Question: What are the strategies for constructing meaning?
Answer:
To the majority of the people is very difficult to read. Especially to the people that do not like the subject they are reading on, but read is a very important topic in life because that will make you grow and be more knowledgeable. Almost all of the smartest people in the world got all that intelligence from readings. Read should be a habit for all people. Between all the things we can talk about this topic, there are 3 essential strategies that the teachers pretend we use: content strategies, function/feature strategies and rhetorical strategies.
We are going to start talking about the content strategies, and it is basically comments concerned with content or topic information, “what the text is about” (page 177, Hass and Linda Flower). The reader may be questioning, interpreting, or summing content, paraphrasing what the text “is about” or “is saying.” The goal in using content strategies seems to be getting information from the text.
Function/feature strategies were used to refer to conventional, generic functions of texts, or conventional features of discourse. These strategies seemed closely tied to the text: readers frequently named text parts, pointing to specific words, sentences, or larger sections of text. While content strategies seemed to be used to explain what the text was “saying,” function/feature strategies were often used to name what the text was “doing.” The use of these strategies suggests that readers are constructing spatial, functional, or relational structures for the text.
Rhetorical strategies are concerned with constructing a rhetorical situation for the text, trying to account for author’s purpose, context, and effect on the audience. In rhetorical reading strategies readers use cues in the text, and their own knowledge of discourse situations, to recreate or infer the rhetorical situation of the text they are reading. Rhetorical reading appears to be an “extra” strategy which some readers used and others did not. It is useful to see rhetorical reading not as a separate and different strategy but as a progressive enlargement of the constructed meaning of a text.
The conclusion without too many words could be the following: content strategies works with the meaning of the reading and the common question that is made in this strategy is “what the text is about?”; the function/feature strategy works with the meaning of the specific part of the reading and the common question that can be made in this strategy is “what the text was doing?”; and at last but not least, we have the rhetorical strategies that is more about what you fell of the reading, and what is the author purpose of writing that, the way you interpret the reading.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Q & R 2
Q & R 2
What is a good reader?
Does being able to read every single word in a context make you a good reader? Some might believe this to be true while others might disagree. When being in college a student should be able to read any material that is presented to him or her, but understanding the material is a whole other aspect. Students entering college might think that English is easy like it was in high school but college is a whole different level in my opinion. There are strategies that we as students should learn that can be very useful when it comes to both reading and writing. One of the ways students (readers) try to make meaning of a text was called “rhetorical reading” an attempt at constructing a rhetorical context for the text as a way of making sense of it. Another idea is critical reading which involves more than careful reading for content, more than identification of conventional features of discourse, such as examples and having to agree or disagree. Each student is different and that’s the beauty of English you will never get the same answer or approach because all students have different opinions and views.
Jaime A
What is a good reader?
Does being able to read every single word in a context make you a good reader? Some might believe this to be true while others might disagree. When being in college a student should be able to read any material that is presented to him or her, but understanding the material is a whole other aspect. Students entering college might think that English is easy like it was in high school but college is a whole different level in my opinion. There are strategies that we as students should learn that can be very useful when it comes to both reading and writing. One of the ways students (readers) try to make meaning of a text was called “rhetorical reading” an attempt at constructing a rhetorical context for the text as a way of making sense of it. Another idea is critical reading which involves more than careful reading for content, more than identification of conventional features of discourse, such as examples and having to agree or disagree. Each student is different and that’s the beauty of English you will never get the same answer or approach because all students have different opinions and views.
Jaime A
How can We be sure that Reading Strategies Work?
H&F
In order to prove this answer or state the facts on it, we must actually try the techniques and see which works better with each person. Reading isn't something that we do naturally or seems to always catch our eye, but we do it to please the professors to avoid from failing. That shouldn't always be the case reading has many benefits liken this case it talks about strategies and we all know we can use the extra help if if your the greatest reader or not.
Reading is taken into pieces to write notes on the side or highlight a certain quote that seems to be the eye catching one,haas and flower want us "interpret sophisticated text" meaning even if it is over analyzed go with it. Any little sentence is a bit of information it has a lot of detail in one single piece. the don't want us to paraphrase but to analyze the text.
We can only be sure if the strategies work by jumping the boat and trying new things high school techniques dont always fly by with professors they dont want the flat triangle but the entire frosted cake. The details and analyzed concept not to over think the point and make it more of what it isnt.
1) What do teachers expect from the writing students in class? What do students expect from the proffessors/teachers?
-D&W
In this article it is approached in writing to elaborate not all such perfect tone to have a bit of flavor in every writing piece, if it is an essay or article. In writing its not just about quoting the author but to make your point of it, for professors to see you actually understood the point or your own judgement. While writing you let others see what you noticed even if its false or true you make it interesting and convincing with voice!
