TEACHING READING

ENGLISH METHODOLOGY II PROF: R. Correa I Semester 2008

INTERACTIVE SOCIOGOGNITIVE PROCESS

TEXT

READER

SOCIALCONTEXT

IS THERE ANY OPTIMAL WAY TO TEACH READING?

From the parts to Overall the whole. construction of meaning from connected or whole texts

From the parts to the whole/Overall constrution of meaning

Part Centered Codeemphasis Bottom up

Sociophsycholinguistic Meaningemphasis Top-down

The bottom up view of Reading

It was influenced by behavorist psychology of the 50s some patterns of language are reinforced. Today, bottom up is associated to phonics ( match letters with sounds).

The bottom up view of Reading

Reading is considered a linear process by which readers decode a text word by word, linking the words into phrases and then sentences. ( Gray and Rogers 1956)
Textual comprehension involves adding the meaning of words to get the meaning of clauses.

The bottom up view of Reading

Most activities are based on recognition and recall of lexical and grammatical forms. It requires a strong emphasis on repetition and on drills using the sounds that make up words.

The top-down view of Reading

In the 1960s a paradigm shift occured in the cognitive sciences. Behaviorism became somehow discredited as the new cognitive theory represented the minds innate capacity for learning. This gave new explanatory to how humans acquired their first language and produced and impact in the field of ESL/EFL

The top-down view of Reading

The emphasis on meaning -Ausebel 1968, meaningful learning informed the top-down approach. In this view , Reading is not just extracting meaning from a text, but a process of connecting information in the text with the knowledge the reader brings to the act of reading.

The top-down view of Reading

Reading is a matter of making sense of written language rather than decoding print sound ( Smith 1994) We draw on our own intelligence and experience to understand a text (Brown 2001)

The top-down view of Reading

Schema theory How do readers construct meaning? How do they decide what to hold on to? How do they infer writers message?

The top-down view of Reading

Schema theory: It describes how the the background knowledge of the learner interacts with the reading task and illustrates how a students knowledge and previous experience with the world is crucial to deciphering a text.

Schema theory and the reading process

Schema theory is based on the notion that past experiences lead to the creation of mental frameworks that help us make sense of new experiences.(Nunan,1999) A reader comprehends a message when he is able to bring to mind a schema that gives account of the objects and events described in the message( Anderson 1994)

Schema theory and the reading process

A learners schemata will restructure itself to accomodate new information as that information is added to the system (Ommaggio 1993)

Schema theory and the reading process

Content and formal schemata FS: knowledge about the structure of a text. CS: knowledge about the subject matter of a text. CS and FS enables students to predict events and meaning as well as to infer meaning from a wider context.

Schema theory to L2 reading

Select texts that are relevant to the students needs , preferences, individual differences and cultures After selecting the text, follow the three stages that are used to activate and build students schemata: Pre, While and Post reading actvities

Schema theory to L2 reading

While schema activation and building can occur in all three stages , the pre-reading stage deserves special attention since it is here where their schemata will be achieved

Pre-reading activities
To activate existing schemata To build new schemata To provide information to the teacher about what the students know Devices for bridging the gap between the texts content and the readers schema(Chen and Graves 1995)

Pre-reading activities
Formal schemata will be activated by using devices such as advance organizers and overviews to draw attention to the structure of the text. Content schemata will be activated by using various pre-reading activities to help learners brainstorm and predict how how the information fits in with their previous knowledge.

Pre-reading activities
Predicting Previewing Semantic mapping Reconciled reading lesson

The Interactive Model (IM)

This model considers the interaction between bottom-up and top-down processing skills. The IM acknowledges that lower level processing skills are essential for fluent and accurate reading.

The Interactive Model (IM)

It emphasizes that as bottom up becomes more automatic , higher-. level skills will become more engaged. Efficient and effective readers entails both processes interacting simultaneously.

To think about
Relying too much on either top-down or bottom up processing may cause problems for beginning ESL/EFL readers.
To develop reading abilities both approaches should be considered, as the interactive approach suggests.

 GOOD READERS

GOOD READERS:
Read extensively Integrate information in the text with existing knowledge Have a flexible reading style, depending on what they are reading

GOOD READERS:
Are motivated Rely on different skills interacting: perceptual processing, phonemic processing, recall Read for a purpose; reading serves a function

Reading Comprehension
Reader skills and strategies

type of text

reading purpose

Strategies for Developing Reading Skills

Previewing Predicting Skimming and scanning Guessing from context Use semantic mapping Distinguish between literal and implied meanings Capitalize on discourse markers to process reationships Paraphrasing

TYPES OF CLASSROOM READING PERFORMANCE

Oral
Intensive

Silent
Extensive

Linguistic Content Skimming Scanning Global

How to promote Reading Strategies?

BEFORE READING: Plan for the reading task Decide in advance what to read for Decide if more linguistic or background knowledge is needed Determine whether to enter the text from the top down ( overall meaning) or from the bottom up (focus on the words and phrases)

How to promote Reading Strategies?

During and After Reading: Monitor comprehension Verify predictions and check for inaccurate guesses Decide what is and is not important to understand Reread to check comprehension

How to promote Reading Strategies?

After Reading: Evaluate comprehension and strategy use Evaluate comprehension in a particular task or area Evaluate overall progress in reading and in particular types of reading tasks Decide if the strategies used were appropriate for the purpose and for the task Modify strategies if necessary

Principles for designing interactive reading techniques

Dont overlook the importance of specific instructions. Use motivating techniques Balance authenticity and readability in choosing texts Encourage reading strategies Include both bottom-up and top-down techniques

Principles for designing interactive reading techniques

Follow the SQ3R ( ) Subdivide yourtechniques into pre,while and after reading phases. Build in some evaluative aspects to your techniques.
survey, question.read,recite, review

Responses that indicate comprehension

Doing Choosing Transferring Answering Condensing Extending Duplicating Modeling Conversing

There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them.

Joseph Brodsky, Russian poet Nobel Prize in Literature (1987)