Memo #3  Disciplinary Thinking

 Thinking Strategies of Proficient Readers   

Texts Utilized for this Memo:

Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian  

By Sherman Alexie

Little, Brown and Company,  2007

                                                                                         

Enlarged view at the end of memo

Summary:  Raised on an Indian Reservation, Junior is tired of being bullied and in pursuit of a quality education at a high school off the reservation.  Alexie uses humor to exposethe emotional realities of life as a teenage, native American.

Enotes.com Summary:  http://www.enotes.com/topics/absolutely-true-diary-part-time-indian  

                                    

Photo:  Frankie Flood, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 

“Online World Lends a Hand:  From South Africa to UWM, Tinkerers Work to Design Plastic

 Prosthesis for Girl”   

By: Mary Louise Schumacher, Journal Sentinel Art Critic   

"The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel", March 4, 2014 Section E, p. 1-2

Summary:  This amazing article reveals the online collaboration and use of technology around the world (by novices in their garages) to create and develop a very inexpensive prosthesis ($50) for a local Mukwonago, nine year old girl.
Annotated Article:  http://a.nnotate.com/docs/2014-03-04/mVzekamm/index.html?1393942124303 

Additional Photo Gallery from Article:    http://a.nnotate.com/docs/2014-03-04/vuz2J6oC/index.html

Because Writing Matters:  Improving Student Writing in Our Schools   

By: National Writing Project and Carl Nagin
Jossey-Bass, 2003
Summary:  Referred to as "the definitive guide to teaching writing in our schools," Because Writing Matters addresses current trends in teaching writing such as the reading and writing connection, writing to learn, and the use of technology in student writing.  The National Writing Project concerns itself with improving the quality of student writing.
             

Copied from my A.nnotate.com link above:  Because Writing Matters

                                   

"New Electronics:  Turn Them on for Learning"

By:  National Center for Technology Innovation and Center for Implementing Technology in Education (CIT Ed)(2009)

Annotated Article:  http://a.nnotate.com/php/pdfnotate.php?d=2014-03-03&c=BJIcqiUx

        (Note:  You will need to scroll over the uper left hand corner to advance

                     through all three pages of the annotated article.)

Summary:  Technology in the classroom has limitless possibilities and motivational qualities in addition to fascinating ways to enable struggling readers/writers to get their thoughts on paper.  Technology can also be used to provide endless virtual learning opportunites.

Copied from my A.nnotate.com link above:

"New Electronics:  Turn Them on for Learning"

Reflection

As I reflect upon my experiences reading these disciplinary texts, I have noticed that I, indeed, utilize the seven “Thinking Strategies of Proficient Readers”* throughout my reading.  Making connections is critical to my comprehension whether it’s text to self, to text, or to world, I find myself needing to create meaning out of the connections.  Once meaning is created and connections are made, further synthesis and understanding can ensue.  However, to solidify knowledge of the text, asking questions helps me to establish what I know and don’t know; thereby, guiding my reading further as I delve into seeking answers to my questions.  These questions also guide additional subsequent readings in search of answers to questions not addressed.  For example, in the A.nnotated article below, “New Electronics: Turn Them on for Learning,”  I found myself asking, will teachers take time to learn new technologies to be utilized in their classrooms?  Also, how will this training take place?  Will teachers be able to attend training or will it be on their own dime and time?
                                                             

Furthermore, I noticed my patterns of marginal notations were also affected by the type of reading:  a novel, a newspaper article, or professional literature and textbooks.  In the novel, I was reading from the perspective of both the teacher and the student and questioning how I would address topics within the novel with students.  I also noted my thoughts on appropriateness of the text for the level of the learners. Whereas,with the newspaper article, I found myself being highly judgemental and curious as to how I can successfully implement technological collaboration with my students and people around the world!  The possibilites seem limited by only my imagination.  Lastly, looking at trends in my notations while reading textbooks and professional literature, I see a significant number of connections being made to self, to text, and to classroom applications.  For example, in Because Writing Matters, you can view my notations above as highly applicable to my future classroom teachings on the inter-relatedness of reading and writing. How to improve writing by removing the grade from the task, to helping the writer recognize their audience determines the type of text to be written, and the need to expose students to experiential writing on a daily basis.

Recognizing a  few additional details about myself as a reader, I am both a hands-on learner and a highly visual learner; therefore, I utilize my sensory connections as much as I can to create meaning.  The more senses activated, the better I will learn and remember.  Throughout my readings, I’m analyzing texts for factual content, for statements I both agree with and disagree with, and for new insights into various topics.  With those new insights, I like to assimilate them into my memory with my existing knowledge on the topic. As for monitoring, I find that my comprehension is quite good in my discipline as I’m quite familiar with much of the vernacular, possess a wealth of background knowledge, and find the texts quite absorbing.  However, this is a strategy I rely on with difficult texts:  frequently in disciplines I’m less familiar with such as science.

My greatest insight from this experience, reflecting on my personal interactions with texts I read, is as a proficient reader, I am constantly adapting my reading strategies according to the content and material being read.  Sometimes I utilize several strategies simultaneously while at other times, I'm really focusing on one strategy.  For example, when I'm  reading a very difficult text with which I lack the appropriate background knowledge, I am perpetually monitoring my understanding by rereading or using context clues. Understanding how readers seemlessly flow amongst thinking strategies will better enable me to adjust my teaching strategies when teaching reading skills and reading strategies.


*Note:   An additional, fabulous resource for both readers and writers:  "Thinking Strategies Known to be Utilized by Proficieint Learners,"

*Enlarged photo of my annotations in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian