READING STRATEGIES

A. Reading with comprehension - young children use few strategies

  1. meaningful, organized and interesting material is the easiest to remember
  2. recognition is easier than recall
  3. paraphrased material is easier than verbatim
  4. active rehearsal better than silent reading

B. Metacognition - conscious awareness of techniques being used

C. Metacomprehension - monitoring during reading

  1. identify relevant background knowledge
  2. generate and respond to questions
  3. make connections between parts
  4. draw inferences
  5. summarize and organize

D. Novice or Expert

Novice: focuses on word recognition, verbatim rather than synopsis

Young children do not generate plans or strategies

Poor readers: do not skim, scan, reread, integrate information, plan ahead, take notes, or make inferences. They are often unaware that they are experiencing problems in comprehension or take corrective action

Experts: clarify task demands, red for meaning, focus on important facts not details, monitor comprehension while reading, check and review for goal achievement, take corrective action when comprehension fails, recover from disruptions so that text processing can continue.

Explicit training helps poor readers although self-developed skill is better. Both how and when need to be taught.

SQ3R (Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review)
SURVEY: skim, read the title, introduction, assess length organization, general approach, pictures, charts and illustrations
QUESTION: define what you need to know
READ: passages, main ideas, re-read difficult parts, look up unfamiliar words
RECITE: close book, try to recall answers to questions
REVIEW: concentrate on weak response passages

NOTE TAKING

Underline: use psychological deferment - underline on second reading not first.

Supplement: with marginal comments

colour code: for main ideas, supporting evidence, new terms, relationships

* Note taking should be summaries which condense material and focus on important ideas.

6 rules for note-taking:

  1. delete trivia
  2. delete redundancy
  3. substitute a super-ordinate term for a list of subordinate items
  4. substitute a super-ordinate term for subordinate actions
  5. select a topic sentence
  6. write your own topic sentence

Other guidelines

  1. distinguish between levels of information
  2. abbreviate words
  3. paraphrase own words
  4. use an outline format

Notes should condense material and represent a conceptual gathering. Well organized text patterns can help. Examples:

MURDER

  1. 1st degree:
  2. M mood to study
  3. U understanding - mark the important
  4. R recall material without reference to the text
  5. D digest - amplify and store
  6. E expand through self inquiry
  7. R review mistakes
  8. 2nd degree
  9.  
  10. M mood
  11. U understand task requirements
  12. R re-cue main ideas
  13. D detail main ideas
  14. E expand information into outline
  15. R review adequacy of final response
  16. Networking - codes and symbols to underscore linkages
  17. 1. part link 4. analogy link
  18. 2. type link 5. characteristic link
  19. 3. leads to link 6. evidence links
  20. Incorporate these into lessons - skimming, note taking, advance organizers
  21. PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS
  22. A. Kinds of problems:
  23. well structured problems - clear goal with the information needed to solve it.
  24. algorithms - fixed rules or procedures with single possible answer.
  25. ill-structured problems - attack with heuristics - general rules of thumb, procedural guidelines.

    B. Varied Views:

    Thorndike - trial & error

    Kohler - sudden insight

    1. preparation
    2. incubation - reflection, analysis
    3. illumination - Aha
    4. verification

    Dewey

    1. Present the problem
    2. Define - identify present state and desired goal
    3. Develop hypotheses - generate ideas
    4. test hypotheses - identify positives and negatives
    5. Select best

    C. How to solve it

    1. Understand the problem - identify known and unknowns required
    2. Devise a plan - connections between known and unknown
    3. Carry out - including checking
    4. Look back - check it

    Experts

    Cyprt - heuristics

    1. Keep big picture in mind without getting lost in details

    2. Avoid too early committment to a single hypothesis

    3. Create models to simplify

    4. Try to change representation of networking (don't flog a dead horse)

    5. Use the information to generate questions

    6. Be willing to questions your own ideas

    7. Try working backward from solutions

    8. Keep track of partial solutions

    9. Use analogies and metaphors

    10. talk about the problem

    TEACHING THINKING SKILLS

    Teach key elements

    Logic: - deduce implication and evaluate whether conclusions follow the premises - if/then, not necessarily the reverse

    Critical thinking

    1. assessing validity of authors' premises

    2. assessing soundness of authors' logic in developing conclusions

    3. identifying purpose in writing (point of view)

    4. distinguishing bias, slanted language, rhetorical appeal to emotion rather than evidence

    5. distinguishing fact from opinion

    CoRT Program

    DeBono (1985) Cognitive Research Trust - 60 lessons for developing thinking skills for children aged 9-11.

    PMI - Plus, Minus, Interesting

    The Instrumental Enrichment Program

    Feuerstein, 1985 - aged 9+- for disadvantaged kids.
    It encourages:

    1. perceptual organization of information
    2. problem representation
    3. planning
    4. goal analysis
    5. restructuring of problems when existing plans don't work

    CATEGORIES OF LEARNING/THINKING STRATEGIES

    Basic Rehearsal Strategies Simple repetition: hablo, hablas, habla, hablamos, hablais, hablan
    Complex Rehearsal Strategies Highlighting all the important points in a text
    Basic Elaboration Strategies Forming mental images or other associations such as “Men very easily make jugs serve useful nocturnal purposes” ( the first letter of each word stands for a planet in the solar system)
    Complex Elaboration Strategies Forming analogies, paraphrasing, summarizing, relating
    Basic Organizational Strategies Grouping, classifying, ordering
    Complex Organizational Strategies Identifying main ideas; developing concept-summarizing tables such as this one
    Comprehension-Monitoring Strategies Self-questioning; reciting main points; setting goals and checking progress toward those goals
    Affective and Motivational Strategies Anticipating consequences of academic success (for example, a scholarship); deep breathing and other relaxation activities; positive thinking