Mosaic of Thought
Chapter 4 Annotation
The Presence of the Past: Using Schema to Understand and Remember
A key element to comprehending a piece of writing is the background knowledge the reader has. If a reader is familiar with the topic and has prior experiences to relate to what they are reading, then they will have an easier time comprehending. Using schema is a strategy that students should be taught, so that they can monitor themselves as they are reading and be aware if they do not have enough background knowledge to understand what they are reading. When they realize they don’t have the schema needed for the material, then they can take steps to gather information and build schema before they continue reading. Readers use their schema to make connections between text and the knowledge they already have.
When teaching children to use schema as a comprehension strategy, the teacher should use many think-alouds to show students how to use schema to comprehend, and also how schema can be changed or added to after reading. In the beginning, the teacher should model using schema in think-alouds, giving little time for student sharing. After the teacher has done a few think-alouds focusing on schema and the students understand what it means, they should gradually be given more time to share their thoughts and their connections. Schema can be used to understand the meaning of the text or to understand the structure of the text, such as in newspapers or magazines. When students are able to use schema as they read, it becomes easier for them to store the information from the text and recall it at a later time.
“The process of recalling or activating background knowledge should be taught explicitly, in a variety of texts, over a long period of time” (Keene & Zimmermann, 2007, p. 74). Kids need to learn to be aware of what they are thinking about as they are reading. They should be taught explicitly that their background knowledge and prior experiences impact the meaning they gain from a story. Relating the new information to knowledge they already have helps them store information and makes it more meaningful and easier to recall the information. If children can learn to make more connections to stories relating to what they already know, then they will become better readers and be able to comprehend text more deeply.
Using think-alouds to teach about activating schema is an effective way to show students what they are expected to do. I like the way Keene & Zimmermann described the teacher’s role and the students’ roll that should be taken on during the think-alouds. Keene & Zimmermann (2007) explained:
For crafting sessions early in a strategy study, Debbie usually doesn’t invite the students’ participation. At the outset she wants the demonstrations of her thinking to stand alone, to be clear, precise, and fairly high level examples of a proficient reader’s thinking process. She tries to use as few words as possible in think-alouds, letting those she does choose tell the specific story of her thinking. Gradually the children become directly involved. After a few demonstrations she invites the children to share their experiences and knowledge as she stops to think aloud while reading. (p. 85)
Students need to have several strong examples of the teacher using schema as she reads. If the teacher allows students to share their own thinking in the early stages, there is a possibility a student will use the strategy incorrectly and other students will view the incorrect response as a valid example for what they are expected to do. Minimizing student input during the early think-alouds also gives the teacher a chance to showcase a variety of connections that can be made during reading and show different ways to use schema. Another important part of using schema that must be modeled to students is understanding that reading can actually change someone’s schema if their schema was incorrect to begin with. It can also add to the schema that someone already has. I think it would be good to have discussions after reading centered around how the reader’s schema changed because of the reading.
Another idea from this chapter that I think was important was that not only can schema be used to understand the meaning of text, it can also be used to understand the format of the text. Students often have a difficult time making sense of different types of text such as nonfiction, newspapers, or poems. Students should be taught to take time to think about what format these are written in and think about how they can relate to things they have already read. If they understand the format more clearly, then they will be able to focus more on the text itself and not the format.
I thought this chapter was useful because it gave a lot of detailed examples of how to teach this strategy in a classroom. It seems that one important part of teaching schema that should not be overlooked is the importance of book choice. To really model making deep, meaningful connections the teacher needs to use books that allow for these connections to be made. It takes a lot of time to find good literature and become familiar with it before sharing it with students.
I look forward to the discussions that these lessons will spark in the classroom. Talking about schema and discussing how schema changed is a wonderful way to get to know students and gain some insights into their background. Discussions like these always give me extra information and help me understand the reasoning behind a students thinking. Lessons focusing on schema seem to be a great way to get to know the students and learn something meaningful at the same time.