When professors ask new comerers for an essay or paragraphs revolvinmg any topic, they expect us to know what college writing is about but in reality we don't realize that we write in order for like intro,body, and conclusion that's thee only way we have been taught for 12 years of school and for a sudden change it messes up how our writing evolves. What students get by their freshman year is all the helps given to us such as writing center and after "talk" with professors. that is when it becomes easier and we begin to research more to become open minded with writing. By then we are competent with the standards of writing and reading as well.
In this article it is approached in writing to elaborate not all such perfect tone to have a bit of flavor in every writing piece, if it is an essay or article. In writing its not just about quoting the author but to make your point of it, for professors to see you actually understood the point or your own judgement. While writing you let others see what you noticed even if its false or true you make it interesting and convincing with voice!
When professors ask new comerers for an essay or paragraphs revolvinmg any topic, they expect us to know what college writing is about but in reality we don't realize that we write in order for like intro,body, and conclusion that's thee only way we have been taught for 12 years of school and for a sudden change it messes up how our writing evolves. What students get by their freshman year is all the helps given to us such as writing center and after "talk" with professors. that is when it becomes easier and we begin to research more to become open minded with writing. By then we are competent with the standards of writing and reading as well.
Question and Response Number 2
How can we as students develop ourselves to find the “cues” in a piece of literature and respond to them more?
The article states that reading involves picking up cues from writing and making our own representations of what we believe to be the more sophisticated purposes of it. This is difficult to do once again because we have not really been taught to do so. How do we as students find the “big picture” in writing?
I think it is a good idea to look into things that have meaning in our lives and try to find the more philosophical reasons for why they are important to us. Maybe if we take time to explore activities in other realms of learning in growing that aren’t conventional to our habits. Maybe if as college students we learn to read philosophical books or take time to interact with people in a way that we don’t usually, we can learn to see how others think and why they do the things that they do.
I believe that this method or reading may also request us to be more psychological with our analysis of writing. How people respond and how in depth one might think of a certain topic might be understood if we understand how people behave. Maybe we should think about who the author is before we try to figure out what they are saying. Better yet we might want to look at who we are while we are reading to see what we think the author might be saying. If we better understand ourselves and the people around we may better understand how people express themselves in writing
We should probably try to learn to express ourselves too, in different ways to see how certain feelings are invoked or expressed. Maybe attempting to be more artistic and pick up expressing ourselves through photography or dance might help students see different point of views. If we can try to step out of our own boxes we can understand more about ourselves and how we feel about things we maybe had never even thought about. If a student is artistic already, maybe they should try something more philanthropic like working with children or different groups of people.
Whatever we try, I think the best way for a student to become a more sophisticated reader is to try to learn how to do things from many different points of view. This way, it will be easier to pick up the “cues” an author gives us in his writing and we will be able to find multiple representations in them. Some of these representations may be our own or some we have learned that come from other people. Either way, we have developed a greater understanding and may be able to analyze all sorts of different text to find the more sophisticated meaning in them.
The article states that reading involves picking up cues from writing and making our own representations of what we believe to be the more sophisticated purposes of it. This is difficult to do once again because we have not really been taught to do so. How do we as students find the “big picture” in writing?
I think it is a good idea to look into things that have meaning in our lives and try to find the more philosophical reasons for why they are important to us. Maybe if we take time to explore activities in other realms of learning in growing that aren’t conventional to our habits. Maybe if as college students we learn to read philosophical books or take time to interact with people in a way that we don’t usually, we can learn to see how others think and why they do the things that they do.
I believe that this method or reading may also request us to be more psychological with our analysis of writing. How people respond and how in depth one might think of a certain topic might be understood if we understand how people behave. Maybe we should think about who the author is before we try to figure out what they are saying. Better yet we might want to look at who we are while we are reading to see what we think the author might be saying. If we better understand ourselves and the people around we may better understand how people express themselves in writing
We should probably try to learn to express ourselves too, in different ways to see how certain feelings are invoked or expressed. Maybe attempting to be more artistic and pick up expressing ourselves through photography or dance might help students see different point of views. If we can try to step out of our own boxes we can understand more about ourselves and how we feel about things we maybe had never even thought about. If a student is artistic already, maybe they should try something more philanthropic like working with children or different groups of people.
Whatever we try, I think the best way for a student to become a more sophisticated reader is to try to learn how to do things from many different points of view. This way, it will be easier to pick up the “cues” an author gives us in his writing and we will be able to find multiple representations in them. Some of these representations may be our own or some we have learned that come from other people. Either way, we have developed a greater understanding and may be able to analyze all sorts of different text to find the more sophisticated meaning in them.
Q&R
Q: How do difficulty understanding words affect the reader?
