Synthesis Blog #1: What is reading, anyway?

In Chapter 2 of Subjects Matter, I found the idea of schemata particularly interesting. As I reflect on my experience as a student in the classroom, I can recall several instances where my teachers used a passage from a textbook as a way of introducing new knowledge. It was no doubt that I struggled in those moments, because I had no prior knowledge to connect with the new information. I think this is especially important to analyze when thinking of the definition of reading. Before reading this chapter, I would define reading as being able to sound out words of a text and putting those together to understand the text. However, I learned that it is so much deeper than that. I learned that prior knowledge is key to learning the content of a text.

Understanding how schemata can contribute to comprehending a text is crucial for every teacher or teacher candidate to know. As mentioned in Subjects Matter, “by engaging learners in preparatory work, teachers help them move toward independence in their reading” (35). When we as teachers provide pre-reading activities to help our students develop schemata, they will begin to understand what they are reading more clearly and develop skills to interpret a text. As a result, will motivate them to read more independently.

However, with so much content needing to be taught in the classroom already, this doesn’t leave much time to devote to developing schema for students. On the other hand, since it is crucial to a child’s learning now and later in life, I believe it is worth the time spent in the classroom. Also, as mentioned in Subjects Matter, teachers can show the students strategies to help them understand the content better by using the content they need to learn anyway, so that they learn both and time is maximized in the classroom. (Word Count: 307)