Cognitive Theories and Reading Comprehension Building Blocks of the Reading Process

Why is reading comprehension important? NCLB – reading scores are critical to making AYP and everything that goes along with it Content-Area reading comprehension continues to suffer – impacting students ability to independently process complex ideas Students reading skills will have a direct impact on their earning potential

How can teachers improve students reading comprehension? Recognize the complexity of a reading process Use knowledge of cognitive and the reading processes to develop lessons that help students comprehend a variety of text Help the students develop and master the skills that will enable them to become successful readers

During the Presentation I will: Examine the reading process from both the Information Processing Theory and the Constructivism theoretical perspectives Provide the background on the reading process and how it ties in with the cognitive theories

Instructional Reading Strategies Many of the cognitive theories act as a basis for reading instructional theories Overall comprehension is directly impacted by all three stages of the reading process (Before, During & After) Each stage has a set of skills that are common to all successful readers

Instructional Reading Strategies Many of these skills transcend one particular stage of the reading process The reading process is a dynamic process – everyone must find their own recipe to become a successful reader. That recipe is constantly changing Many people have an over simplified understanding of the reading process

Levels of Comprehension Synthesize Evaluate Analyze Application Comprehension Knowledge Rote Learning: Learning without attaching much meaning to it. Meaningful Learning: recognizing a relationship between new information and information already in your long-term memory Bloom’sTaxonomy

Theoretical Perspectives of the Reading Process Information Processing Theory Focuses on what goes on inside the learners head – learning, memory & performance Identify the internal mechanisms that help people process information Many of the skills of the Before and During reading stages focuses on mechanisms readers dynamically employ to comprehend a reading

Theoretical Perspectives of the Reading Process Information Processing Theory - Examples Prior Knowledge and Making Connections Computer Analogy – Forgetting to Save the information to your long-term memory Predictions and Questions Ways of interacting with the information Monitoring Comprehension Metacognition – Thinking about thinking The reader is able to adapt their own reading process to ensure comprehension – fix-it-up strategies

Theoretical Perspectives of the Reading Process Constructivism Theory Focuses on how the learner internalizes new information and creates their own understanding Examines how people combine new knowledge with their already created schemas Much of the After reading stage focuses on the skills the readers dynamically employ to comprehend a reading - building their own interpretations of new information

Theoretical Perspectives of the Reading Process Constructivism Theory - Examples Summarize – Explicit vs. Implicit (Not Paraphrasing) Students perceptions of the reading will be impacted by the prior or background knowledge Synthesize – mix new and old information to generate a personal understanding Students take ownership of the information - strengthens the students ability to retrieve information Evaluation – Form and Support Opinions Students take ownership of the information - strengthens the students ability to retrieve information

Before Reading Skills Previewing / Surveying – scan pictures, titles and subtitles Text Analysis – identify text format and select proper reading strategies based on the type and genre of the text Elicit prior knowledge – past experiences used to make connections while reading Develop a purpose for reading by making questions and predictions based upon the preview of the text

Before Reading Skills - continued Helps readers focus their attention Questions, Predictions and Text analysis allows the reader to read at the appropriate rate Will help them move information from the sensory register into their working (short-term) memory Eliciting Prior knowledge helps reader jump start the cognitive process

During Reading Skills Update and create new predictions and questions to maintain focus while actively reading Work to expand vocabulary skills Reading Rate – adjust reading rate based on the difficulty of the text and personal reading skills Visualize – using information from both the text and prior knowledge to create and maintain a mental image while your read Connection – develop links between the text and prior knowledge to ensure comprehension

During Reading Skills - continued Develop Inferences – combining information from the text and prior knowledge to make both explicit and implicit conclusions Monitor Comprehension – identifying possible reading difficulties while completing a reading assignment, then taking correct measures to ensure comprehension Re-read – taking time to re-read a passage if not completely understood Context Clues – use various strategies to determine the basic meaning of an unknown or unfamiliar word

During Reading Skills - continued During reading skills help the reader sift through the information in their working memory Starts the process of transferring information into long-term memory Students move beyond rehearsal – focusing on basic facts Stop reading passively and begin to become an active reader

During Reading Skills - continued Active Readers start the process of transferring information in the long-term memory by: Elaboration – adding additional ideas to new information Organizing – Making connections among various new pieces of information Visual Imagery – Making mental images

After Reading Skills Assess Reading Comprehension – use a series of questions to check overall comprehension Summarize – identifying the both the explicit and implicit main idea(s) and the supporting details Synthesize – mix prior knowledge with information from the text to generate a personal understanding from a passage Evaluate – form and support opinions based upon information from a reading

After Reading Skills - continued Active Readers continue the process of transferring information in the long-term memory by: Elaboration – adding additional ideas to new information Organizing – Making connections among various new pieces of information Visual Imagery – Making mental images

After Reading Skills - continued Once the students begin to summarize, synthesize and evaluate more often and with greater incite: More meaningful learning experiences will occur Greater chance of retrieving the information The information could be less likely to decay

Building Comprehension Sensory Register Input Working (Sort-Term) Memory Lost Attention Lost In-depth cognitive processing - Making Connections Long-Term Memory Lost ? Ormond, J. (2006). Essential of Educational Psychology. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc. (p. 25) The Reading Process BeforeDuringAfter Preview/Surveying Text Analysis Elicit Prior Knowledge Question Predictions Purpose for Reading Update Questions & Predictions Visualize Connections Monitor Comprehension Apply fix-it-up reading strategies Assess Comprehension Summarize Synthesize Evaluate A Model of Hunan Memory

Resources Daniels, H. & Zemelman, S. (2004). Subjects matter: Every teacher’s guide to content-area reading. Portsmouth: Heineman. Ormond, J. (2006). Essential of Educational Psychology. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc.. Oczkus, L. (2004). Super 6 comprehension strategies: 35 lessons and more for reading success. Norwood: Christopher-Gordon Publishers. Robb, L. (2000). Teaching reading in middle school. New York: Schoolastic Professional Books. Wilson, E. (2004). Reading at the middle and high school levels: Building active readers across the curriculum. Arlington: Educational Research Service.