1. Comprehension strategies should be taught explicitly
Explicit teaching of comprehension strategies, according to Andreassen & Bråten (2011), necessitates a “move beyond a mere “content approach”, encouraging students to attend to text ideas and build a mental representation without considering specific mental processes, and employ a “strategies approach”, where students’ mental processes are directly targeted (p. 521). The word explicit is constantly used to emphasise the importance of students learning these strategies in a direct manner. When comprehension strategies are taught explicitly it enables students to fully understand what they are being taught and how it will benefit their own reading and develop their understanding. Duffy et al. (1986) reiterate this point by saying, “explicit explanations result in greater student awareness of what was learned, when it would be used, and how to use it” (p. 247). This student awareness is vital in the middle to late primary years for keeping the motivation levels up and hindering the drop off in reading enjoyment, because “poor readers seem to be less aware of the existence and value of techniques for regulating comprehension” (Paris & Myers 1981, p. 6). Explicit instruction also improves student autonomy due to the increased understanding of the method behind what they are being taught and the reasons why. It gives them an extensive understanding of what happens cognitively before, during and after they read.
2. Comprehension strategies should be taught using substantive themes and content
In terms of students’ on task motivation and engagement, it is important to use “activities that are interesting, stimulating, novel, and personally meaningful in some manner” (Pintrich, 2003, p. 674). To take this point further and more specifically attach it to reading comprehension, one could look at relevant and interesting texts giving students a ‘reason to read’, as opposed to learning the strategies with a text that has no significance to their school or community lives. Winch et al. (2010) describe it by saying that it is important to “tie comprehension teaching to the relevance of students’ lives and interests. Students respond to what the authors describe as ‘authentic contexts’. These provide the motivation to read with understanding” (94). It is easy to connect these ideas of relevance and ‘authentic contexts’ to the sociocultural theory of teaching, as the cultural situations and views of students are central to their lives and subsequently, their education. It is not enough simply to explicitly explain the strategies to the students and have them practice on unimportant and irrelevant texts. “Students need to see the usefulness of strategies for reaching their reading goals ... reading comprehension strategies should be taught in social contexts characterized by a variety of interesting texts that students can choose among to increase their conceptual understandings” (Andreassen & Bråten, 2011, p. 523). This quote encapsulates the idea that substantive content and student autonomy both aid the objective of goal-oriented reading, which, in turn, works positively on student motivation and engagement. Thus, keeping the students interest in reading alive at the same time as (through explicit instruction) improving their reading comprehension.
References:
Andreassen, R., & Bråten, I. (2011). Implementation and effects of explicit reading comprehension instruction in fifth-grade classrooms. Learning and Instruction, 21(4), 520-537. DOI: 10.1016/j.learninstruc.2010.08.003
Duffy, G., Roehler, L., Meloth, M., Vavrus, L., Book, C., Putnam, J., & Wesselman, R. (1986). The relationship between explicit verbal explanations during reading skill instruction and student awareness and achievement: a study of reading teacher effects. Reading Research Quarterly, 21(3), 237-252.
Paris, S., & Myers, M. (1981). Comprehension monitoring, memory, and study strategies of good and poor readers. Journal of Literacy Research, 13(1), 5-22. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10862968109547390
Pintrich, Paul R. (2003). A motivational science perspective on the role of student motivation in learning and teaching contexts. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95(4), 667-86.
Winch, G., Johnston, R., March, P., Ljungdahl, L., Holliday, M. (2010). Literacy: Reading, writing and children’s literature. South Melbourne, VIC: Oxford University Press.
Andreassen, R., & Bråten, I. (2011). Implementation and effects of explicit reading comprehension instruction in fifth-grade classrooms. Learning and Instruction, 21(4), 520-537. DOI: 10.1016/j.learninstruc.2010.08.003
Duffy, G., Roehler, L., Meloth, M., Vavrus, L., Book, C., Putnam, J., & Wesselman, R. (1986). The relationship between explicit verbal explanations during reading skill instruction and student awareness and achievement: a study of reading teacher effects. Reading Research Quarterly, 21(3), 237-252.
Paris, S., & Myers, M. (1981). Comprehension monitoring, memory, and study strategies of good and poor readers. Journal of Literacy Research, 13(1), 5-22. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10862968109547390
Pintrich, Paul R. (2003). A motivational science perspective on the role of student motivation in learning and teaching contexts. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95(4), 667-86.
Winch, G., Johnston, R., March, P., Ljungdahl, L., Holliday, M. (2010). Literacy: Reading, writing and children’s literature. South Melbourne, VIC: Oxford University Press.