Something I Learned About Myself as a Reader in L1 and L2
As a reader in my L1, I learned that I am disorganized and unfocused. Actually, I knew that already because it takes me so long to get through MAT readings and I don’t retain much once the page leaves my field of vision, no matter how hard I concentrate. When in high school we had formal training in reading strategies, but I have managed to forget them. So it was good, in our Four Skills sessions, to review techniques for more efficient comprehension. I DON’T EVER REMEMBER HAVING FORMAL TRAINING IN READING STRATEGIES (YOUR SCHOOL MUST HAVE BEEN MORE PROGRESSIVE THAN MINE). IT WASN’T UNTIL I STARTED STUDYING TESL THAT I BECAME OF AWARE OF THEM. BUT WHETHER OR NOT WE USE THEM IS A DIFFERENT MATTER…
A frustration with some of these methods — mind maps and dialectical notebooks, for example — is that many require the expenditure of additional time, of which MATs (and others) have little. I KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN. MAYBE BECAUSE THESE METHODS AREN’T ONES WE’VE USED BEFORE, THEY’RE HARDER TO INCORPORATE INTO OUR OWN READING STRATEGIES. I KNOW I’VE DEVELOPED MY OWN STRATEGIES AND I HAVE TO FORCE MYSELF TO TRY OUT NEW ONES. Because I am a visual learner, I was surprised to discover that mind maps didn’t help my memory — at least, not with the two readings for which I used them. Like Elizabeth, I am a compulsive highlighter, even though it has proven not to aid my recall. Fixing a reading in my mind requires at least another step: transferring highlighted items to paper and/or “experiencing” the reading in some way. THAT’S WHY I THINK THE IDEA OF DOUBLE ENTRY JOURNALS, RIGHT ON THE PAGE OF THE TEXT, IS HELPFUL. DID YOU TRY THAT STRATEGY? The appendix of the Auerbach and Paxton article (1997)[i] will be a valuable resource for me both as reader and teacher, with its condensed summary of pre-, during- and post-reading strategies. THE OTHER GOOD REFERENCE IS THE BROWN TEXTBOOK CHAPTER ON READING. LOTS OF GREAT IDEAS.
I learned that in my L2 I tend to read from the bottom up, desperately seeking familiar words in hopes that I can string together meaning. It is a frustrating process because I get stuck in the details. An important strategy that we discussed in class and that I will use personally is that of skipping words I don’t know, and taking a step back from the text to try to see the gist. I’m guessing I’m not alone in my tendency to read this way, so my conscious awareness of alternative methods will inform my teaching. I THINK THE KEY IDEA HERE IS “CONSCIOUS AWARENESS” OF METHODS. MOST OF OUR STUDENTS HAVE NEVER BEEN TAUGHT STRATEGIES OR HAD A TEACHER WHO CONSCIOUSLY FOCUSED ON TEACHING STRATEGIES AND IN HELPING STUDENTS TO DO WHAT YOU’RE DOING: ANALYZING WHICH WORK AND WHICH DON’T FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL.
Something I Learned About How Students Learn to Read in an L2
Vivian Zamel’s article[ii was inspiring. “Reading, as we have come to understand it, in fact, has little to do with what we ask our students to do… [It has] as much to do with what the reader brings to the text and how the reader interacts with the text as with the text itself.” And as she quotes from Tierney (1983), “There is no meaning on a page until a reader decides there is.” I’ve been a reader for 50 years, yet had never considered the idea of reading being an interactive exercise, strongly colored by reader experience. I knew that implicitly, but like so much of the best wisdom, its simplicity and even obviousness makes it powerful. Reading — even supposedly enjoyable “summer reading” — certainly wasn’t taught that way when I was in school; it was an analytical process from which, if we were lucky, we were able to squeeze some relevant meaning and fun. AND I THINK MOST PEOPLE’S READING EXPERIENCES WERE NOT FUN. ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH SSR (SILENT SUSTAINED READING) WHERE EVERYONE IN THE SCHOOL (PRINCIPAL, TEACHERS, STUDENTS, OFFICE WORKERS, CUSTODIANS) STOPS AT THE SAME TIME EVERY DAY (OR EVERY FEW DAYS) TO READ FOR PLEASURE—NO REQUIREMENTS, NO CONTROL OVER WHAT THE PERSON READS, JUST THE PERSON’S OWN CHOICE OF MATERIAL (ALTHOUGH THE TEACHER CAN MAKE MATERIALS AVAILABLE FOR STUDENTS TO CHOOSE) AND 15 MIN. A DAY OF READING FOR PLEASURE AS PART OF THE SCHOOL DAY. READING IS FUN, SAYS SSR, AND EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE TIME AND ENCOURAGEMENT TO READ FOR FUN. IT’S MOSTLY USED IN K-12 SETTINGS (ACTUALLY MOSTLY IN K-6 SINCE HIGH SCHOOLS THINK THERE ISN’T TIME FOR FUN READING…) BUT I THINK IT COULD FIT INTO ADULT PROGRAMS TOO. As a writer, I look forward to teaching writing, but I’ve been confounded at the prospect of teaching reading. I leave this unit with some mental doors opened and a few tangible ideas and tools that will help in the language classroom. EVERYTHING, AS GATEGNO SAYS, BEGINS WITH AWARENESS.
For instance, the importance of schema-activation in introducing Ln readers to a text is a key (and new to me) concept. In my John Henry lesson plan, I encourage students to sort through images related to the ballad and to discuss how they might relate to one other as a single story. We explore keywords and review context for the story before they begin reading. Neil Anderson[iii] writes about activating the students’ prior knowledge. “Our background knowledge is like a lens through which we understand what we read.” This idea influenced my choice of lesson plan because the story explores themes that will be familiar to many students in Mexico. They will have a chance to hold their own stories next to a traditional tale. I THINK YOU’VE IDENTIFIED A COUPLE OF KEY ELEMENTS IN PLANNING A LESSON: RELEVANT MATERIAL AND ACTIVITIES IN THE PRE-READING STAGE THAT ALLOW STUDENTS TO ENTER THE READING WITH THE TOOLS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY ARE GOING TO READ.
