C&T 741: Comprehension and Study Strategies for Use with Multiple Texts

Credits: 3

Key Skills: research, study strategies, executive functioning, explicit teaching, teaching models, effective feedback, Bloom’s taxonomy, Webb’s Depth of Knowledge, Common Core State Standards aligned assessments, content area reading strategies, narrative strategies, disciplinary literacy, writing to learn

Description: Reading with comprehension is a complex cognitive activity. As adults, we typically have the luxury of choosing and reading texts that are of interest to us and, more often than not, we comprehend what we read. However, there are times we struggle to comprehend text but we can usually identify why we are struggling. For example, the text is a poorly written technical guide, the document is written in legalese, or text is a boring article assigned for a graduate class on a topic that really doesn’t apply to our teaching. In short, we are competent readers and understand why we sometimes have difficulties when reading with understanding.

What about our students? Can they read with comprehension and do they recognize when they are not reading with comprehension? Do they understand why they are struggling? For that matter, can we identify when and why students are struggling to read with comprehension and do we know how to support our students? I wish I could tell you that this course will provide all the answers to these questions but of course it won’t and can’t. There are too many factors that influence reading and reading comprehension. However, this course will provide to you a framework for considering the needs of your students and for making more informed instructional decisions that will support students’ learning and study strategies.