Introduction

Stephanie Harvey began reading an article written by Arthur Costa entitled, “Educational Leadership.” As Stephanie read the article she noticed the words, “You can’t teach students to think.” Harvey was so astonished by this remark because for most of her professional career, she had been telling teachers the importance of teaching kids to think. However, the more she thought about it the more she realized that humans are born thinking- we do not need to teach them how because they were born as thinking individuals. The importance is teaching students about their thinking. “It is important to teach them the following: be aware of their thinking, think strategically, and recognize the power of their own thinking.”

 

Developing Awareness

It is important that all students (no matter their age) are taught to read while listening to their inner voice. Students are taught to listen to their inner voice, to follow their own conversation, stop, and think in order to react to the information read. However, when the authors asked a group of seventh grade science students if they have ever read something without thinking about it, and the whole class raised their hands. It is a simple thing for all of us to do, and often times, students read (especially informational texts) by just running their eyes across the lines in order to answer the questions at the end. We need to show students of all ages that even proficient adult readers do the same thing; the goal is to do show them how to get back on track. Thinking aloud in our heads is a crucial element in monitoring for understanding.

 

Becoming Strategic

Teaching students to become strategic thinkers is not so that they can only pass the course- it means getting them to think about the world around them.  “We teach them to ask questions to delve into a text, to clarify confusion, to connect the new to the known, to build knowledge, and to sift out the most important information when making decisions.” The authors of this text encourage teachers to teach students about the “strategic spirit.” In other words, the students should be taught to implement an action during reading or any other task brought before them (not just school oriented). For example, adults purchasing a home think strategically about costs, location, resale value, etc. Being strategic allows everyone to accomplish their goals.

 

Recognizing the Power of Thinking

Teaching our kids the power of thinking is a great tool for self-esteem. Many students (especially the less fortunate) leave school without being told the power that lies within their two ears; but, they should leave school knowing that they hold all of the power needed to set their own destiny. In order to help accomplish this goal, students should be taught the difference between information and knowledge. More often than not, students are given the facts, told to memorize them, and then after the test, the information goes out of their minds. Students need to be taught comprehension strategies to turn information into knowledge in order to actively use it in the real world. “As teachers, we can flood the room with engaging texts, we can share interesting ideas, we can model our own curiosity, and we can foster thoughtful conversations.”

 

Comprehension at the Core

According to recent research, comprehension instruction has never been as important as it is today. This instruction as bounced between single-strategy instruction to teaching small repertoires of strategies to teaching the strategies in more flexible and collaborative ways. Based on all of these ways, research has shown that students learn this strategies best when students are able to flexibly integrate them among a wide variety of subject matters and texts to create a challenging and engaging curriculum. Based on a closer look at teaching strategies and state-mandated test scores, it is apparent that teachers only teach strategies that are going to be on the test (i.e. fill in the blank). “Kids are going to have to be taught to think critically if they are going to be able to meet the CCSS.” Thankfully, educators are the ones whom this teaching responsibility lies- teachers must work to ensure that students are taught strategies that will benefit them for life.

 

The Comprehension Continuum

“Reading and thinking strategies provide an essential foundation for learning and understanding, especially in this era of CCSS and 21st century learning.” The continuum contains five comprehension practices:

 

1) Answering Literal Questions: This is the least sophisticated form of comprehension as students are not taught to think on their own. It is important for mastering a foundation in knowledge acquisition, but it does little in engaging the reader to learn.

 

2) Retelling: For younger students, retelling is the crown of comprehension (a fundamental skill) as it is all about recalling sequences of events and facts. Though more sophisticated than the previous element, we need to take the students further in their understanding.

 

3) Merge Thinking with Content: Engaging in connecting, questioning, inferring, visualizing, determining importance, and synthesizing information is where understanding takes root. It allows for engagement and provides tactics for constructing meaning.

 

4) Acquiring Knowledge: To truly learn information, we must think about it. “Once readers begin to consciously merge their thinking with the content, they are able to turn that information into knowledge.” Comprehension strategies allows students to gain insight to think critically. Implementing these strategies allows students to take a more active rather than passive role in their learning.

 

5) Actively using Knowledge: When we think about information, we come to integrate our knowledge and power of thinking. Thus, we can apply it to real world experiences. This final step allows for teachers to use more challenging language the gets students to think on a deeper level. The active use of knowledge plays a role in the classroom in a variety of ways. One way being kids being inspired to make a difference in the world by making a plan and taking action. “From our perspective, thinking about what we learn and using that knowledge every day is what it means to go deeper.”

 

Teaching for Understanding

What do people mean when they say, “it is all about the teacher?” Pedagogical content knowledge describes the teacher’s in-depth knowledge of and experience with the ways in which content, instruction, and the learners’ interests and needs intersect. What matters is how teachers act on this knowledge—and how their teaching reflects their understanding of their students, the curriculum, and a broad repertoire of teaching strategies every day in their classrooms.” Teachers have the power to shift their learning environment into a one that best benefits the students. Students who do not feel that their learning environment is suitable for them, do not perform to the best of their abilities. Teachers need time to plan and think about ways to best implement this pedagogical content- they should know the content and be able to create excitement for the students. It all begins with our movements and language. “These four teaching practices are most likely to result in classrooms full of engaged, active learners with teachers who have a deep understanding of pedagogy, content, and their students:”

 

1) Build and Use Background Knowledge to Inform Reading and Thinking: No child is a blank slate when they walk into the classroom- they all bring their own experiences that contribute to their learning in different ways. “Today’s new knowledge is tomorrow’s background knowledge.” Knowledge as an effect on what we learn so teacher should make the process as insightful as possible. “Asking students to read without background knowledge is like asking someone to breathe without oxygen”- it is the core of understanding. To help foster engagement, teacher should a short build background activation before starting a new concept/skill. For example, teacher could share an image or video about a topic and provoke discussion. “Building background is essential, but getting kids quickly into reading is the best way for them to add to their knowledge store, become more literate, and ultimately, better educated.”

 

2) Build a Repertoire of Thinking and Reading Strategies: The ultimate goal is to make reading thinking-intensive. We do not just teach students one skill, instead we should teach them multiple skills for the same problem that allows them to delve into the text and work out their thinking to construct meaning.

 

3) Scaffold Collaborative Discussions: It has been observed that students with a large repertoire of skills are more likely to participate in discussions. The insights and perspectives of student’s discussions can take important but unanticipated directions.  It is the teacher’s job to steer discussions so that we can weave all responses into the discussion. Teachers should use language that expands the child’s thinking. “Our discussions and the kids’ reading are springboards to their independent thinking, understanding, and decision making.”

 

4) Integrate Reading and Thinking Strategies across the Curriculum: Subjects that are not math and reading have come to slip behind the wall in recent years. “Reading, writing, and thinking across disciplines promotes literacy in the broadest sense of the term.” Democracy ensures that students are taught to look at the world around them with a critical eye and skeptical glance- it all starts by reading critically in all subjects. Students need to eager to engage in dialogue and ask questions to become thoughtful and informed citizens. Eleanor Roosevelt punctuates the point: “Every effort must be made in childhood to teach the young to use their own minds. For one thing is certain: if they don’t make up their own minds, someone will do it for them.” Teaching young people to use and recognize the power of their own minds is crucial- teaching them to do is the job of the well-informed educator!