Depending on the author and the quality of words he or she chooses may interest the reader in a negative or positive way. Creating an article with quantity and more understanding words in it will give the reader an easier road ahead to finishing with much understanding. Less quantity but with the quality to be more expert reader, will discourage the reader to read. Feeling comfortable with reading and understanding phrases encourage the reader to continue, eventually finishing. The reader will find the correct difficulty that suits them.
q&r2
How can you become a “good reader”?
This question was the first thing that came into my mind because I do not consider myself as a good reader, although I like to read novels and I realized that the more I read the more I understand what I am reading. The problem is when I have to read anything else that is not a novel.
I think that most of the students think they are “good” readers because they read quickly, but I do not think this is necessarily make you a good reader or have large vocabularies. I believe that what makes you a good reader is the way you understand the text.
One of the problems that most of the students have is that they paraphrase, because this happens to me, but what we all need to do is to make critical thinking. I think that the first thing I need to do is to find the way to make the text more interesting, and then ask questions for myself like what, why and how. If I do not understand, what is almost always wrong with me, I have to read it the many times I need to understand it.
You need to analyze the text to be a good reader and criticize it and you will become a “good reader”.
This question was the first thing that came into my mind because I do not consider myself as a good reader, although I like to read novels and I realized that the more I read the more I understand what I am reading. The problem is when I have to read anything else that is not a novel.
I think that most of the students think they are “good” readers because they read quickly, but I do not think this is necessarily make you a good reader or have large vocabularies. I believe that what makes you a good reader is the way you understand the text.
One of the problems that most of the students have is that they paraphrase, because this happens to me, but what we all need to do is to make critical thinking. I think that the first thing I need to do is to find the way to make the text more interesting, and then ask questions for myself like what, why and how. If I do not understand, what is almost always wrong with me, I have to read it the many times I need to understand it.
You need to analyze the text to be a good reader and criticize it and you will become a “good reader”.
Q&R 2
How do rhetorical strategies help a reader better understand what they are reading?
I believe rhetorical strategies help the reader get a better understanding of what they are reading. When rhetorical strategies are applied, the reader can better see what the author was trying to convey through the writing. This can also help the reader become a rhetorical writer as well. Overall, rhetorical strategies help with getting the emotions and intentions of the author from the paper to the reader’s mind. Rhetorical strategies are obviously helpful and if the reader applies them, they will.
I believe rhetorical strategies help the reader get a better understanding of what they are reading. When rhetorical strategies are applied, the reader can better see what the author was trying to convey through the writing. This can also help the reader become a rhetorical writer as well. Overall, rhetorical strategies help with getting the emotions and intentions of the author from the paper to the reader’s mind. Rhetorical strategies are obviously helpful and if the reader applies them, they will.
Q&R2
Question: who are the good readers?
Answer: Good readers are not the students that can read 100 miles an hour and summarize what they read in that moment but forget about it the next day or the next week. A vast amount of students suffer from "bad reading habits "especially freshman students who are use to read in a high school level. But why are students not good readers? this is because the majority of bad readers lack interest in what they are reading and the lack reading strategies. Good readers are the students who are able to use any of the three major reading strategies such as content strategies, functional feature strategies and rhetorical strategies. what these strategies basically do is create an alert mind who is determined to question anything he reads for example when reading an essay he might ask questions such as what is the main point ? or I think this is the introduction. students who are good reader "can identify topic sentence, introduction and conclusions, generalizations and supporting details." according to Hass and Flower article rhetorical strategies and the construction of meaning. the article also describes a non-good reader as someone who can interpret any sophisticated text "these students readers seem to concentrate on knowledge, content what the text is about- not taking into account that the text is the product of writer's intentions and is designs to produce an effect on a specific audience. "while good readers understand that both reading and writing are context-rich, situational, constructive acts, and take into consideration that the writer intensions may be bias therefore is able to grasp a better writer perspective and infer his own perspective. In a nut show Hass and Flower answer the question by stating that good students who able to who can read and analyze instead of paraphrase and criticize instead of summarize any given article.
Answer: Good readers are not the students that can read 100 miles an hour and summarize what they read in that moment but forget about it the next day or the next week. A vast amount of students suffer from "bad reading habits "especially freshman students who are use to read in a high school level. But why are students not good readers? this is because the majority of bad readers lack interest in what they are reading and the lack reading strategies. Good readers are the students who are able to use any of the three major reading strategies such as content strategies, functional feature strategies and rhetorical strategies. what these strategies basically do is create an alert mind who is determined to question anything he reads for example when reading an essay he might ask questions such as what is the main point ? or I think this is the introduction. students who are good reader "can identify topic sentence, introduction and conclusions, generalizations and supporting details." according to Hass and Flower article rhetorical strategies and the construction of meaning. the article also describes a non-good reader as someone who can interpret any sophisticated text "these students readers seem to concentrate on knowledge, content what the text is about- not taking into account that the text is the product of writer's intentions and is designs to produce an effect on a specific audience. "while good readers understand that both reading and writing are context-rich, situational, constructive acts, and take into consideration that the writer intensions may be bias therefore is able to grasp a better writer perspective and infer his own perspective. In a nut show Hass and Flower answer the question by stating that good students who able to who can read and analyze instead of paraphrase and criticize instead of summarize any given article.
