Return-Path: <nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id fA3KD0024597; Sat, 3 Nov 2001 15:13:01 -0500 (EST) Date: Sat, 3 Nov 2001 15:13:01 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <b6.11e72a1.2915a932@aol.com> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: LELemke@aol.com To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-LD:3703] reading IS comprehension X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Mailer: AOL 5.0 for Mac sub 36 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Status: O Content-Length: 3282 Lines: 72 In a message dated 10/30/01 3:27:36 PM, levesqjr@webster.edu writes: << Clif, Regarding your statement: Comprehension however is not part of reading. Comprehension is ones ability to understand information. Reading is a means of accessing the information that is then understood. I really must disagree. Comprehension is both a process and product of reading. Dear Jeri, I agree completely: Reading Absolutely is comprehension; without comprehension, one is only making sounds. I have students who can read rapidly but have no clue as to what is being read. In fact, one of my "best" readers speed wise almost always fails the AR reading test for that reason...poor comprehension skills. One way I have found to help that is to consistently have the person who just read summarize that paragraph. If he/she can't, then the other students are asked. This method has the students paying much more attention to what is being read. I also have them take notes.....who, what, where, etc, plus main events of the chapter, etc. We draw pictures (yes, we're middle school, but whatever it takes is fine with me), and by and large comprehension has improved. We're reading War Comes to Willy Freeman and with this process, they have learned more about the Revolutionary War then they had in their social studies class plus how to compare and contrast it to the happenings in Afghanistan, etc. (I love teaching English; there's such a wide range of opportunities for teaching...sorry I digressed!). All replies have been so interesting. I may as well go get my PhD in teaching reading, now that I have all these resources and experiences for reference....... I'm kidding, but this really has been helpful. Ciao, Ellie If you look at any theoretical explanation of reading you will find comprehension to be a critical attribute. Take a look at the International Reading Association's stance on reading and you'll find comprehension inherent in the definition of reading. This contradicts a position that calling out, or sounding out words without comprehending the meaning and use of the word is not reading. I've taught reading methods classes at the graduate and undergraduate level for nearly two decades - methodologies go in and out of fashion - but comprehension stays fixed as the inherent goal of reading. Look back at work by Durkin in the 80's -- she criticized teachers for testing but not teaching comprehension. Why? Because it involves all of the complex reading processes. This is one reason people keep pointing out that we have yet to find the Holy Grail of teaching methods. One approach does not fit all learners. Phonemic awareness, phonological understanding, word analysis, vocabulary, listening, speaking, writing, and reading together in concert constitute literacy. Rather than dwell on "where did the reading difficulty come from?" reading teachers concentrate on using a variety of strategies to first prevent reading difficulties. Of course they work to remediate difficulties too. Take a look at the Snow et al study by the National Research Council available at no cost at http://ed.gov/pubs Jeri Levesque, Ed.D. Associate Professor, Webster University Director, Webster University Literacy Center St. Louis, MO
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