Effective literature instruction develops thinking skills

Effectiveliterature

instructiondevelops

thinkingskills

tudies in English lan-guage arts education tellus that:

when children have daily,thought-provokingexperiences with all kinds

of literature, their under-standing becomes morevaried and complex; and

when those experi-ences include substan-tive discussions with

others, students’ learningis further enhanced.

S

ut while evidence for the value of literary ex-perience is substantial, strategies teachers canuse to help students gain the needed reason-

ing abilities to do well are relatively scarce. To-day practitioners and policy makers are findingsuch guidance in the work of Dr. Judith A. Langer

and her research team at the National ResearchCenter on English Learning & Achievement(CELA). This brief highlights some of these re-

search findings and their implications for class-room practice. It is intended for use by thoseresponsible for supporting effective English and

language arts instruction and has been adaptedfrom the booklet Improving Literary Under-standing through Classroom Conversation and

related reports, articles and books.

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http://cela.albany.edu

as the text progresses, while at thesame time recognizing that a devel-opment in the work or interactionwith other readers might change ourthinking. Langer calls these unfold-ing and shifting understandingsenvisionments. They are like thekinds of knowledge we call uponwhen making sense of any new ex-perience. Because they illuminateimportant themes in the text and re-veal areas of insight or confusion onthe part of the reader, envisionmentsare at the core of what teachers andstudents should be attending to dur-ing literature instruction.

he way we think about a text de-pends in large part upon our pur-poses and expectations for readingit. Whereas reading for informationrequires finding a sense of the topicearly in the reading and then shap-ing our search for new informationwith reference to that topic, literaryreading is in a constant state of flux.We explore deeper possibilities un-derlying the particular part we arereading, while also exploring the dif-ferent ways each of these explora-tions might affect our interpretationof the entire work. Thus, as we read,we entertain various interpretations

Langer has identified four stances to describe the waysin which accomplished readers interact with a given text:

We bring what we know from our reading and other experiencesto our reading of the new text, seeking enough essential informa-tion to step in to the text and form initial interpretations and specu-lations. We rely on this search at the beginning of the reading andagain whenever we “get lost” or encounter unexpected or confus-ing ideas.

As we think, write about, or discuss a literary work, we movethrough the text, exploring possibilities and developing deeperunderstandings. We use our momentary understandings of wordsand structures, themes and characters, events and conflicts, to-gether with prior experience with life and literature, to contributeto an evolving interpretation of the entire text.

Often our emerging understandings prompt us to reflect on theworld beyond the text. Sometimes, we step out and rethink, usingideas we have gotten from the text to inform and question ourinterpretations of the world we know. We learn from the text.

At other times we distance ourselves from the reading experience,the text itself, and the understandings we have developed. Herewe step out and inspect the text for purposes of analysis, com-parison, or other critical examination.

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Howreadersthinkabout aliterarytext

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nvisionments are

at the core of what

teachers and

students should

be attending

to during literature

instruction.

E

n January 2002,

the Annenberg/CPB

Channel unveils its

series of professional

development pro-

grams devoted to

helping middle and

high school teachers

improve literature

instruction. The

Envisioning series,

produced for

Annenberg/CPB by

Maryland Public

Television, builds

upon Langer’s

research into how

people think when

they read literature

and how effective

teachers use this

knowledge to move

their students

toward deeper

understanding.

IWhy the stancesare important

The findings and practices highlighted inthis brief illustrate some of the featuresof “uncommonly successful schools”identified in other CELA research. Thatis, they encourage critical and creativethought, collaboration between andamong students, connections between

hese findings suggest that students need support in developing andarticulating rich and powerful envisionments if they are to form deepand defensible interpretations. Such support is strengthened when teach-ers do the following things (see page 4 for example):

Focus the discussion on students’ ideas and questions,first to capture the thoughts students come away with at the end of areading, and later, as they further develop their understandings.

Teach students to strengthen their reading abilities by showing themways to discuss and ways to think about a work.

Ask questions that move students to different stances in or-der to develop their understandings.

Foster student awareness and control of their en-visionments through oral and written activities that make students’thinking visible to themselves and others.

These kinds of supports have the advantage of requiring active men-tal engagement, raising reading behaviors to the conscious level for ex-amination and reflection, and inviting participation by students of vary-ing reading and ability levels. Described in greater detail in the bookletImproving Literary Understanding through Classroom Conversation, thesestrategies have been shown to aid students’ comprehension.

While the nature of any literature discussion will be guided by boththe text and the students’ emerging understandings, the example on theback cover illustrates one sequence a teacher might use to assure thatsuch discussion is productive.

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T H E O R Y I N A C T I O N

academic and non-academic experi-ences, and the development of strate-gies for learning and thinking. Examplesof theory in action can help to inform thework of educators and others seeking toimprove student performance in reading,writing, and thinking.

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W H A T I T C O U L D L O O K L I K E

CELA-published materials are available from CELA or by downloading them fromhttp://cela.albany.edu/

The National Research Center on English Learning & Achievement is the nationalcenter funded by the U.S. Department of Education to conduct research dedicatedto improving the teaching and learning of English language and literacy, grades K-12. CELA’s mission is to identify the best ways to strengthen English and languagearts programs, practices, and policies. CELA’s research focuses on the knowledgeand skills students need to effectively read, write, and communicate throughouttheir lives. The research on which this publication is based was conducted underGrant number R117G10015; preparation of this publication was supported underGrant number R305A960005. The findings expressed here do not necessarily re-flect the position or policies of the sponsoring agency.

National ResearchCenter on EnglishLearning & AchievementUniversity at Albany, ED-B9State University of New York1400 Washington AvenueAlbany, NY 12222Phone: 518.442.5026Fax: 518.442.5933Email: [email protected]

Invite students to read the text,responding in any way thathelps them. (Teacher: Jot downyour thoughts and questions,or use sticky notes to recordanything that strikes you asinteresting or puzzling.)

After all have finished reading,tap readers’ first impressions.(Teacher: What does the piecemean to you? What questionswere you left with?)

Continue to keep readers’ideas and questions at thecenter of the discussion,exploring possible interpreta-tions and seeking deeper onesby encouraging students torespond to one another andbuild upon what others havesaid. (Teacher: Do you agree ordisagree? Any other possibili-

A possible sequence forguiding literaturediscussions

ties?) Where appropriate,orchestrate the discussion by:

Building on initial impres-sions (Teacher: What do youthink this story is about?Was there anything youdidn’t expect?)

Using uptake, or picking upon what is said (Teacher: Ihear so and so say. . .any-body disagree with thatidea? )

Asking for clarification(Teacher: Can you say moreabout that? Why do youthink that happened?)

Making connections(Teacher: Is there anythingyou’ve read that helps you

understand why it happenedthis way?)

Encouraging multiple per-spectives (Teacher: If youwere (a character in thestory) how would you inter-pret…? What if the narratorwere…instead of…?)

Taking a critical stance(Teacher: Was there anythingabout the style, organiza-tion, or wording of the piecethat made an impressionon you? How? How mightsomeone in another centuryreact to this piece? )

End the discussion by takingstock of ideas. (Teacher: So farwe have discussed the follow-ing threads or themes . . . .Whatelse do we need to discuss?)

1)

2)

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ExampleExample