And finally, the 7th strategy to help students grow as independent readers....to talk about what they read.
"Having students respond to their IR creates time for them to reflect on what they have read and to push their thinking further by sharing those reflections with others." I cannot tell you how many times I have read something only to think back, "now what did I just read???" Having students discuss what they have read is a way to give students a chance to process the information further. One study suggests that "talk appears to play a fundamental role in text-based comprehension." The author of No More Independent Reading Without Support suggests several ways to do this including peer discussions, small group conversations, or having students become the author. Another strategy the author suggests is Reciprocal Teaching which uses questioning, clarifying, summarizing, and predicting.
To me, this makes perfect sense. If I want to remember something, I say it over and over in my head. So why not have students talk about what they read? This can be first modeled by the teacher, but can then be student-centered. If you want students to remember what they read, have them talk about it!
I have been thinking of different interactive ways to have students to discuss what they have read. I definitely think this is important. This gives students a chances to express their feelings about the book, helping teachers observe their understanding, while other students may even hear of a book they may like to read themselves!!!
ReplyDeleteElizabeth,
ReplyDeleteI remember things in the same way as you, say something over and over. For this reason, I feel that students should be allowed to talk about what they read. They can learn so much from one another. This week article discuss the importance of allowing students the opportunity to talk in the classroom. This helps them to develop socially. There are a number of benefits students can gain if teachers allow talk in the classroom.
So true! Giving students time to process/reflect/share after spending time reading independently is an important element of the IR structure--yet one that is frequently overlooked. I hope you will be able to try Reciprocal Teaching and let us know how it goes! :-)
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