it. Strategies are often used in isolation based on the topic or story of the week. Students don't often use or discuss other strategies beyond your focus.
Sign 3: Students can't explain why a certain strategy should be used in a certain situation.
Students use strategies so that they can meet the expectations in the classroom and get a good grade. They aren't sure WHY they actually use these strategies, and they can't explain WHY when you ask them.
Sign 4: Students associate graphic organizers/writing prompts with reading "completion."
Students see reading as "complete" when the finish the graphic organizer or writing prompt associated with the strategy. This finite view of both the strategy and the task of reading limits the student and the learning.
Although I still continue to teach reading strategies as a part of my instruction today, it is a much smaller part of the literacy block. Interacting with the text, thinking aloud, and making active reading decisions based on the text now drives how I craft my instruction. Over time I've seen my kids become much more independent and confident readers via this philosophy.
So, let go a little bit.
Give students strategic options, not automated routines.
I almost missed Grant's link to your thoughts, but am happy I went to re-read his blog on strategies to discover your thoughts on "addiction". Literacy language is confusing, befuddling and perplexing and it needs to be clarified.
ReplyDeleteI too am guilty of my students practicing and using a technique in isolation(gisting, GRaSP,sifting the main idea from the facts, etc). Because TIME is always nudging everything forward, maybe I'm not giving them more opportunities for choice in making meaning, but am more concerned that they have lots of choices to choose from but without time to "scrimmage"!
And oh how I've visited Pinterest!
May I ask for more details on how you introduce teaching a "strategy" and how it's followed through? I'm thinking you not only want them to practice it, but then after link it to the many other ways to think about text too. We are keeping reading "diaries" based on something from N. Atwell I discovered, but I know I need to let go and let them do even more with their quick reflections. Maybe we could do this then--scrimmage choices?
The sports analogies are great, but I can SEE which tactic a player is using on a field and whether their choice was effective or a stinker for the overall goal of winning. How do I SEE which tactic my students are using except through reading, writing, talking and listening about it? It seems we must practice in literacy, too.
Here's where I'm spinning my thoughts but am worried I'll end up with vertigo instead of moving in the right direction: Plan for new differentiated text for practice (I loved your prediction story above!), bring in Socratic Seminar for shared text that runs deep and allows discussion that hums with thinking, and provide time to share aloud what's working for them in their pleasure and content reading. I'd love your feedback.
Thank you, Kristin--I hope I'm SEE-ing a new way to encourage deeper thinking in the classroom! :) I appreciate very much learning from others.
Hi Cindy, thank you so much for your awesome comment. I'm glad you enjoyed Grant's thoughts on literacy language as much as I did. It certainly helped me reframe and shift my thinking a little bit.
DeleteYou raise a great question: How do we actually teach reading strategies while still keeping our ultimate goal of teaching reading at the forefront? Well, my solution to this has been lots and lots of think alouds followed by extensive student choice regarding STRATEGY.
So, here's what it looks like:
-First I introduce several strategies. (I call these a "family of strategies" because they are usually related in some way. One family includes prediction, inference, and click/clunk.
-Then I read aloud and model how all of these strategies interact. I also explain how I'm making choices as a reader as to which strategy I might need. I make it clear that the strategy I select is personal, and based on my reading.
-Then I have students work in partners to read aloud/think aloud to each other. Then we debrief on what strategies they tried and which ones helped them most.
-Then, during their guided reading time, they can choose from any strategy that they want. They don't have to complete a graphic organizer on the strategy all the time. (Sometimes they do though.) After guided reading time, students talk about what strategy they selected and why. This has really raised the level of discussion in my guided reading groups. Instead of everyone reporting and looking for a "right answer," it's become very personal.
-I also have students do this type of metacognitive reflection during at home reading. They don't log their books (as I think this creates an unintentional reading race). They log their thinking and what helped them overcome stumbling blocks.
Ok, so what can I do to make this better? I would LOVE suggestions and feedback!
Reading is so complex.
DeleteI like your idea of modeling several strategies during a modeled read aloud. I do this with read-alouds (shared and read to)and then the kids talk about their thoughts too--like an open forum. But during instruction I mostly teach strategies individually--especially in reading non-fiction text in order to write summaries of learning based on their annotations or to make inferences. "Okay, we've learned how through _____, now I'm going to show you another way and it's _____. " I haven't thought of doing the mix during instruction. I like it!
Questions:
1. Do we still call what we know as strategies....strategies? I want to use the right language with my students.
2. How do you manage your time doing this? Other teachers and I strive for the "mini-lesson" and find it becomes the "maxi-lesson" and its with one strategy. We are frustrated by this.
3. If I introduce three members of a strategy family is it taught more through immersion (using the language while modeling) or more directly and explicitly so students attend to something specific("Today I want to share with you ____.")?
4. How do you determine your strategy families?
5. Has there been a particular book (or books) that have shaped your literacy thinking?
I thank you for your time with these questions. Just an FYI: I teach 5th Language Arts/Social Studies (U.S. History). My goal is to use Language Arts to support their learning in history while also developing and growing through their own independent reading, too. I like to read Daniel Willingham's blog, Grant's blog and I've signed up for yours, too! Willingham has a blog about how teaching content is teaching reading that was an "aha" for me. Grant seems to always have "aha" moments to share and I identified so much with your article above. Love that poster, too!
Thank you again--I know you are a busy learner.
Hi Cindy,
DeleteThanks for continuing this good discussion. I'll answer your questions, but please feel free to push back if something doesn't resonate with you. That's how I learn best!
1. I still call them reading strategies. (This is the language they'll hear throughout school, so I think it's best to stay consistent here.)
2. I really try to keep my mini-lessons to 10 minutes or less. I introduce each strategy individually at the beginning of the year. (It takes about 5 days of mini-lessons.) From there, I only provide mini-lessons that show the strategies being used in tandem in context. So, it all unfolds over time. I agree, keeping the mini-lessons short is really important.
3. In the beginning, I'm more explicit. Then I start to use more of an immersion model. Essentially, I fade the prompting.
4. Honestly, I make them up based on what makes sense for the text and the students. (!)
5. Definitely watch this YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiP-ijdxqEc (You may have seen it if you are into Willingham.) I also LOVE Guided Comprehension by McLaughlin and Allen and Strategies that Work from Harvey. Focus by Schmoker has also enriched my view of how kids should grapple with complex texts.
Thank you so much for reading and connecting. I am so excited to hear that you're being strategic about literacy in the content areas. It's so important for our kids! Thanks for reading and thanks for pushing my learning. I really appreciate you.
Let's keep learning together. ~K