Q:What misconception do “Good Readers” seem to be under? How does it affect their writing? How would a true good reader be described?
R: The definition of a good reader is one who can read an article, text, or any reading work at a good speed and understand what the author is trying to communicate to the reader. A good reader can break and article down and explain what is happening. His or her answer to the question asked would probably be a good summary or paraphrasing of the content he/she read. They tend to think they fully comprehended what the author was trying to portray when in reality they only looked at the surface, the outer layer of content. A real reader digs deeper than the surface. He/she begins to look for more than one option of interpretation. He/she carefully breaks the text down and read it peeling the layers like an onion and read it in different levels. He/she fully analysis every detail being presented trying to relate and connect with the author. She/he tries to get into the authors state of mind and see the topic being presented through their eyes. A good reader becomes absorbed with the reading. A true reader goes far and beyond and their response and is not afraid to express is opinion. Real readers use strategies that allow them to interpret text and solve problems of comprehension. They analyze, criticize and crack the core of the concept. “Good Readers” seem to think that if you understand the words in the text and if you can rephrase in your own words, you have “read” the excerpt well and by rewording, they will have a great response, therefore there essay will be successful, but writing doesn’t work that way. If one just reads the surface, their writing will be nothing more than just a repetitive rephrased essay. At the end they’ll only have the teacher reading a summary of what she already knew and no opinion from the student like he/she expected. This won’t benefit the reader at all. One has to learn to read correctly. Use strategies and break down the text. See what the author is trying to say. Look deeper. Leave the idea of being a “Good Reader” and strive to be a Real Reader!
R: The definition of a good reader is one who can read an article, text, or any reading work at a good speed and understand what the author is trying to communicate to the reader. A good reader can break and article down and explain what is happening. His or her answer to the question asked would probably be a good summary or paraphrasing of the content he/she read. They tend to think they fully comprehended what the author was trying to portray when in reality they only looked at the surface, the outer layer of content. A real reader digs deeper than the surface. He/she begins to look for more than one option of interpretation. He/she carefully breaks the text down and read it peeling the layers like an onion and read it in different levels. He/she fully analysis every detail being presented trying to relate and connect with the author. She/he tries to get into the authors state of mind and see the topic being presented through their eyes. A good reader becomes absorbed with the reading. A true reader goes far and beyond and their response and is not afraid to express is opinion. Real readers use strategies that allow them to interpret text and solve problems of comprehension. They analyze, criticize and crack the core of the concept. “Good Readers” seem to think that if you understand the words in the text and if you can rephrase in your own words, you have “read” the excerpt well and by rewording, they will have a great response, therefore there essay will be successful, but writing doesn’t work that way. If one just reads the surface, their writing will be nothing more than just a repetitive rephrased essay. At the end they’ll only have the teacher reading a summary of what she already knew and no opinion from the student like he/she expected. This won’t benefit the reader at all. One has to learn to read correctly. Use strategies and break down the text. See what the author is trying to say. Look deeper. Leave the idea of being a “Good Reader” and strive to be a Real Reader!
Haas and Flower Q&R 2
After reading the Haas and Flower article, do you consider yourself to be among the “student readers”?
As a matter of fact, I did realize that I read like the students readers who were mentioned. I tend to paraphrase everything I read and I hardly analyze anything or think outside the box. I think that my previous reading skills have a lot to do with this. I would only use the “content strategies” which are basically just reading on the surface and knowing what the story is about but not really looking more into it. Due to this shallow way of reading the material, I had a hard time in one of my classes this spring. I was taking Intro to Philosophy and in that class we had to read every day. We would then discuss what we read in class with our professor and she would ask us various questions. It was in these questions in which I saw that we really had to understand what we were reading and try to interpret what the author was trying to say and what he meant by this or that. I found it very difficult to do because I would only end up paraphrasing or summarizing what I had read. I didn’t do very well on my first test or essay because I lacked the skills necessary to be able to fully grasp the context of the book. In the Haas and Flower article it talks about the rhetorical strategies that students can use to help them improve in their reading skills. After reading it, I realized that I have a lot more to learn in order for me to be an effective and be able to look beyond the surface of the text and make my own assumptions and opinions regarding what I read. This article encourages students to use the rhetorical strategies to help them become “experienced readers” and not be “student readers”, which rely on “text-based strategies to construct their meanings”(Haas and Flower 168).
Denise
Q&R 2
Question: Why is teaching students to read rhetorically as difficult as trying to teach students how to write rhetorically?