Elsa Auerbach and Diane Paxton refer to “the [students’] ability to feel when they read in English.” I think it is vital to engage students at the emotional as well as cognitive level. In my John Henry lesson, I move from surface meaning of the story to symbolic meaning to personal meaning: a continuum from intellectual to experiential. GOOD PROGRESSION WITH A VARIETY OF STRATEGIES INVOLVED. WILL YOU MAKE THE STUDENTS AWARE OF WHAT THEY’RE DOING AT EACH STAGE? In the end I ask if they ever have ever resisted a person or institution more powerful than they. What was the situation? Why was it important to “take a stand”? What was the outcome? Through these questions, students relate their own lives to the reading, broadening and deepening the learning experience. In my peer group, they loved this aspect of the teaching, and all had stories to tell. YES. I LIKE THIS TOO. THIS POST READING IS SOMETHING THAT HELPS STUDENTS RELATE TO THE TEXT AND IT GIVES THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO USE SPEAKING, LISTENING, WRITING SKILLS TO ENGAGE FURTHER WITH THE TEXT.
Though the core of this lesson plan is reading, the other three skills come into play: listening and speaking (through our discussion and hearing the ballad) and writing (for the final exercise). THIS IS WHY NO LESSON CAN ONLY BE ONE SKILL AREA. THERE ARE STILL ESL PROGRAMS THAT SEPARATE OUT THE SKILL AREAS AND I WONDER HOW THEY CAN DO THIS EFFECTIVELY.
Something I Learned About Teaching English in Relation to My Internship/Lesson Plan
I believe the concept of individual meaning-making in reading will be central to my teaching. Since my radio days I’ve believed that stories connect one person to another as well as to the reader (or listener) him/herself. I think that folklore in particular may be a powerful vehicle for English-language learning, because: the storyline tends to be engaging and rooted in human experience (and we like heroes and bad guys); plots concern themes that are relevant across culture and time, so readers can associate them with their own lives; and folktales, fables and legends are layered with symbolic meaning, allowing for exploration of the text on multiple levels, from syntax to semantics and beyond. Additionally, I am passionate about folklore, and I think that will influence my teaching. PRO LINGUA ASSOCIATES (THE LOCAL PUBLISHING COMPANY THAT PAT, RAY AND MIKE ARE PART OF) HAS SEVERAL BOOKS ON FOLKTALES PRESENTED IN AN INTERESTING FORMAT (CARDS). WHEN THEY HAVE THEIR MATERIALS FAIR IN DECEMBER AT SIT, LOOK SPECIFICALLY AT THE NASRUDDIN AND THE NATIVE AMERICAN STORY CARDS. (AND THEY MAY HAVE OTHERS).
While the narrative of the John Henry legend and others is not “authentic,” it does reflect socio-cultural and socio-economic realities that may pertain to the lives of my students. Its theme has relevance to many Mexicans, allowing students to generate a connection between the story and their own lives, as mentioned above. IS ANY FOLK TALE ‘AUTHENTIC’? IT’S BEEN TOLD AND RE-TOLD SO THE EXACT LANGUAGE USED IS NOT USUALLY THE ORIGINAL. THEREFORE, THE IMPORTANT PIECE IS TO USE AUTHENTIC STORIES AND THEN ADAPT THEM TO THE LEVEL OF THE STUDENTS.
I also have new insight into the importance of introducing students to a variety of reading strategies, not only because each of us has different learning styles but because different types of text work better with a certain method.
Finally, I was fascinated and enlightened by the student comments in the Auerbach and Paxton article. The students’ perspective and sharp insight (“There are many ways of fighting a text to get at what hides inside”) shed light on how students feel about the reading-learning process and how a teacher can address their needs. I REALLY LIKE THIS ARTICLE, BUT I ALSO SEE THAT IT COULD GET TEDIOUS. HOW DO WE INCLUDE THESE STRATEGIES IN AN EXPLICIT MANNER AND NOT LOSE STUDENT ATTENTION?
[i]Auerbach, Elsa and Paxton, Diane (1997). “It’s Not the English Thing”: Bringing Reading Research Into the ESL Classroom. TESOL Quarterly 31(2)
[ii]Zamel, Vivian (1992). Writing One’s Way into Reading. TESOL Quarterly (26)3.
[iii]Anderson, Neil (1990). Exploring Second Language Reading: Issues and Strategies. Boston: Heinle and Heinle.
Ginna,
THIS IS AN EXCELLENT PAPER WITH GOOD CONNECTIONS TO READINGS, LESSON PLANS AND YOUR FUTURE TEACHING. YOU ARE INVESTIGATING INTERESTING AREAS FOR YOUR FUTURE TEACHING. BE SURE TO KEEP THIS PAPER AND REFER TO IT WHEN YOU’RE BEGINNING YOUR INTERNSHIP AND TRYING TO DECIDE HOW TO INCORPORATE READING INTO YOUR CLASSROOM.
THE ONE AREA TO PAY ATTENTION TO IS IN-TEXT CITATIONS AND HOW TO INCLUDE PAGE NUMBERS. CHECK OUT THE APA CITATIONS ON OUR 4 SKILLS MOODLE. YOU’LL NEED TO FOLLOW THIS FORMAT FOR THE PORTFOLIO. (THE BIBLIOGRAPHY IS FINE)
-Elizabeth