Learning How to Learn: Quickly, Successfully

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Learning How to LearnQuickly, Successfully

• Dr. Geri Mohler
• Assistant Professor, Reading/Literacy
• California State University, Bakersfield
• gmohler_at_csub.edu

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Learning How to LearnQuickly, Successfully

• While you wait, read through the first three
  pages of fun stuff!

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Learning How to LearnQuickly, Successfully

• What you, as instructors, need to know
• What you, as instructors, can do

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Do you know these words?

• reaction
• position
• radical

• Intermediate
• stabilized
• resonance

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Now do you know them?

• reaction occurs exclusively at the benzylic
  position because the benzylic radical
  intermediate is highly stabilized by resonance.

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Some things I found at SJVC

• The privatization of corrections was intended to
  reduce the deprivations and brutality of public
  correctional facilities, provide financial
  savings to taxpayers, and address the escalation
  of prison populations.
• The etchant removes the smear layer, then the
  bonding component is allowed to flow into these
  small defects and into the partially opened
  tubules.

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And more.

• The difference inadvertently makes
• 796 vocabulary words in one chapter
• Study guides save the day

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What the students said

• Reading (12), memorizing (8), and test-taking
  (7) were highest areas of concern
• Also, knowing how to say the words,
  concentrating, and stress
• One said things moved at a faster paste

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What do you need to know to help?

• How reading is acquired and where it can break
  down
• How to plan classes/assignments to maximize
  learning
• Ways to quickly find out who is at risk

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The Stages of Reading Development

• 6 stages--The 5th stage is never complete
• Developmental--if one is not fully developed, it
  is difficult to move on
• Sometimes the problem is actually several stages
  back
• If a student has made it this far, s/he probably
  has tremendous coping skills and a wide range of
  reading skills

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Stage 0 Pseudo Reading(6 mo. - 6 yr)

• Pretend reading
• Retells story from pictures
• Phonological awareness
• Names alphabet letters/some sounds
• Prints own name
• Plays with books, pencils, paper

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Stage 1 Initial Reading and Decoding (Grade 1
and Grade 2)

• Learns relation between letters and sounds and
  between printed and spoken words
• Able to read simple text containing
  high-frequency words and phonically regular words
• Sounds out new one-syllable words

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Stage 2 Confirmation and Fluency (Grades 2 and 3)

• Reads simple stories with increasing fluency
• Learns to consolidate decoding, sight vocabulary,
  meaning context to read stories and selections

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Stage 3 Reading for Learning the New (Grades 4-8)

• For the first time, may be responsible for
  reading independently to
• -learn new ideas,
• -gain new knowledge,
• -experience new feelings and attitudes
• Text is generally from one viewpoint

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Stage 4 Multiple Viewpoints (Grades 10-12)

• Reading widely from a broad range of complex
  materials--expository and narrative
• Able to deal with multiple viewpoints

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Stage 5 Construction and Reconstruction (College
)

• Reading is used for ones own needs and purposes
• Serves to integrate ones knowledge with that of
  others to synthesize and create new knowledge
• It is rapid and efficient

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Implications

• Stage 3 is necessary for the industrial workplace
• Stage 4 is an absolute for the informational age
• Many readers never get beyond Stage 3 and most
  reading instruction ends before students are
  adept at Stage 3 skills

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Implications

• Most remediation is done in Stage 1 and Stage 2
  as well as beginning Stage 3
• However, beginning Stage 3 depends so heavily on
  adequate Stage 1 2 skills that decoding and
  fluency may be more important for older students
  whose comprehension seems low

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Where are your students?

• May be at 3rd grade level (beginning Stage 3)
• English learners may be able to carry on complete
  fluent conversations but not have academic
  English
• Vocabulary knowledge and world experience is weak
• Product of holistic reading instruction

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BEFORE Reading, Good Readers

• Think about what they already know about a
  subject
• Know the purpose for which they read
• Are motivated or interested to begin reading
• Have a general sense of how the BIG ideas will
  fit together

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BEFORE Reading, Poor Readers

• Begin to read without thinking about the topic
• Do not know why they are reading
• Lack interest and motivation to begin reading
• Have little sense of how the BIG ideas will fit
  together

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DURING Reading, Good Readers

• Pay simultaneous attention to words and meaning
• Read fluently
• Concentrate well while reading
• Willing to risk encountering difficult words
  and able to grapple with text ambiguities
• Construct efficient strategies to monitor
  comprehension
• Stop to use a fix-it strategy when confused
• Reading skills improve

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DURING Reading, Poor Readers

• Over-attend to individual words miss meaning
• Read slower and at the same rate of speed
• Have difficulty concentrating, particularly
  during silent reading
• Unwilling to risk, easily defeated by words and
  text
• Unable to construct efficient strategies to
  monitor comprehension
• Seldom use a fix-it strategy plod on ahead,
  just want to finish
• Reading progress is painfully slow

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AFTER Reading, Good Readers

• Understand how the pieces of information fit
  together
• Able to identify whats important
• Interested in reading more

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AFTER Reading, Poor Readers

• Do not understand how the pieces of information
  fit together
• May focus on the extraneous, peripheral
• See reading as distasteful

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Major Components of Reading

• Decoding
• Sounding out
• Word chunks
• Affixes
• Vocabulary
• Definitions
• Context
• Morphology
• Connections

• Fluency
• Accuracy/speed
• Expression
• Comprehension
• Prior knowledge
• Text Structure
• Purpose
• Monitoring
• Notetaking/review

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What is most important for them?

