The Dichotomy of Read Chapter Five Instructor and Student Perspectives

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The Dichotomy of Read Chapter Five
Instructor and Student Perspectives

• Dr. Pamela Petty Associate Professor of Literacy
• College of Education and Behavioral Sciences
• Special Instructional Programs
• pamela.petty_at_wku.edu
• http//www.pampetty.com
• 270-745-2922

Dr. Sherry PowersDept. Head Special
Instructional Programs Associate Professor of
Literacy College of Education and Behavioral
Sciences sherry.powers_at_wku.edu http//edtech.wku.
edu/spowers 270-745-4452
http//edtech.wku.edu/ppetty/collegereading.htm
Link for todays presentation found on
this site.
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Presentation Goals

• support student learning by including a few
  simple study skill and reading comprehension
  strategies matched to assigned readings/texts
• ideas for increasing student vocabulary
  development
• retention of material, and for
• aiding students in handling the volume of
  assigned readings

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The Problem
"Students didn't learn how to read scholarly
papers in grade school," one teacher told us,
"but they usually get little training beyond that
level on how to read.
We can count on about 50 of the kids who walk
across the stage a high school graduation NOT
being able to read at a level that is demanded of
college freshmen.
Bain, K. (2004). What the Best College Teachers
Do. Cambridge, MA Harvard Press, p. 89.
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Instructor Challenge

• The best educators often teach students how to
  read the materials.  Ralph Lynn developed
  extensive routines to who students how to examine
  and analyze a book before they read it.  Others
  teach students how to
• recognize arguments,
• distinguish between evidence and conclusions,
• comprehend the kind of evidence offered (for
  example, inferred or observed),
• recognize that agreements and disagreements can
  emerge in both belief and attitude,
• understand what kinds of questions need to be
  asked for each type of evidence and
  disagreement, identify assumptions, and
• explore the implications of conclusions. 
• Bain, K. (2004). What the Best College Teachers
  Do. Cambridge, MA Harvard Press, p. 89.

Support
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Opening Question

• Take a moment to reflect on your experience with
  students who struggle in your course(s).
• Come up with 2 causes for the struggles you have
  witnessed.

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Areas of Need
VOLUME

• You are the expert at which your students need to
  read to be able to learn the required material
  for your courses.  You are also the one who has
  expectations about what students should gain from
  the reading.  If you have noticed that the amount
  of assigned readings is either
• too overwhelming for too many students,
• not providing enough specific learning for the
  time it takes to do the reading, or
• tempting you to "strong arm" the assigned reading
  (aka, quizzes, etc.), then you may find some of
  these suggestions helpful.

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Cut to the Chase
VOLUME
Carefully consider the content in each chapter. 
While it is quick and easy to say, "read
chapter 5," there may only be a few key points in
a 38-page chapter that you feel would benefit
your students.  A more strategically made
assignment, "read pages 56-59, 63-68, and 71-75,"
would reduce the time it takes students to do the
required reading, ensure that the assigned
reading looks manageable to students, and allow
students more time to synthesize the key points. 
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Where is the Beef?
VOLUME
Make sure your reading assignments are valuable
to students.  If you ask students to "read
chapter 5" and then come to class and TELL them
everything that is in chapter 5, then why did
they need to read it independently?  Instead,
consider having an activity planned for the class
in which they take the information they got from
the reading and manipulate it in some way - group
work, sharing, demonstrating, discussion groups,
question and answer groups, question the teacher
sessions, etc. 
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Why, oh Why, oh Why?
VOLUME
Students need a REASON to read chapter 5 - other
than you saying to do so.  All you need is the
word "and" and a verb.  The new directive would
look like this  "Read chapter 5 AND DEVELOP a
timeline that highlights the major events that
took place."  Now students are not reading
PASSIVELY, but actively engaging with the print
for a PURPOSE.  The next class meeting would
provide students with opportunities to USE the
timelines for some purpose that would further
their learning and understanding of the content. 
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Think-Pair-Share

• Consider the volume of assigned reading within
  your course(s). Do you think that the volume of
  assigned reading is an aspect that could be
  addressed?
• Turn to a partner and share your knowledge.
• Do you have anything to share with the group?

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Depth of word knowledge

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Repetition
Repetition
Repetition
Repetition
Repetition

Repetition
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List/Brainstorm

• What strategies to you presently employ to teach
  critical vocabulary within your course(s)?
• Start with your clearest thoughts and then move
  on to those that are kind of out there with ways
  you might provide DEPTH and REPETITION to your
  vocabulary instruction.

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Retention of Information
Part of the problem in "I assign" and "students
do the assigned" is the expectations on each side
of that coin.  If you want your needs met as an
instructor, you need to be VERY specific about
what you EXPECT when you ask students to "read"
(or do anything else, for that matter).  Your
expectations may change (and likely will)
depending on the task you want students to
perform. 
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Path to Retention

• Three avenues for comprehension 
• what you do BEFORE you read,
• what you do DURING the reading, and
• what you do AFTER the reading. 

You must REPHRASE in order to RETAIN.
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NOTE CHECK

• Take a few minutes to compare notes with a
  partner
• Summarize the most important information.
• Identify (and clarify if possible) any sticking
  points.

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College Reading Success
http//edtech.wku.edu/ppetty/collegereading.htm
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Collection of Data

• Electronic submission of responses to 20 queries
  4 of which allowed for open response.

Pre January 2006 http//www.pampetty.com/college
readingsurvey.htm Post May 2006 http//www.pam
petty.com/collegereadingsurveypost.htm Weekly
anecdotal notes from graduate student working
with each undergraduate student.
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Structure

• 8-weeks
• Tuesdays
• 500 615
• Small group format
• Literacy graduate students
• Authentic texts
• Current courses

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Demographics

• 60 students registered
• 40 students completed the 8-week sessions
• average ACT 20.45
• average GPA 2.81
• average of hours taken spring semester
  12. 26
• average number of assigned readings per
  week 104.4 pages

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Year in College
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Majors Represented
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Child Psychology
civil engineering
Accounting
Computer Information Technology
Textiles and Apparel Merchandising
Photojournalism- New Media
Environmental Science
Hospitality Management
Secondary School Counseling
Economics
Middle Grades Education
Social Studies
Political Science
Medical
Computer Information Systems
Social Work
Business Technology Business Management
electrical engineering
Health Care Administration
International Relations
Sales Marketing
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Reads Assigned Text
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Factors that guide decision-making about what to
READ
before
quiz
interested
beginning
exam
refer
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Study Skills Regularly Used
Study Between
Highlight
Never Look
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Most Problem with
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Two Minute Paper

• Summarize the most important points for you in
  todays session.

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One Final Question . . .

• Which of the strategies weve covered would you
  like to try in your own classes?