Unlike expert writers who have studied work within a rhetorical framework, student writers concentrate the most on the content and information that is presented to them. The expert writers on the other hand imagin an audience response, acknowledge context and setting in the work. The students concentrate on knowledge, content, and what the text is talking about, and do not take into account the effect that that writer had the intentions of placing upon a specific audience. Many students see reading and writing as just an informative exchange of knowledge and information. Trying to help students move beyond that point is the difficult task that teachers face. The difficult part is trying to change students mindsets about reading and writing; they need to learn how to think differently and understand where the writer is coming from.
Unlike expert writers who have studied work within a rhetorical framework, student writers concentrate the most on the content and information that is presented to them. The expert writers on the other hand imagin an audience response, acknowledge context and setting in the work. The students concentrate on knowledge, content, and what the text is talking about, and do not take into account the effect that that writer had the intentions of placing upon a specific audience. Many students see reading and writing as just an informative exchange of knowledge and information. Trying to help students move beyond that point is the difficult task that teachers face. The difficult part is trying to change students mindsets about reading and writing; they need to learn how to think differently and understand where the writer is coming from.
After reading this article, did it make a difference in your writing or the way you see writing?
Yes, it did because I found out that there is alot of strategies we can use to write, which makes it easier for me as well as other writers. I liked the rethorical strategy the most because it helps you understand the authors purpose in writing whatever it is he wrote. Writing is not the easiest thing to do considering the face that in college it's way much different, it's not like in high school where you would get a topic and just write about it, now you have to write totallly different and with the different strategies there is it really helps alot.
_ashley nicole.
Yes, it did because I found out that there is alot of strategies we can use to write, which makes it easier for me as well as other writers. I liked the rethorical strategy the most because it helps you understand the authors purpose in writing whatever it is he wrote. Writing is not the easiest thing to do considering the face that in college it's way much different, it's not like in high school where you would get a topic and just write about it, now you have to write totallly different and with the different strategies there is it really helps alot.
_ashley nicole.
Q and R 1
Why should students be expected to feel comfortable with writing pieces that are “not perfect” when learning this method of learning writing skills?
It didn’t make sense to me that this type of teaching would be a good idea because of its one major shortcoming. To ask students to completely reevaluate the way they approach writing in school is a good idea but why do it in such a manner that is so drastic and fast that they have adjust quickly? Why should they accept the idea that flawed work is an acceptable outcome from them? I do believe that we as students should learn how to write the way competent journalists, scholars and researchers write. Even though the class supports imperfection in writing in exchange for depth and understanding, I do not believe that we can accomplish these tasks without learning how expert writers compose their pieces. The approach of “writing about writing” cannot be complete in its purpose without first showing students how to read about writing. How can we learn to express ourselves correctly when we are writing if we as students were not taught to do so or even learn to realize what the purpose of writing is? How do we know how to write a competent research paper if we have not been taught what makes them valid? Should teachers be accepting of the sort of writing this method produces because we have not been taught correctly? Should students learn to accept their work as sufficient when it is flawed? I do not think we invest so much effort in our education to learn how to settle with our work because we do not know how to do certain things. I do no think students should be allowed to turn in imperfect work, not because I think students should be perfect but because we are trying to learn how to do things to the best of our abilities. I think this method of teaching should not just ask students to “figure out” on their own how they should be writing , but be taught through respected authors and pieces how to analyze a topic and how to make their writing multidimensional. If we can understand what kind of thought process we must initiate to become a competent writer, we can learn what our own style is and what our purpose is for what we decide to write about. This method should teach us to figure out what authors are trying to do with their writings, what reactions they are trying to invoke, and what authors do to make their pieces respectable. The new method we are learning should then teach us how to do those same things with our writings, so they too can become valid and competent pieces that do not have to be considered flawed.
If students learn to ask and answer certain questions that invoke the kind of thinking this method or learning to write is asking of us, through example, there would be no need for us to accept our work when it is flawed. We should be equipped to write complete pieces that do not lack in depth and understanding.
It didn’t make sense to me that this type of teaching would be a good idea because of its one major shortcoming. To ask students to completely reevaluate the way they approach writing in school is a good idea but why do it in such a manner that is so drastic and fast that they have adjust quickly? Why should they accept the idea that flawed work is an acceptable outcome from them? I do believe that we as students should learn how to write the way competent journalists, scholars and researchers write. Even though the class supports imperfection in writing in exchange for depth and understanding, I do not believe that we can accomplish these tasks without learning how expert writers compose their pieces. The approach of “writing about writing” cannot be complete in its purpose without first showing students how to read about writing. How can we learn to express ourselves correctly when we are writing if we as students were not taught to do so or even learn to realize what the purpose of writing is? How do we know how to write a competent research paper if we have not been taught what makes them valid? Should teachers be accepting of the sort of writing this method produces because we have not been taught correctly? Should students learn to accept their work as sufficient when it is flawed? I do not think we invest so much effort in our education to learn how to settle with our work because we do not know how to do certain things. I do no think students should be allowed to turn in imperfect work, not because I think students should be perfect but because we are trying to learn how to do things to the best of our abilities. I think this method of teaching should not just ask students to “figure out” on their own how they should be writing , but be taught through respected authors and pieces how to analyze a topic and how to make their writing multidimensional. If we can understand what kind of thought process we must initiate to become a competent writer, we can learn what our own style is and what our purpose is for what we decide to write about. This method should teach us to figure out what authors are trying to do with their writings, what reactions they are trying to invoke, and what authors do to make their pieces respectable. The new method we are learning should then teach us how to do those same things with our writings, so they too can become valid and competent pieces that do not have to be considered flawed.
