I was so frustrated one day in Biochemistry class after I had asked the students to read what I thought was a straightforward account of the steps involved in breaking down glucose and how cells are able to extract its energy. Asking for volunteers who could summarize some of the steps, no one came forward. I was so frustrated that I thought aloud, "You can read but you cannot understand the meaning. This is the definition of functional illiteracy." Although I was not speaking to any student in particular, I was so dismayed that no one could understand what we had just read (aloud, even) that I did not give my students any further chance of discovering the knowledge for themselves. I gave a lecture on glycolysis.
Looking back, I know now that I made the mistake of presuming that since my students could decode the words, i.e. 'read', they ought to be able to create meaning from what they had just read, i.e. 'comprehend'. After learning about the process of Reading, during my reading of many books these past three weeks, I now know that I should not have presumed this. I have to teach my students how to Read, with a capital R.
This is not to lay blame or to apologize. This is me learning.
Read more about this process in my other blog.
No comments:
Post a Comment