Chapter 4 Annotation
The Presence of the Past: Using Schema to Understand and Remember
A key element to comprehending a piece of writing is the background knowledge the reader has. If a reader is familiar with the topic and has prior experiences to relate to what they are reading, then they will have an easier time comprehending. Using schema is a strategy that students should be taught, so that they can monitor themselves as they are reading and be aware if they do not have enough background knowledge to understand what they are reading. When they realize they don’t have the schema needed for the material, then they can take steps to gather information and build schema before they continue reading. Readers use their schema to make connections between text and the knowledge they already have.
When teaching children to use schema as a comprehension strategy, the teacher should use many think-alouds to show students how to use schema to comprehend, and also how schema can be changed or added to after reading. In the beginning, the teacher should model using schema in think-alouds, giving little time for student sharing. After the teacher has done a few think-alouds focusing on schema and the students understand what it means, they should gradually be given more time to share their thoughts and their connections. Schema can be used to understand the meaning of the text or to understand the structure of the text, such as in newspapers or magazines. When students are able to use schema as they read, it becomes easier for them to store the information from the text and recall it at a later time.
“The process of recalling or activating background knowledge should be taught explicitly, in a variety of texts, over a long period of time” (Keene & Zimmermann, 2007, p. 74). Kids need to learn to be aware of what they are thinking about as they are reading. They should be taught explicitly that their background knowledge and prior experiences impact the meaning they gain from a story. Relating the new information to knowledge they already have helps them store information and makes it more meaningful and easier to recall the information. If children can learn to make more connections to stories relating to what they already know, then they will become better readers and be able to comprehend text more deeply.
Using think-alouds to teach about activating schema is an effective way to show students what they are expected to do. I like the way Keene & Zimmermann described the teacher’s role and the students’ roll that should be taken on during the think-alouds. Keene & Zimmermann (2007) explained:
For crafting sessions early in a strategy study, Debbie usually doesn’t invite the students’ participation. At the outset she wants the demonstrations of her thinking to stand alone, to be clear, precise, and fairly high level examples of a proficient reader’s thinking process. She tries to use as few words as possible in think-alouds, letting those she does choose tell the specific story of her thinking. Gradually the children become directly involved. After a few demonstrations she invites the children to share their experiences and knowledge as she stops to think aloud while reading. (p. 85)
Students need to have several strong examples of the teacher using schema as she reads. If the teacher allows students to share their own thinking in the early stages, there is a possibility a student will use the strategy incorrectly and other students will view the incorrect response as a valid example for what they are expected to do. Minimizing student input during the early think-alouds also gives the teacher a chance to showcase a variety of connections that can be made during reading and show different ways to use schema. Another important part of using schema that must be modeled to students is understanding that reading can actually change someone’s schema if their schema was incorrect to begin with. It can also add to the schema that someone already has. I think it would be good to have discussions after reading centered around how the reader’s schema changed because of the reading.
Another idea from this chapter that I think was important was that not only can schema be used to understand the meaning of text, it can also be used to understand the format of the text. Students often have a difficult time making sense of different types of text such as nonfiction, newspapers, or poems. Students should be taught to take time to think about what format these are written in and think about how they can relate to things they have already read. If they understand the format more clearly, then they will be able to focus more on the text itself and not the format.
I thought this chapter was useful because it gave a lot of detailed examples of how to teach this strategy in a classroom. It seems that one important part of teaching schema that should not be overlooked is the importance of book choice. To really model making deep, meaningful connections the teacher needs to use books that allow for these connections to be made. It takes a lot of time to find good literature and become familiar with it before sharing it with students.
I look forward to the discussions that these lessons will spark in the classroom. Talking about schema and discussing how schema changed is a wonderful way to get to know students and gain some insights into their background. Discussions like these always give me extra information and help me understand the reasoning behind a students thinking. Lessons focusing on schema seem to be a great way to get to know the students and learn something meaningful at the same time.