One key point that I took from Chapter 5 is that your students determine what texts will be most appropriate for a lesson. It is their experiences, prior knowledge, and motivation that should dictate what texts a teacher chooses to enhance a lesson. It makes sense to me. I mean, if I have absolutely no prior knowledge on a topic, and then I read about it, I personally will still not have much understanding of that topic because I won't have understood what I read. It's kind of like a vicious circle. Give a student something to read about that they don't understand, and they probably won't understand what they read. My point is, the best way to introduce a brand new concept in which students have no prior knowledge is to let them experience it, either by taking a trip, or more likely a video or photos. Then you can introduce simple texts to students on the concepts and gradually get more complex.
Another key point that I took from Chapter 5 is the importance of using a variety of texts. Most teachers will work with diverse learners who have different levels of experience and prior knowledge. We all know by now that what is best for one student is not necessarily best for another, therefore we need to mix it up. There are so many options these days that this task does not need to be that difficult. We have textbooks, informational texts and documents, and various media outlets in which to utilize to reach all students. With this being the case, using a textbook as the sole source of presenting information is basically inexcusable.
Lastly, choosing quality texts is extremely important. A teacher can use all the different types of texts, but if they are too complex, too vague, or if they don't focus on the main idea the teacher is trying to convey, then they won't be effective in achieving the desired results. No matter what teachers choose to use, they should always keep understandability, usability, and "interestability" in mind. I particularly like the checklist on page 139 that teachers can use as a guide to check for these things. The most important thing is to know your students and keep their interests, abilities, prior knowledge, experiences, and motivation in mind when choosing texts for them to use.
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You touch on an important issue I think when you talk about the quality of texts we choose as teachers, Jackie. Referring to the checklist on page 139 is a good way to remind us that we can check for those criteria you and Conley mention about books, rather than relying on publishers who simply use readability formulas to market books to certain ages. This takes a little time though, so how can we prepare ourselves for this task?
ReplyDeleteYour comments about the importance of engaging texts sounds much like mine. It is important for teachers to choose texts that are both engaging and on their level of understanding. We as teachers should always be mindful of this when choosing any type of text so that our student will learn without becoming bored. When the students become bored, or if the text is too complex, the students may be more likely to cut corners in reading. When that happens, the students may miss the message that the teacher is trying to get the students to understand.
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