"This transactional nature of reading often escapes dependent readers who expect the text to provide everything." p. 69
This chapter made me think a lot about how grateful I am to be a good reader. I don't know when it happened or how it happened but I am a good reader, I have always been the girl who LOVED going to the library and was always doing the Pizza Hut reading books, and the library reading challenges. I guess I should thank my parents for being the ones who took me to all of those, and supported me through all my reading conquests.
Being a dependant reader and 'expecting' the text to provide all the answers for you HAS to be extremely frustrating when the text doesn't. It is SO true in the classroom that when a student doesn't comprehend and/or the meaning isn't directly presented the student will either stop reading, or come and as us (as the teacher) to explain the story or the answer they are looking for.
I have found myself during subbing thinking about how I am HELPING the students. Am I HELPING them, or am I GIVING them the answer. I do have to admit, now that I am really starting to think about helping vs. giving I don't get as frustrated with students when I hear the same questions over and over and over again. Instead I really think about how can I find a different way to approach the students to help them figure out or find the answer.
I know my thoughts aren't all about the 'inferencing' talked about in this chapter, but I think that teaching inferencing has to do SOOO much about HELPING the students, since we have to learn how to teach the students how to draw inferences while reading.
Yours Reading,
Sara
Ha - I remember the Pizza Hut book challenges :) You bring up a good point - unfortunately we often give students answers instead of helping them... this is a good thing to think about while subbing!
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