Comprehension Strategiesand Metacognition
Dr. Deeney
EDC423
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Remember readability formulas? Isestimating comprehension that simple?
•Mary heard the ice cream truck coming downthe street. She remembered her birthdaymoney and rushed into the house.
•Mary heard the bus coming down the street.She remembered her birthday money andrushed into the house.
•Mary heard the ice cream truck coming downthe street. She remembered her gun andrushed into the house.
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•Our perception of a scene can differ dramaticallybased on changing only one word. So, althoughvocabulary (how many syllables in a word) isimportant part of comprehension, it’s not as easyas saying:
Word meaningsentence meaning
text meaning
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Constructing Comprehension
•Transaction between the reader and the text
•Reader brings background experiences andknowledge to the text
•Text provides guideposts to prevent meaningfrom being random
•Constructing comprehension like constructing atheory—reader moves through hypotheseswhen reading, using schema
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•Dear little thing.
•It was nice to feel it again.
•She had taken it out of itsbox that afternoon, givenit a good brush, andrubbed life back into itsdim little eyes.
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•Little rogue! Yes, shereally felt that wayabout it.
•She put it on.
•Little rogue, biting itstail just by her left ear.
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•When she breathed,something gentleseemed to move onher bosom.
•The day was cool andshe was glad shedecided on her littlefur.
What CausesMisunderstanding?
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•Characteristics of the Reading Context
–Purpose
–Environment
•Characteristics of the Text
–Organization
–“Considerate” vs. “inconsiderate”
–Readability
•Characteristics of the Reader
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Reader’s Schema
•What is schema?
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Why is Schema Helpful?
•Helps us to
–Assimilate additional information
–Determine what is important
–Infer and elaborate meaning
–Summarize by determining relevant fromirrelevant
–Remember information
Metacognition
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What is Metacognition?
•The Literacy Dictionary: “an awareness and knowledgeof one’s mental processes such that one can monitor,regulate, and direct them toward a desired end; self-mediation”
•Considered a combination of knowledge and control
–Awareness: Ability to reflect on one’s thinking
–Executive functions: Ability to manage one’s learning actions
•Monitor: Keep track of mental processes (know what you’re doing)
•Regulate: Control mental processes (make choices; strategize)
•Direct: Apply mental processes (use strategies)
•Developmental process
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Metacognitive Knowledge
•About ourselves
–“I drift off when I read.”
•About the task
–Reading for information is harder than reading forenjoyment
•About strategies
–I know what strategies I can use
–I know how to use the strategies
–I know when to use the strategies
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Metacognition
•Considered a combination of knowledgeand control
–Awareness: Ability to reflect on one’s thinking
–Executive functions: Ability to manage one’slearning actions
•Developmental process
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Things to Think About BeforeReading:
•What do I already know about this topic?
•What are my purposes for reading?
•What do I think this passage will be about?
•What will I be doing with this information?
•What do I think I will learn about the topic?
Metacognitive Strategies
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Strategies Used by the Reader
•Making connections
•Questioning
•Inferring
•Predicting
•Summarizing
•Clarifying
•Visualizing
•Synthesizing
•Determining importance
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What strategies are these?
•What do I already knowabout this topic?
•What do I think thispassage will be about?
•What are my purposes forreading?
•What will I be doing withthis information?
•What do I think I will learnabout the topic?
•Activating priorknowledge
•Predicting
•Setting a purpose forreading
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Things to Think About DuringReading:
•Am I understanding? Does this makesense? Do I have a clear picture of whatthis is about?
•Is this consistent with my predictions?What parts are the same? What parts aredifferent?
•What can I do to increase myunderstanding?
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What strategies are these?
•Am I understanding?Does this make sense?Do I have a clear pictureof what this is about?
•Is this consistent with mypredictions? What partsare the same? Whatparts are different?
•What can I do to increasemy understanding?
•Monitoring understanding
•Evaluating predictions
•Identifying difficulty andselecting a fix-upstrategy
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Things to Think About AfterReading:
•What were the most important points inthe passage? Where is the evidence inthe text that supports my thinking?
•Do I agree with this information? Why?
•What new information did I learn? Does itfit with my existing knowledge?
•Should I reread sections of the text forbetter understanding?
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What strategies are these?
•What were the mostimportant points in thepassage? Where is theevidence in the text thatsupports my thinking?
•Do I agree with thisinformation? Why?
•What new information didI learn? Does it fit with myexisting knowledge?
•Should I reread sectionsof the text for betterunderstanding?
•Summarizing
•Evaluating
•Monitoring
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A Good Reader:
•Knows many strategies
–Activating prior knowledge
–Setting purpose
–Questioning
–Predicting
–Summarizing
–Visualizing
–clarifying
–Inferring
–Making connections
–Integrating information
–Using graphics
–Using context
–Adjusting rate
•Knows how and whento use strategies
–Internalizes thesecognitive processes:
•Activating
•Focusing
•Selecting
•Organizing
•Integrating
•applying
–Becomes independent
Teaching ComprehensionStrategies
Explicit versus Implicit Instruction
Strategy Instruction
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Teaching Metacognitive Strategies
Independent Practice
Provide ways for students todemonstrate using thestrategy independently
Explain
The strategy and itscomponents
Guided Practice
Work with students tohelp them use thestrategy
TeachingStrategies
Model/Think-Aloud
Use the strategy as you reada text and “think out loud” tohelp students “see how youuse it
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Explicit vs. ImplicitInstruction
•Explicit instruction
–Explaining
–Modeling
–Practicing
•Implicit instruction
–“Telling” students theyshould be using thestrategy without tellingthem what/how/why/when
–“Does that make sense?”How does a student
•Know what “makes sense”means
•Know whether the textmakes sense
•Know what to do if itdoesn’t make sense
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Strategy Knowledge
•Declarative knowledge
–Knowing “that” there are strategies
–Knowing “what” strategies are available
•Procedural knowledge
–Knowing “how” to use strategies
•Conditional knowledge
–Knowing “when” to use strategies
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Teaching “What”
•Explain
–Tell students what the strategy is
–Tell students why/how it is helpful
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Teaching “How”
•Model
–Use the strategy yourself, making yourthinking apparent (“think out loud”)
•Provide guided practice
–Give students a chance to use the strategywith your help
–Provide gradual release of responsibility
•Provide independent practice
–Give students a chance to use the strategy ontheir own
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Teaching “When”
•Explain when the strategy is helpful
•Provide opportunities to think about whenduring guided practice
•Scaffold students’ identification of strategyneed as they read