Comprehension Instruction in Content Area Classes

I thought that specializing in language arts meant that I had a pretty good understanding of what comprehension was but I was wrong. Comprehension involves so many processes:

" . . .is an active, intentional thinking process through which the reader constructs meaning . . .word level processes like the ability to identify words quickly , accurately, and effortlessly and knowledge of the meanings of words"

A lot is happening as a student is reading and comprehending a text. I found the section about what "expert comprehenders" to be especially interesting. A reader has to bring their prior knowledge into the picture, figure out how to read the text, and after they do things like summarize their reading and clarify their understanding of the information they have just read. After giving it some thought when I read a challenging article, or any text, I do do most of these things without knowing it, my mind does go through various steps unconsciously in order for me to be able to comprehend and critically think about what I have just read.

As a future teacher one of the most important ideas in the text is as follows: "It is important to note that the ability to activate and use strategies . . .does not develop for students simply by providing them with opportunities to read. Instead many students benefit from instruction that explicitly teaches them a few research-supported strategies and then, over time, helps them learn to use such strategies in a flexible, coordinated, and self-regulated fashion" (368).

I never thought about giving a student a text and teaching them strategies for comprehension. The getting ready to read, while I'm reading and when I'm done, and the visual organizer graphics and lists that the author supplied seem like very useful tool in the classroom. I really enjoyed this article because it caused me consider the fact that we as teachers shape "expert comprehenders" and by doing so we give our students one of the most valuable tools for success in their futures.