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Comprehension
Overview
This section will address
the importance of teaching strategies to
enhance student comprehension
from text. A variety of techniques are presented which can be easily implemented
at any level or in any content area.
Background Information:
"Any definition of reading
should recognize the selective way in which we read all kinds of print,
not striving mechanically to "extract" all the information the author or
printer provides for us, but deliberately seeking just the information
that we need, like
finding a route between
two places on a map. Information needed for what purpose? To answer specific
questions that we are asking." (Smith, 1985)
"Learning is a process of
constructing meaning" (Marzano, 1992). Knowing that some students will
not construct meaning strictly from the reading of text, teachers must
aid the students in experiencing the information. According to Marzano,
teachers must "alter the
current instructional paradigm
to reflect what is known about how children learn." Readance, Bean, and
Baldwin (1995) all agree,
stating "the teacher's role
is to encourage thinking processes
essential to understanding
- facilitate learning with text."
Four aspects that a text
cannot control but which are essential for teaching are:
1. Tailoring
the message
2. Activating
prior knowledge
3. Focusing
attention
4. Monitoring
comprehension. (Schallert and Kleinmann, 1979)
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