If students learn to ask and answer certain questions that invoke the kind of thinking this method or learning to write is asking of us, through example, there would be no need for us to accept our work when it is flawed. We should be equipped to write complete pieces that do not lack in depth and understanding.
Q:Is rhetorical reading a strategy that could easily be used by students if told to do so?
R:In the article it stated that when introducing the students to rhetorical reading and encouraging them to use it, they found that students could identify it in the reading of others but were unsuccessfull in using it. I personally can relate to that thought because I can identify with the reading of others and can identify the rhetorical reading, but I have trouble using rhetorical reading. If i were told to use rhetorical reading and be reminded of it before I read i would definetly use that strategy because it makes the selection a lot more easier to understand. Rhetorical reading is not something that comes natural to me but it does make reading a lot more easier. Now i know that we must first be able to construct representations of what the author is trying to convey to his audience and now that I know what the strategies are is will be a lot easier to reach the meaning of what the author is trying to tell his audience. I can not read a selection and expect to have the meaning of what the author is trying to tell me right away. Now I know that I must ask myself questions and take notes as well and it will make the understanding more clear for me. This article really opened my eyes to see that there is a lot more to just reading any selection whether it be something that intrest me or not.
Q&R2 Priscilla Perez
What makes a person a good reader?
Many students assume that they are good readers depending on how fast they read and because of the type of vocabulary they can read and understand, but according to H&F those are the students that they are frustrated by because they seem to think that, that is all there is to it to be a good reader when really they are missing the big picture.
There is a lot more to reading than just reading. Many students think that if they understood the words and can summarize the reading that they have read it, and they are content with knowing that they have read it. Even though this is good enough for a pre college student, and enough to pass a test, they fail to actually read because there was no analyzing or criticizing involved while reading.
Critical reading is the key to becoming a good reader, not how fast u can read. There is a lot more to critical reading than just reading carefully. The student must make a representation of meaning itself. What is meaning? Everyone has their own way of understanding things and have their own strategies to do so, but the only way that H&F could see how readers made build their meanings and representations was by watching the way readers go about building their representations, and by observing their use of reading strategies to help build their representations about the reading. In order to learn something about the construction of meaning of readers, they observed and analyzed the strategies of ten different readers.
At the end of the study H&F concluded that rhetorical reading plays a huge part in critical thinking and that the constructive process that they observed was exactly what they were looking for in a good reader which is to build a representation of the meaning of what the reader has read rather than just go by trying to understand what the words mean on the reading.
According to H&F, this is what identifies a good reader.
Q&R 2
What is the purpose Hass & Flower present different reading strategies to students and educators?
Upper level reading requires students to comprehend complex forms of writings, but when a student doesn’t apply the strategies in the article, a poses a challenge in understanding the author’s piece. In the articles we are given three different strategies that can be used to better understand the reading. Rhetorical strategies are used for a reader to find important cues in a text to help them clarify any misunderstanding they thought they could encounter. Content strategies are used to help obtain what the text is saying. Functional/ feature strategies are usually used to name what the text is actually doing not saying. These three strategies can easily be tied together if a student has already been introduced and taught the correct methods of these useful tools in reading. Prior knowledge of the subject or idea is also a factor in understanding complex reading material. It is most likely that reader with previous knowledge on a topic will have a better understanding and will be more engaged with the text and terminology. On the other hand educators are provided with studies throughout this article to better understand how the students can grasp the most information from the text. In conclusion Haas and Flower’s main purpose of strategies are to exploit how people obtain information through reading which then gives them a general idea of how to go about understanding and interpreting what they read.
