Rading it and Hoping I Get It

I Read It, But I Don't Get It is written by Chris Tovani and I've found it to be an incredibly useful tool when thinking about how to best use the limited amount of time I have in my practicum. One thing that was reaffirmed for my right away was how the concept of discussion was brought up in the first chapter. I absolutely believe that allowing students to ask and respond to their own questions is one of the best aids for understanding. Learning materials are not being used to the best of their ability if students are not generating their own responses and thinking critically about the topic of the lesson of hand. For these reasons, I'm not afraid to ask hard and difficult questions in my classes. It is okay for a student to not know the answer. What's even better is when a student uses the knowledge they already have to look into something challenging and formulate their own response even if they may be wrong. As long as the correct method if modeled and shown to students, any engagement they have in this method is aiding their comprehension.

Another mention Tovani makes that I found very interesting was how students can become "stuck" while reading a text. I was a little relieved to see that someone else had experienced this sensation. I would feel like I couldn't get my mental voice to engage with the text and that all I could put into a text in terms of effort and concentration was far less than I was getting out of it. I can identify if a student is stuck by considering or asking the following.

 1. The voice inside their head isn't interacting with the text.
2. Their mental movie is no longer projecting.
3. Students find their minds wandering/daydreaming about unrelated things.
4. They can't remember what they have previously read.
5. Clarifying questions asked by the reader cannot be answered.
6. The reader has no idea who a character is or when they showed up.

I'm constantly asking myself, "How do I ensure my students 'get it?'". Tovani has provided an excellent and quick reference for any instructor that they can quickly access to supplement any lesson planning of difficult material.

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