After reading through the Applegate
text I was able to make connections to the definitions of the different types
of comprehension that people possess. The types of comprehension are
Literalists, Fuzzy Thinkers, Left Fielders, Quiz Contestants, Politicians,
Dodgers, Authors, and Minimalists. The
type that I believe fits best with my type of comprehension is the Quiz
Contestant. This type of thinker searches their previous knowledge for an explanation
and disconnect from the text. A logical answer is provided but one that is
justified without the use of the information from the text. I find myself talking a lot about a subject but usually lack in using the new information learned from the text in my discussion but the information I'm comfortable/ familiar with.
The Gregory text
talked about the Velcro Theory which is characterized by learning new material
by connecting it with information already in your head. This theory is used in
almost every classroom when the teacher tries to introduce new information by
connecting it to previous knowledge or scaffolding the material with similar
concepts. The main strategies to take away from the reading is visualization/
Mind movies, asking questions, using schema, making connections, and infer about
the text. These strategies will help students succeed in comprehension of the
text by making it meaningful, sticking in their brains.
Learning about the readers in my classroom will help me better understand the knowledge they are drawing from or lack there of and how to best support them. The students comprehension type will help me figure out what fund of knowledge they connect best with and what areas they need help to further develop. I see this a lot in my placement classroom where the students will answer a question or give their thoughts to what happened in a story but lack the ability to back their thoughts up with why they think it or what details in the text helped them come to that conclusion. They can be also be characterized as Dodgers where they first start out by answering the question but then get side tracked and continue to talk about a tiny concept that has very little connection to the main idea of the entire story/ the purpose of the main question.
Do you see any of these
strategies in your classroom that your students use? What ones do you use as a
reader?
I also like Applegate’s reading, “Profiles in Comprehension.” It offers many different profiles how students might fit, and how each profile may benefit by how their background knowledge is retrieved and/or classroom activities are more effective for them. While learning English as a second language learner in middle school, I remember very clearly learning as a minimalist. Because I was not confident with my English and my classmates in the new environment, I was often required to write journals. I was allowed to write about anything related to what we did in the classroom in the journal, including my thoughts and responses to some of the discussions and topics of the book we read. It was not limited to only written words. I could also draw pictures or comics that support my thinking or learning experience. To an English language learner, it was a starting point for elaborating my thoughts through written and pictorial forms. With the teacher’s feedback and encouragement of sharing some of my “excellent ideas” to the class, I gradually started to participate in classroom discussions in class. With more practice speaking and interacting with classmates in English, my English as well as self-confidence level improved.
ReplyDeleteEven though the author states that “effective comprehension instruction must be matched to the reader,” I would like my students experiment with different instructions, especially with a classroom with a diversity of students. For instance, on the one hand, having a minimalist learner write a journal may allow him/her communicate ideas, thoughts and feelings through writing. On the other hand, the students that fit other profiles can also benefit from this type of intervention. The instructor can slowly get to the students better, and build a personal relationship with the students. Furthermore, the students do not stick to one particular profile. They may change through time, like myself, or fit more than one profiles.
I was very intrigued by the Applegate article. I enjoyed reading about the different comprehension profiles and trying to decide where I belong as well as figuring out where my students belong. I too found myself in the quiz contestant profile. When I read something I typical find what is most interesting to me and read it in detail and skim over the rest. This leads to me being knowledgeable in one topic of the reading but not all of it. When asked a question from the reading I will respond with what I read in detail and relate it back to something in my life. My response may be correct but can start to get off topic. That is where I start to blend into a dodger. I would not consider myself a dodger but I do have some qualities of one.
ReplyDeleteIt is very difficult to tell what profile my students are because they are so young. They are in kindergarten and first grade therefor they barely have discussions for me to decide what comprehension profile they are. There is one student in particular who I know is a minimalist. She barely talks and even when it is an open ended question she will not answer. When my mentor teacher has all the kids talk about their weekend she never speaks and refuses to tell anything about her weekend. Even when she is guided or asked questions she only gives yes or no answers. Her classic answer is “I don’t know” just like the article talks about. I do believe part of her issue is a lack in self-confidence. She knows that she is falling behind and she may not want to speak in fear of being considered unintelligent. She is in kindergarten and is unable to write in a journal. If she did it would need to be interpreted and this could prove to be a challenge because she may not want to say it out loud. I believe drawing or sketching may be her best option. She can sketch a picture about what she read and what she comprehended.