Upper level reading requires students to comprehend complex forms of writings, but when a student doesn’t apply the strategies in the article, a poses a challenge in understanding the author’s piece. In the articles we are given three different strategies that can be used to better understand the reading. Rhetorical strategies are used for a reader to find important cues in a text to help them clarify any misunderstanding they thought they could encounter. Content strategies are used to help obtain what the text is saying. Functional/ feature strategies are usually used to name what the text is actually doing not saying. These three strategies can easily be tied together if a student has already been introduced and taught the correct methods of these useful tools in reading. Prior knowledge of the subject or idea is also a factor in understanding complex reading material. It is most likely that reader with previous knowledge on a topic will have a better understanding and will be more engaged with the text and terminology. On the other hand educators are provided with studies throughout this article to better understand how the students can grasp the most information from the text. In conclusion Haas and Flower’s main purpose of strategies are to exploit how people obtain information through reading which then gives them a general idea of how to go about understanding and interpreting what they read.
Q&R 2
How would you relate the act of cognition to the act of reading? Do you feel that the two are directly related to one another or should be thought of as unrelated subjects.
I feel that the act of cognition supplements how we read. Cognition is sometimes loosely defined word. In its most basic definition it means the act or process of knowing. Another word
used to describe this is perception. In order to be able to fluently understand a text we have to be able to perceive the meanings behind the words, rather than just looking at the actual words themselves. I feel that this skill is necessary to be an efficient reader. This feeds into the topic of knowledge v. wisdom. Knowledge is something that is gained through studying and wisdom is obtained through practice. The two are related to each other, yet to be able to excel it is necessary to practice and therefore gain wisdom.
I feel that the act of cognition supplements how we read. Cognition is sometimes loosely defined word. In its most basic definition it means the act or process of knowing. Another word
used to describe this is perception. In order to be able to fluently understand a text we have to be able to perceive the meanings behind the words, rather than just looking at the actual words themselves. I feel that this skill is necessary to be an efficient reader. This feeds into the topic of knowledge v. wisdom. Knowledge is something that is gained through studying and wisdom is obtained through practice. The two are related to each other, yet to be able to excel it is necessary to practice and therefore gain wisdom.
Q and R 2
Is the rhetorical reading strategy the most important and useful to construct meaning?
I believe this strategy is the most important and useful because it helps us to go beyond the text itself, to understand and analyze the author’s specific purpose, the context of the text, and the real effect it has on the audience it is addressed to. These aspects are so important because when you put them all together, you finally get to the construction of meaning and you also get to understand the sophisticated texts we are faced to in college; and that will be very significant for our education. This strategy also brings together the other two strategies, the content and function/feature strategies, which I think are also necessary but not completely. We have been taught to use the content and function strategies and this has not allowed us to work our minds to our full potential. We have been limited to develop our capabilities to their maximum by using those two strategies. And we have also limited ourselves because we do not go beyond of what we know we can go. The contents and function/feature strategies only help us to get the information of the text we read and that is it; you do not interpret nor find what the author really wants you to know; and you do not get affected by it either. The approach to reading of both strategies is somehow superficial and it limits the knowledge you have to create and acquire. I am not saying that they are not helpful, but when it comes to high-level texts, you need more than paraphrasing or knowing the features and function of a reading. But I believe that we have become passive readers; we get satisfied with little and certain information and we do not want to go beyond the superficial. And it is a shame that these two strategies are taught in high school because we, the students, get used to that limited expectation of ourselves and it is hard for us to construct the meaning of college-level texts. Thus, we find those texts so hard to understand and we get discouraged very soon. I think the rhetorical reading strategy should be taught a little bit more in depth in high school; I do understand that it might be somehow difficult, but it is the best for us as students to get ready for the sophisticated readings we are going to encounter during college and later on in our future. I myself sometimes get identified with those who read because it is a must and who are content and satisfied with getting only the superficial information; and I know it does not have to be like that. Some other times I read because I want to and I tried to deeply understand what the author’s purpose is and the effect he or she is going to have in the audience, and I know I have used the rhetorical reading strategy but in a very minimum way, not as it should be; I did not know I used it until I read the article of Hass and Flower. This article made me realize that there are good techniques to construct meaning when you read and to create knowledge from your readings, and that the most useful strategy would be rhetorical reading.
I believe this strategy is the most important and useful because it helps us to go beyond the text itself, to understand and analyze the author’s specific purpose, the context of the text, and the real effect it has on the audience it is addressed to. These aspects are so important because when you put them all together, you finally get to the construction of meaning and you also get to understand the sophisticated texts we are faced to in college; and that will be very significant for our education. This strategy also brings together the other two strategies, the content and function/feature strategies, which I think are also necessary but not completely. We have been taught to use the content and function strategies and this has not allowed us to work our minds to our full potential. We have been limited to develop our capabilities to their maximum by using those two strategies. And we have also limited ourselves because we do not go beyond of what we know we can go. The contents and function/feature strategies only help us to get the information of the text we read and that is it; you do not interpret nor find what the author really wants you to know; and you do not get affected by it either. The approach to reading of both strategies is somehow superficial and it limits the knowledge you have to create and acquire. I am not saying that they are not helpful, but when it comes to high-level texts, you need more than paraphrasing or knowing the features and function of a reading. But I believe that we have become passive readers; we get satisfied with little and certain information and we do not want to go beyond the superficial. And it is a shame that these two strategies are taught in high school because we, the students, get used to that limited expectation of ourselves and it is hard for us to construct the meaning of college-level texts. Thus, we find those texts so hard to understand and we get discouraged very soon. I think the rhetorical reading strategy should be taught a little bit more in depth in high school; I do understand that it might be somehow difficult, but it is the best for us as students to get ready for the sophisticated readings we are going to encounter during college and later on in our future. I myself sometimes get identified with those who read because it is a must and who are content and satisfied with getting only the superficial information; and I know it does not have to be like that. Some other times I read because I want to and I tried to deeply understand what the author’s purpose is and the effect he or she is going to have in the audience, and I know I have used the rhetorical reading strategy but in a very minimum way, not as it should be; I did not know I used it until I read the article of Hass and Flower. This article made me realize that there are good techniques to construct meaning when you read and to create knowledge from your readings, and that the most useful strategy would be rhetorical reading.
