Reading for Learning Tips for teachers gumawang.jati@gmail.com
Reading for learning Reading does not guarantee learning. Students are reading in order to gain knowledge and understanding Approaches to reading Surface-level processing, where students take a passive approach and are concerned with:
covering the content how much they have learned finding the right answers assimilating unaltered chunks of knowledge learning verbatim.
Deep-level processing, in which students take a mentally active approach and are concerned with:
the central point what lies behind the argument the whole picture what it boils down to what it is connected with the logic of the argument points that are not clear questioning the conclusions.
Zero-level processing, where the learner simply goes through the motion of reading the text, believing that understanding will automatically follow by some osmosis-like process. The student is concerned with: getting it over as quickly as possible what’s for tea!
How can teachers maximise the chance that students will learn from their reading?
Interesting reading activities.
A challenge to discover the answer to a puzzle, problem or intriguing question is more motivating than ‘Read Chapter 23’. It also ensures that students are trying to understand rather than just get it over and done with.
Expecting reading notes. Ask your students to produce a precis, a summary, a mind-map, a set of key points or even a full set of notes. This should be done in the students’ own words.
Reorganising the material into a different form. For example, a text which looks in turn at the function of different agencies in a process could be reorganised to give the information chronologically.
Reading for information. Ask students to look for specific information, such as the answers to specific questions; this information should preferably need to be ‘dug out’ of the text.
Reading for criticism. Ask students to take a critical view of the text they are reading: What is the author’s point of view? What is the evidence for and against this point of view? What’s missing? What would other authors or theorists think of the points of view expressed?
Expecting to make a presentation. Ask students to read different material in groups and make a presentation to the rest of their class. Students can be expected to produce reading notes for their fellow students, perhaps checking these with the tutor before duplication.
Expecting a discussion. Students can be asked to read a set text to prepare for a class discussion. You could give some challenging discussion questions in advance to focus attention on important points, and to make it clear that the reading must be done.
Library and information-searching skills Every student should be taught information-searching skills, including the effective use of the full facilities of libraries. This is perhaps best done by a tutor librarian as it is a complex skill. Have your students been taught to skim or to speedread? The Internet is also of a great resource, course. Recommend sites, but also ask your students to find them, putting them on the classroom noticeboard (you might like to check them first!).
Checklist ❏ Do you encourage students to make use of their textbooks? ❏ Do you set reading that encourages students to process information rather than simply read it? ❏ Do your students know what books are available, and their strengths and weaknesses? ❏ Do you evaluate whether reading has been done, and whether learning has resulted? ❏ Have your students been taught informationsearching skills?