RevisitingComprehension:TheRoleofTextComplexity,Background
Knowledge,andDeeperComprehension
LindaDorn,PhD.
ArkansasReadingAssociationConference
November17,2016
ThisNotesPageconsolidateskeyslidesfromthePowerPointpresentation.
ThreeQuestionstoFrametheLearningGoals
1. Whatiscomprehension?
2. Whatistheroleofexperienceinmakingmeaningforsomethingnew?
3. Whatistheroleofthetextinactivatingthereader’sbackgroundknowledgefor
constructingmeaning?
4. Howcanteacherscreatetheconditionstoactivate,clarify,andextendmeanings?
WhatisComprehension?
Comprehensionisareflectionoftheinnerworkingsofthehumanmind.Itishow
weinterpretthingsinourworldbasedonourmemoriesandexperiences.Texts
activatethosementalassociationsandexpandourknowledgethroughmeaningful
relationships.Inaliteratesociety,thetextisaspecialtoolforactivatingrelevant
associationswithinthereader’smindinordertounderstandsomethingnew.When
newinformationistestedagainstoldinformation,somethingnewiscreated.
WhattheReaderBrings
• Cognitivecapabilities(attention,memory,analyticability,inferencing,
visualization)
• Motivation(apurposeforreading,interestinthecontent,self-efficacyasa
reader)
• Knowledge(vocabulary,topicknowledge,strategicknowledge)
• Linguisticanddiscourseknowledge
• Backgroundexperiences
WhattheTextBrings
• Surfacecode(printedword)
• Textbase(author’sideas)
• Textconventions(textstructuresandfeatures)
• Symboliclanguage(hiddenmeaningswithinwords)
TwoLevelsofMeaning
SurfaceMeaning–Literalrecallofconcreteinformationwithinthetext
DeeperMeaning–Hiddenmessageswithintextthataregroundedinabstract
thinkingandintellectualwork
ThreeTypesofBackgroundKnowledge
1. Topic(content)knowledge
– Whatisthetopictobelearned?
2. Strategicknowledge
– WhatstrategiesshouldIusetohelpmelearnthecontent?
3. TextStructure/ConventionsKnowledge
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– Whatstructuresandfeaturesoftextdoestheauthorusetohelpme
understandthecontent?
ThreeQuestionstoKeeptheFocusonMeaning
1.
Whatdoesthereaderalreadyknowthatrelatestothetextmeaning?
2.
Whatdoestheauthorwantthereadertoknowaboutthetextmeaning?
3.
Whatcantheteacherdotoscaffoldthereader’smeaning-makingprocess?
Whatdistinguishessimplemeaningsfromcomplexmeanings?
SimpleTexts
ComplexTexts
Meaning
Meaning
Singlelayersofmeaning Multiplelayersofmeaning
Simpleplotstructure
Complexplotstructure
Explicitpurpose
Implicit,hiddenpurpose
Singletheme Multiplethemes
Commonexperiences
Distinctlydifferentexperiences
Singleperspective Perspectiveunlikeorinoppositiontoone’sown
Comfortable,safeissues
World(critical)issues
Emergentcomprehension Deep,analyticalcomprehension
KnowledgeDemandsWithinTexts
SimpleText ComplexText
Singletheme ComplexorSophisticatedTheme
Common,everydayexperiences Experiencesdistinctlydifferentfromone’sown
Singleperspectiveor
Perspectivesunlikeownorinoppositiontoone’s
perspectiveunlikeone’sown own
Meaningisthe
ultimategoal
ofallreading.
Whenreading
formeaning,
thebrainis
actively
engagedina
complex
processof
transforming
old(existing)
information
intonew
information.
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TenCognitiveProcessingStrategies
1) Activating 6)Analyzing
2) Planning
7)Categorizing
3) Predicting 8)Searching
4) Inferring
9)Monitoring
5) Visualizing 10)Regulating
TenComprehensionStrategies
1. Rereadingtextforcloseranalysis
2. Previewingorsurveyingtext
3. Askingquestionsbefore,during,andafterreading
4. Readingaloudtoclarifymeaning
5. Usingstorystructure,genre,andwritingconventions
6. Usingtextfeaturestoilluminateandextendmeaning
7. Annotatingtextsandrecordingnotes
8. Usingcontextandwordpartstoinfermeaning
9. Writingaboutreading
10. Discussingideaswithothers
Source:Dorn&Soffos.2005.TeachingforDeepComprehension:AReadingWorkshop
Approach.Stenhouse.
StrategiesforMakingMeaningfromLiteraryText
•
Strategiesforunderstandingtheauthor’smessageandoverallthem
•
Strategiesforunderstandingtherelationshipbetweencharacters,actions,
problems,solutions,settings,andotherpossibilities
StrategiesforMakingMeaningfromInformationalText
•
Strategiesforunderstandingthetopicorargumentandideas
•
Strategiesforunderstandingtherelationshipbetweenscientificconcepts
ExamplesofUniversalThemes
• Relationships
• ChangeOverTime
• Wisdom–ChoicesandConsequences
• CauseandEffect
• StruggleBetweenGoodandEvil
• ManVersusNature
• QuestforDiscovery
• War–Glory,necessity,pain,tragedy
• WilltoSurvive
ExamplesofCharacterTraits
• Acceptance–characterswhorespectandacceptothers’differencesand
beliefs
• Courage–characterswhohavethestrengthtoovercomefearoracceptarisk
• Perseverance–characterswhonevergiveupevenwhenfacingdifficult
times
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•
•
•
•
•
Cooperation–characterswhoworktogethertosolveaproblemorachievea
goal
Compassion–characterswhowanttomakethosewhoaresufferingfeel
better
Honesty–characterswhofinditisbesttoalwaystellthetruth
Kindness–characterswhoaregenerousorconsiderationofothers
Loyalty–characterswhotrusteachotherandneverturntheirbackson
friends
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ThreeBigIdeas
1)
Comprehensionisthemind’sabilitytomakesenseoflife-ahumansurvival
mechanismthatallowsustofunctionwithoutchaos.Otherwise,wewould
beramblingaroundwithnosenseofdirectionorpurpose.Withoutmeaning,
thereisnopurposebehindhumanactions.
2)
Thereader’sbackgroundknowledgeisessentialtomeaning-making.Ifwe
lackthebackgroundexperiencetointerpretthetext–nomatterhow
beautifullywrittenorhowwellwehavetaughtit–canbenonsensetothe
reader.
3)
Tounderstandamessage,themindmustintegratemultiplepiecesof
informationandself-correctanyproblemsthatinterferewithmeaning.This
isdeliberateandreflectivethinking.Withoutmeaning,thegoalofreading
becomesasenselessact.
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