about the author -
key features -
description -
catalog page -
home - |
Building Strategies for College Reading: A Text with Thematic Reader
Second Edition
by Jane L. McGrath
| 
 |
 |
INSTRUCTOR
Reading instructors share many common goals. For example, we want students to see themselves as active participants in the reading process. We also want students to become independent learners who are able to set and accomplish reading and study objectives.
To help students achieve these goals, this text encourages students to see the reading process as a dynamic, cognitive process that has variable demands depending on the task. It encourages them to build a large personal repertoire of reading and study strategies they can select from to meet the demands of any task. And, because students are able to transfer new strategies more easily to their own work when they have practiced on tasks they perceive to be real, the text provides authentic reading tasks using typical college prose.
Although there is still much discussion about the differences between a skill and a strategy, I consider a skill to be an accomplished technique and a strategy to be an action a reader consciously selects to achieve a particular goal. Strategies are therefore means to an end.
The Organization of the Text
The text emphasizes strategies for reading typical college-level expository prose and asks students to view reading for learning as a continuous process rather than as a one-shot activity.
I encourage students to (1) always develop a plan--clarify their purpose, activate their own knowledge, and set specific comprehension goals; (2) actively implement their plan--draw from their repertoire of learning and reading strategies; (3) regularly review what they've gathered--consolidate and integrate information, and decide what else they need to know; and (4) develop a new plan to further their comprehension goals.
Chapters
The nine chapters investigate the skills of successful comprehension. Students examine and practice adapting and using a variety of strategies to help them fulfill their purpose. Each chapter contains instruction, examples, practice exercises (with suggested answers in the section titled "Suggested Answers for Practice Exercises," beginning on page 441) and at least four "Use Your Strategies" readings (many of which have been updated) with questions. Suggested answers for the "Use Your Strategies" exercises are in the Instructor's Manual.
Throughout the text, students work on identifying the author's purpose, understanding vocabulary in context, differentiating among different levels of information, and making valid inferences.
To facilitate a more systematic instructional progression, "Recognize the Author's Stance" is now Chapter 6, followed by "Integrate Text and Graphic Information," and "Organize the Information You Need." Chapter 9, "Decide What to Do with the Author's Information," serves as a summary.
Themes
The four thematic units contain typical college reading material and comprehension tasks. Each contains a full textbook chapter along with six to eight pieces centered on a unifying topic. Each piece builds on previous readings to expand an understanding of the theme and students' relationship to it.
While some questions in the thematic units require the recall of specific information, others are more process--oriented--helping to dispel the black-and-white concept of the nature of comprehension. Using this combination of product--and process--oriented assessments encourages students to analyze their own strengths and needs in concert with the instructor. Various writing assignments provide another forum for students to interact with new concepts and ideas. Theme 2, "Confronting Violence in Society," is entirely new. In addition, some of the readings in the other themes have been changed.
Study Strategies
New to this edition is the section titled "Study Strategies," beginning on page 408. Every semester students ask me to give them strategies they can use to "remember more," or "take notes," or "do better on a test." These study strategies are ones that students can use in all their courses.
Instructor's Manual
The Instructor's Manual includes the following: course syllabus recommendations, presentation ideas and transparency masters, readability information on reading selections, suggested answers for exercises, and additional reading selections to use as quizzes for each of the nine chapters. It also contains a brief synopsis of Project Read-Aloud--the award-winning community service project for developmental reading students--and a complete Project Read-Aloud Student Handbook.
STUDENT
Reading is the process of making meaning out of the 26 squiggles we call the alphabet. It is more than just knowing how to say words. Reading is the active thinking process of understanding an author's ideas, connecting those ideas to what you already know, and organizing all the ideas so you can remember and use them.
The demands of reading academic material are enormous--from studying a text assignment to prepare for class, to reading a magazine article for a discussion group, to reviewing for an exam. Research by Anderson and Armbruster (1984)* shows that a single text page can have as many as 50 separate but connected ideas. As a result, you are faced with sorting and understanding hundreds of ideas every time you study. But don't be discouraged. It is not an impossible task.
You can build a repertoire, or inventory, of reading and study strategies that helps you identify, understand, organize, and remember the information you need. Strategies are tools or techniques you consciously select to complete tasks accurately and efficiently.
Just learning about the strategies won't be enough, however. As an analogy, consider Jake. For the past month, Jake has been trying to shed a few pounds of extra weight and get in shape. He has learned some strategies for reaching his goals, including eating a low-fat diet and exercising regularly. He thinks about the strategies often and enjoys talking to his friends about his new fitness plan. He has just finished reading a book about planning healthy meals and he has made some sacrifices in his budget so he can buy a top-of-the-line exercise bike. Unfortunately, Jake hasn't lost any flab. Why? Because even though he has learned several strategies, he still spends his evenings eating chocolate cupcakes in front of the television. Until Jake starts actually using the strategies--eating right and riding the bike--he won't make much progress toward his goals.
Don't be like Jake. As you discover new reading and study strategies, apply them. Try them out in your classes and at work. Adapt them to fit your needs. Add them to your repertoire of strategies and use them consistently.
A Final Note: I hope you will help me improve future editions of this book by taking a few minutes to send your comments to me at College Reading Development Group, Prentice Hall, One Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458, or E-mail me at Jellenjay@aol.com
-- Jane L. McGrath
back to book page |
|
