Getting to know the literacy learner.
Part 4: selecting texts.
Teaching is usually all about design. Teachers’ design learning experience is always to support their students in achieving their goals within the content, the school, and state standards. As a teacher, I usually have unique expertise with a reasonable nexus of understanding my students, especially student B and her demands of the content required. Within the education system, no one is in a better position to craft learning experiences that support our academic growth about our students within our classes. I feel that is one of the most important responsibilities we play as teachers though it is also a fantastic opportunity. If we come together as teachers and demand the position of designing our classroom desires, we get to take ownership of our planning and instruction.
To some teachers, this idea may seem obvious, but in the view towards an age of standardized tests and mandated curricula, it may not be easy to achieve. Most of the teachers within the curriculum usually rely on survey texts to expose students to the material they may not get in class. Some districts and administrators have tried to come up with the use of specific text materials that “cover” the standards. While sometimes assigning such texts relevant to the student. If we limit the content reading as teachers, these materials equally restrict our students’ learning opportunities.
As a teacher, when you decide to choose texts for close reading activities, it is usually very crucial to consider text complexity. This is due to close reading. Most of the time needs deep interaction with and critical analysis of a text; it is imperative that the text is challenging yet are made accessible to the students. If these texts seem natural to the students, then it is equally that they may not be able to achieve the opportunity to learn and develop new strategies and skills related to reading. Literacy development in such cases will not advance. If a text is also too difficult, students will not be able and willing to access the text in a way that produces meaning. Either way, the student will not have the opportunity to learn new strategies and skills.
Close read-worthy texts should include enough complex ideas worth exploring and discussing to sustain one or more instruction days. This strategy is a multiday commitment whereby the teacher encourages the students to read a text that offers them rich enough vocabulary, ideas, and information to try and examine and discuss these texts without feeling like they are beating a dead horse.
When selecting texts, teachers should always consider three components of text complexity. These include.
Qualitative.
To ensure if these texts offer ideas or information that helps the student further understand the topic.
If the texts follow a familiar language conversation.
What background knowledge do my students need to have to be successful with the text?
Quantitative.
The teacher should ensure if the texts are appropriate readability level for the students in question.
The teacher should also be able to scaffold the students to ensure success with the texts.
Reader and Task consideration
How much prior knowledge do my students have about the topic?
The level of student’s interest in the texts.
The difficulties the students may face when handling this passage.
Student assessment data.
Based on the data derived from the non-cognitive assessment towards student B, it has entirely been determined that she had a negative self-perception of herself as a reader compared to the other students in her group. Thus, it is crucial to select a text which challenges her yet allows her to be successful in growing as a self-efficient reader. The cognitive comprehension assessment showed student B’s approximate reading level. This must be n consideration when choosing the text of a general so that the meaning of the texts is accessible to her. On a similar assessment, student B showed a strong understanding of literal messages, but in-turn required more practice to understand implied words accurately. When selecting messages for her, the instructor must ensure that the text given must include literal and implied messages. When I administered the vocabulary assessment to her, I realized that student B used context clues and prior knowledge to accurately analyze the meaning of vocabulary words. When making the text selection, the teacher should be wise to consider topics in which student B has some prior knowledge.
Text selection insights.
Text selection is one of the in-depth processes that are usually best engaged in by the classroom teacher. When the teacher evaluates a text, they typically acquire a better understanding of how their students interact with it and can assure the text fits the needs of a specific student. These selections should always be both quantitative and qualitative measures assessed by teachers (Hiebert, 2013).
Reference.