What Is Fake-Reading

What is Fake-Reading? “Ever since I could read words, I’ve wanted to know what else a person had to do in order to make sense of a text. I didn’t have a problem decoding. I had a problem understanding. I faked comprehension for years . . . I thought I was just born a bad reader. It was a great relief to learn there was something I could do to improve my comprehension.” Cris Tovni

What is fake-reading?  FAKE UNDERSTANDING: Readers “fake” or pretend that they understand what they are reading (Readers pretend that they understand material, from broadest points to narrower points; readers “pretend” that they “get the big picture,” or that they “get it . . .”  TOLERATE POOR COMPREHENSION: Readers assume that poor understanding is the result of reading (When you read, you aren’t suppose to get much from what is read  EXPECT DISMANTLING OR EXPLANATION: Meaning is provided when someone else (usually a teacher) explains or dis mantles the meaning  ASSUME THAT SOME PEOPLE ARE “JUST BETTER READERS” AND CLASSIFY SELF IN CATEGORY OF “NOT GREAT AT READING”

How do people fake read? FAKE READING OCCURS WHEN YOU STOP TRYING OR DON’T KNOW HOW (either consciously or unconsciously) TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE TEXT MEANS

WHAT DO PEOPLE DO INSTEAD OF READING EFFECTIVELY? Instead, readers do such things as:

Fall asleep Never read for pleasure, only when you have to Forget what you’ve read Read the words without knowing what they mean Read a guide or back of book instead of the whole Watch a movie about the content instead of read Ask what others know about the book so you don’t have to read Read without paying attention Read too fast Just look at the words Lose your place when reading

What do you do when you read? (List) What do good readers do when they read? They learn how to use thinking strategies Good readers realize that comprehension and retention involve thinking: the good reader, using a variety of strategies, actively thinks about content

What is a strategy? An intentional plan that readers use to help themselves make sense of their reading. Strategies can be flexible and can be adapted to meet the demands of the reading task.

Reading then, is about thinking and constructing (building) meaning). Today’s research defines reading as far more than decoding. Instead, reading is defined as “ . . . a complex, recursive thinking process (Fielding and Pearson 1994; Ogle 1986).

P. David Pearson and several of his colleagues have synthesized years of research on characteristics of proficient readers and found that successful readers (of all ages) use seven common strategies.

What are 7 strategies of effective readers? 7 STRATEGIESOF PROFICIENT READERS: They use existing knowledge to make sense of new information. They ask questions about the text before, during, and after reading. They draw inferences from the text. They monitor their comprehension. They use “fix-up” strategies when meaning breaks down. They determine what is important. They synthesize information to create new meaning.

When readers use these strategies, they are “constructing meaning” or thoughtfully and deliberately THINKING when they read.

Reading is more than decoding Effective readers recognize that decoding is just part of reading. In order to comprehend, readers must also: Understand concepts and register subtleties Determine what is important Connect knowledge and experience to what has been read

READING BECOMES INCOMPREHNESIBLE, OR FAKE, WHEN: Readers insist that decoding is all that is needed and teacher shld make meaning Readers don’t have comprehension strategies to unlock meaning Don’t have sufficient background knowledge Don’t recognize organizational patterns (how the text is organized)

AND YET, INSTRUCTORS EXPECT THAT STUDENTS Know how to read effectively Can reader faster than in HS Can read large amounts of info in short amounts of time Can read and gain information Can read and understand increasingly difficult material

OUR GOAL: Appreciate that reading is thinking Learn comprehension strategies Become effective readers