Reflections on Chapter 7
I thought I posted this weeks ago! Oops.
I found this chapter interesting because I did not realize how many different actions are required for reading and comprehension. An individual must pick up on how the author is using their words and phrases, align oneself to that usage, and then they need to “chunk” like information together. They must also read and interpret abstract text on a level that they can ask their own questions about it, and must be constantly meta-reading. This is an overwhelming amount of information to process on a sentence by sentence basis, especially for students who are being introduced to academic texts for the first time. I realize that when I assign readings for art history or art theory I must be conscious of this fact. The chapter has given some great tools on how to interact with the students in their readings. Because I find that I process more when I read aloud, I plan on using the “read-aloud” and “comprehend-aloud” in my classes so students have a jumping off point for their reading. Hopefully, an introduction to the literature will help them get excited about where the text is going. I have had experiences where I am assigned an academic reading, do the reading, and still feel like I have missed the main point of the article when I come to class and hear others discussing it. Perhaps a “comprehend-aloud” exercise would equip my student to understand the process of interpretation so that they can bypass the same confusion. However, I would not want to overuse either of these techniques and make students feel annoyed and unintelligent when they do the readings on their own. It will be interesting for me to find that fine line in my teaching.