Over the past decade, we’ve learned a lot more about how our students read, or rather, often don’t read. Some of it comes from the fact that once students learn how to read, they’re not taught how to read to learn. In other words, they often are not taught explicit strategies needed to develop deeper and more critical reading skills. And if there is one thing we’ve learned about transferring skills between classes, it’s that explicit teaching of skills and strategies and explicit reflection of those same skills and strategies is hugely beneficial.
We’ve also learned that students lack the motivation to engage with their texts when they don’t understand the
purpose of why they’re reading something.
The impact of online based reading is important, too. Online texts simply look different than books in a page. Aspects such as the lay out, the use of white space, of text boxes, and more impact the information students take from these pages. Teaching them explicit strategies for navigating these differences can be helpful.
Below are some general guidelines to keep in mind when
assigning readings, followed by some classroom activities and/or homework you
could consider in order to help students develop their critical reading skills.
General Guidelines
·
Incentivize students to complete their readings
through the use of online responses, dialogic journals, submitted annotations,
quizzes. Research has found that making work utilizing the readings worth NO LESS than 20% of their end grade dramatically increases student engagement with the readings.
·
Talk to students about why they’re reading a
particular text. Are they reading for information? To write a summary? To compare
information in one text to another? To determine if the text is appropriate for
a research paper? To imitate an author’s style? To see an example or
illustration of a particular idea or concept? Helping students understand why they are being asked to read a particular text can help them determine what strategies may be most helpful to use while reading that text.
· Overtly teach critical reading
skills and strategies. This means, literally, showing our students how
to annotate a page or walking them other critical reading strategies such as a “Says/Does”
activity or a “Doubting and Believing Game” activity. While we often mention
these strategies while teaching, students are rarely shown how to do them and
may be hesitant to ask.
·
Remember to teach strategies specific to your discipline
or discuss common purposes for reading in your discipline. Research has shown
that readers in specific disciplines often have strategies
and tools they use specifically for their disciplines – such as the use of
headers and the like.
· Teach reading strategies specific to online and textual readings. Show them how to annotate on a screen and other practical skills.
Teaching Activities
· Active Reading (Marking Up the Text)
o Demonstrate to students how to mark up
a text. Read through a text together as a class and demonstrate how to do
things like: underlie key words or ideas, circle or box words you want to
remember or look up, place a question mark in places you have questions or
write down the question in the margins, place a check mark next to significant
ideas, and other annotation strategies.
o If students are struggling, have them
consider the following questions to help.
§ What issue is the writer focusing on?
§ What is the writer’s thesis, either
explicit or implicit?
§ What tone is the writer taking?
§ Who is the audience for the piece?
§ What evidence is the writer using? Is
it effective for the audience?
§ Do you agree with this author? Why or
why not?
§ What connections can you make between
this author and other texts you’ve read, either in class, in other classes, or
outside of class?
· Dialogic Journals
o Ask students to do the following. On a
piece of paper, make two columns. At the top of one column, write “Quotes”. At
the top of the other, write “Response”. As you come across quotes or ideas that
catch your attention in some ways, write them down in the first column. Be sure
to include the page number. In the other column, write your response to that
column. Include both why you wrote down that quote and your response.
· Says/Does
o Ask students to make very specific
marginal notes. These notes should ask students to summarize, in less than a
sentence, what the paragraph says and what the paragraph does. Do this for each
paragraph in a text.
o Example:
§ Says:
People who teach students and study their research habits need to take into
account the affective/emotional (rather than just the intellectual) aspects of
conducting online research.
§ Does:
Describes an otherwise neglected aspect of this research and argues for
incorporating attention to it in studies.
· The Doubting/Believing Game
o This activity asks students to read a
text, at least twice, making different notations for each reading.
§ For the first reading, you’re asked to
go into the reading already doubtful. As you take notes and annotate, keep
these concepts in mind.
· Look for internal contradictions or lapses
in logic.
· Doubt all assertions, even reasonable
ones.
· Look for both hidden and not-so-hidden
assertions and question them.
· Compare with your own experiences and
find places where they do not align.
· Look for mistakes or imprecision.
§ For the second reading, you’re asked
to believe the author and make notes looking at the following ideas as you
read.
· Don’t doubt assertions.
· Take the perspective of another reader
· Be willing to change your mind.
· Find metaphors, analogies, and
associations.
· Consider examples, belief systems, and
perspectives where the proposed thesis might make sense.
