Reading Response 1: Mosaic of Thought and Strategies That Work

“For better or worse, we all learn the most from adversity, not just as readers, but in the wider circles of our lives…Learning to monitor for meaning and make ongoing revisions as we’re confronted with new information is not only a reading skill, but a life skill, and the feeling of accomplishment when we break through to understanding is hard to beat.” (Keene and Zimmermann, p. 63).

My life has been full of revisions! From the career path I chose to the number of layers I wear on any given day. As I collect more information my opinion has changed. What I enjoyed most about this chapter was how the authors broke down ways that good readers monitor their comprehension. So much of these strategies have become second nature for me that I am afraid I won’t know how to break them down and teach them to students. The skills are so invisible to me that until being pointed out to me in literacy courses I had very little understanding of why/how someone could struggle as a reader. When I read about Chris and Kristin talking about their thinking with students, I kept noticing myself thinking, “oh I do that!” and, more excitingly, “I could teach that!”. It gives me a lot of hope to see what once seemed to be a “you have it or you don’t” ability broken down in to achievable strategies. Its not magic, its metacognition!


“Only when readers listen to their inner voice will they notice when they stray from an active inner conversation with the text.” (Harvey and Goudvis, p. 79)

Calling attention to our thinking is important. However, it is not enough to stop at pointing out that our mind wanders when we read. What I enjoyed in the chapter was the idea of creating a chart of problems and solutions. Here is an example of how monitoring meaning is a lifeskill! Especially in the electronic age, it is most important to me that my students learn to learn. I know adults who when faced with a problem just sit back and complain. Understanding that life is full of challenges, and then looking for solutions to challenges instead of being stumped by a roadblock is certainly a valuable skill for adults (and one that gets you a lot farther than whining!).