Cognitive Theories and Reading Comprehension

1. Cognitive Theories and Reading Comprehension Building Blocks of the Reading Process

2. Why is reading comprehension important? • NCLB – reading scores are critical to making AYP and everything that goes along with it • Content-Area reading comprehension continues to suffer – impacting students ability to independently process complex ideas • Students reading skills will have a direct impact on their earning potential

3. How can teachers improve students reading comprehension? • Recognize the complexity of a reading process • Use knowledge of cognitive and the reading processes to develop lessons that help students comprehend a variety of text • Help the students develop and master the skills that will enable them to become successful readers

4. During the Presentation I will: • Examine the reading process from both the Information Processing Theory and the Constructivism theoretical perspectives • Provide the background on the reading process and how it ties in with the cognitive theories

5. Instructional Reading Strategies • Many of the cognitive theories act as a basis for reading instructional theories • Overall comprehension is directly impacted by all three stages of the reading process • (Before, During & After) • Each stage has a set of skills that are common to all successful readers

6. Instructional Reading Strategies • Many of these skills transcend one particular stage of the reading process • The reading process is a dynamic process – everyone must find their own recipe to become a successful reader. • That recipe is constantly changing • Many people have an over simplified understanding of the reading process

7. Levels of Comprehension Meaningful Learning:recognizing a relationship between new information and information already in your long-term memory Rote Learning:Learning without attaching much meaning to it. Evaluate Synthesize Analyze Application Bloom’s Taxonomy Comprehension Knowledge

8. Theoretical Perspectives of the Reading Process • Information Processing Theory • Focuses on what goes on inside the learners head – learning, memory & performance • Identify the internal mechanisms that help people process information • Many of the skills of the Before and During reading stages focuses on mechanisms readers dynamically employ to comprehend a reading

9. Theoretical Perspectives of the Reading Process • Information Processing Theory - Examples • Prior Knowledge and Making Connections • Computer Analogy – Forgetting to Save the information to your long-term memory • Predictions and Questions • Ways of interacting with the information • Monitoring Comprehension • Metacognition – Thinking about thinking • The reader is able to adapt their own reading process to ensure comprehension – fix-it-up strategies

10. Theoretical Perspectives of the Reading Process • Constructivism Theory • Focuses on how the learner internalizes new information and creates their own understanding • Examines how people combine new knowledge with their already created schemas • Much of the After reading stage focuses on the skills the readers dynamically employ to comprehend a reading - building their own interpretations of new information

11. Theoretical Perspectives of the Reading Process Constructivism Theory - Examples Summarize – Explicit vs. Implicit (Not Paraphrasing) Students perceptions of the reading will be impacted by the prior or background knowledge Synthesize – mix new and old information to generate a personal understanding Students take ownership of the information - strengthens the students ability to retrieve information Evaluation – Form and Support Opinions Students take ownership of the information - strengthens the students ability to retrieve information

12. Before Reading Skills • Previewing / Surveying – scan pictures, titles and subtitles • Text Analysis – identify text format and select proper reading strategies based on the type and genre of the text • Elicit prior knowledge – past experiences used to make connections while reading • Develop a purpose for reading by making questions and predictions based upon the preview of the text

13. Before Reading Skills - continued • Helps readers focus their attention • Questions, Predictions and Text analysis allows the reader to read at the appropriate rate • Will help them move information from the sensory register into their working (short-term) memory • Eliciting Prior knowledge helps reader jump start the cognitive process

14. During Reading Skills • Update and create new predictions and questions to maintain focus while actively reading • Work to expand vocabulary skills • Reading Rate – adjust reading rate based on the difficulty of the text and personal reading skills • Visualize – using information from both the text and prior knowledge to create and maintain a mental image while your read • Connection – develop links between the text and prior knowledge to ensure comprehension

15. During Reading Skills - continued • Develop Inferences – combining information from the text and prior knowledge to make both explicit and implicit conclusions • Monitor Comprehension – identifying possible reading difficulties while completing a reading assignment, then taking correct measures to ensure comprehension • Re-read – taking time to re-read a passage if not completely understood • Context Clues – use various strategies to determine the basic meaning of an unknown or unfamiliar word

16. During Reading Skills - continued • During reading skills help the reader sift through the information in their working memory • Starts the process of transferring information into long-term memory • Students move beyond rehearsal – focusing on basic facts • Stop reading passively and begin to become an active reader

17. During Reading Skills - continued • Active Readers start the process of transferring information in the long-term memory by: • Elaboration – adding additional ideas to new information • Organizing – Making connections among various new pieces of information • Visual Imagery – Making mental images

18. After Reading Skills • Assess Reading Comprehension – use a series of questions to check overall comprehension • Summarize – identifying the both the explicit and implicit main idea(s) and the supporting details • Synthesize – mix prior knowledge with information from the text to generate a personal understanding from a passage • Evaluate – form and support opinions based upon information from a reading

19. After Reading Skills - continued • Active Readers continue the process of transferring information in the long-term memory by: • Elaboration – adding additional ideas to new information • Organizing – Making connections among various new pieces of information • Visual Imagery – Making mental images

20. After Reading Skills - continued • Once the students begin to summarize, synthesize and evaluate more often and with greater incite: • More meaningful learning experiences will occur • Greater chance of retrieving the information • The information could be less likely to decay

21. Building Comprehension A Model of Hunan Memory Lost ? Lost Lost SensoryRegister Working(Sort-Term) Memory Long-TermMemory Input In-depth cognitive processing - Making Connections Attention Ormond, J. (2006). Essential of Educational Psychology. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc. (p. 25)

22. Resources Daniels, H. & Zemelman, S. (2004). Subjects matter: Every teacher’s guide to content-area reading. Portsmouth: Heineman. Ormond, J. (2006). Essential of Educational Psychology. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc.. Oczkus, L. (2004). Super 6 comprehension strategies: 35 lessons and more for reading success. Norwood: Christopher-Gordon Publishers. Robb, L. (2000). Teaching reading in middle school. New York: Schoolastic Professional Books. Wilson, E. (2004). Reading at the middle and high school levels: Building active readers across the curriculum. Arlington: Educational Research Service.