• Learn how to learn
• Know when they dont know
• Learn and understand, not just memorize

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3 Phases of Cognitive Processing--How You Prepare
Them to Learn

• Preactive Phase
• Preparing Focusing
• Interactive Phase
• Selecting Organizing
• Reflective Phase
• Integrating Applying

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What can you do?

• Only assign what is discussed and tested
• Always give a purpose for an assignment, not just
  the pages
• When possible, use more than the text
• Plan for before, during, and after reading to
  bridge gap between what good and poor readers do

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Before Reading Your Preparation

• How to get them interested?
• What information is most important?
• What vocabulary is essential?
• What needs to be memorized as opposed to just
  understood?
• How are you going to evaluate what has been
  learned?

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Before Reading Vocabulary

• Essential words for content
• Important words theyre likely to encounter again
• Latin/Greek parts to help them see connection
  of spelling and meaning
• Connectiveness of words with each other and other
  words as well as pronunciation

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Before Reading Vocabulary

• Decoding/pronunciation
• Graphic organizers
• Vocabulary Concept Cards
• Vocabulary Study Cards
• Concept Definition Map
• Word sorts
• Morphology
• Cognates

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(No Transcript)
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Diacritical Markings

• play rain
• bead bread break
• road broad
• four you touch
• though through tough cough

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(No Transcript)
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(No Transcript)
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What information is most important?

• Choose readings wisely--what can be left out?
  What does the study guide NOT cover adequately?
• High level questions to go beyond memorizing and
  get to understanding
• Graphic Organizers--text structure

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Pre-reading Activities

• Demonstration, discrepant events, visual
  displays, thought-provoking questions
• Relating the reading to students lives and
  background knowledge (fill in the gaps)
• Building text-specific knowledge
• Suggesting strategies (K-W-L GOs)
• Prediction and purpose setting
• Preview text--know how to use it

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Thought-Provoking Questions?

• KNOWLEDGE--What is deontological?
• COMPREHENSION--Why is the concept of duty
  important to a COP?
• APPLICATION--When is it OK to refuse an order?
• ANALYSIS--Classify the following laws according
  to severity?
• SYNTHESIS--Design a penal system that would be
  truly rehabilitating.
• EVALUATION--Write a dialogue a suspect might
  use to convince you of his innocence.

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During Reading Reciprocal teaching techniques

• Helps students monitor their comprehension and
  practice internalizing 4 cognitive strategies
  questioning, summarizing, predicting, clarifying
• Students and teachers take turns being discussion
  leaders--teachers model for students and students
  attempt to mimic the thinking of teachers

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During Reading Insert Active Reading Technique

• Students write on text or use sticky notes with
  these symbols
• X I thought differently
• New information
• ! WOW
• ? I dont understand
• Very important

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During Reading Mapping Strategies/Text Structures

• Mapping Strategies
• Tree Organizer
• Descriptive Pattern
• Text Structures
• Lists
• Definitions
• Compare/Contrast
• Cause/Effect
• Sequence

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After Reading

• Complete prediction forms (vocabulary, KWL)
• Extend concept maps--use them to write a summary,
  use during tests
• Writing assignments using peer editing --gt joint
  inquiry
• Analyze end-of chapter questions

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Analyze End-of-Chapter Questions

• Teach them how to discriminate between 3 types of
  questions
• Looking for factual or literal answers
• Asking for inferences or analyses
• Asking for opinions or evaluation

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Critical Thinking--Critical Writing

• Dont ask them about their writing ask them
  about their reasoning
• Instead of marginal comments, type up 5 or 6
  questions about each paper and have them write
  replies to these questions
• Allow student responses to include that they made
  a mistake, didnt read carefully, that they want
  to change their minds
• Have students swap papers and raise questions
  about each others arguments or positions

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Teachers who teach content areas well--

• Plan carefully ways to capitalize on students
  strengths
• Believe how one learns is as important as what
  one learns
• Have high expectations for all students
• Teach reading, thinking, and content concurrently

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Assessing student abilities

• SJVC philosophy
• How do you know now? How long does it take?
• Suggestion for a 30-minute assessment

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Websites

• Spelling http//literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/Materia
  ls/ndakota/spelling/toc.html
• Grammar/spelling http//webster.commnet.edu/sense
  n/index.html
• Text reading http//www.pixi.com/reader1/allbrow
  ser/
• Graphic Organizers
• http//www.region15.org/curriculum/graphicorg.html
  

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Websites

• English learners http//www.englishlearner.com/
• Cognates http//kellyjones.netfirms.com/spanish/c
  ognatedoublets.html http//www.latinamericalinks.c
  om/spanish_cognates.htm http//www.musicalspanish.
  com/tutorial/false-cognates.htm

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Before you go--

• Assignment--fill out map
• Evaluation
• Like?
• Didnt like?
• Next time?