Q&R 2
How do we read and how do we understand what we are reading?
When you read any piece of material you focus on understanding what the author is trying to say. We read words but reading strategies are important when analyzing what is being represented. My own experience in reading is very similar to my writing habits. I am used to skimming through a text to look for answers related to questions on an assignment. We as readers must identify a piece of information we do not understand. In elementary I was taught to make sense of how the text gives clues to the main idea.
According to flower and Haas the strategies they present have already been introduce to students but not exactly acquired. When I read something that is difficult to comprehend I read aloud and think about what I’m reading as part of “Critical Reading.” Their argument is that students know what words they are saying and they are paraphrasing the content instead of analyzing it to make better sense of it. I feel that I am not guilty but a victim of this issue. We are taught to simplify everything we read instead of being taught how to read and to simplify what we are trying to understand.
Rhetorical reading is a strategy which can help many readers who may not have prior knowledge of the content. When we predict it makes it easier to interpret the text. Hass and flower understand the levels of difficulty can affect how a reader will interpret the information. The research project that they used with the same piece of material with different readers and different reading levels they were looking for what strategies were used to interpret the message.
When we read many questions arise which is part of the reading strategies that is set forth. Content strategies are most commonly used in students and experienced readers. The way we read can’t be right or wrong. The strategies help us make our own opinion in the study rhetorical readers recognize more claims. We are able to recognize certain context which will engage us.
We all have different reasons as to how and why we read. There is a solution to these common misconceptions which is the strategies in which the student can identify the text that they may not fully comprehend.
When you read any piece of material you focus on understanding what the author is trying to say. We read words but reading strategies are important when analyzing what is being represented. My own experience in reading is very similar to my writing habits. I am used to skimming through a text to look for answers related to questions on an assignment. We as readers must identify a piece of information we do not understand. In elementary I was taught to make sense of how the text gives clues to the main idea.
According to flower and Haas the strategies they present have already been introduce to students but not exactly acquired. When I read something that is difficult to comprehend I read aloud and think about what I’m reading as part of “Critical Reading.” Their argument is that students know what words they are saying and they are paraphrasing the content instead of analyzing it to make better sense of it. I feel that I am not guilty but a victim of this issue. We are taught to simplify everything we read instead of being taught how to read and to simplify what we are trying to understand.
Rhetorical reading is a strategy which can help many readers who may not have prior knowledge of the content. When we predict it makes it easier to interpret the text. Hass and flower understand the levels of difficulty can affect how a reader will interpret the information. The research project that they used with the same piece of material with different readers and different reading levels they were looking for what strategies were used to interpret the message.
When we read many questions arise which is part of the reading strategies that is set forth. Content strategies are most commonly used in students and experienced readers. The way we read can’t be right or wrong. The strategies help us make our own opinion in the study rhetorical readers recognize more claims. We are able to recognize certain context which will engage us.
We all have different reasons as to how and why we read. There is a solution to these common misconceptions which is the strategies in which the student can identify the text that they may not fully comprehend.
Q&R 2
How do we read and how do we understand what we are reading?
When you read any piece of material you focus on understanding what the author is trying to say. We read words but reading strategies are important when analyzing what is being represented. My own experience in reading is very similar to my writing habits. I am used to skimming through a text to look for answers related to questions on an assignment. We as readers must identify a piece of information we do not understand. In elementary I was taught to make sense of how the text gives clues to the main idea.
According to flower and Haas the strategies they present have already been introduce to students but not exactly acquired. When I read something that is difficult to comprehend I read aloud and think about what I’m reading as part of “Critical Reading.” Their argument is that students know what words they are saying and they are paraphrasing the content instead of analyzing it to make better sense of it. I feel that I am not guilty but a victim of this issue. We are taught to simplify everything we read instead of being taught how to read and to simplify what we are trying to understand.
Rhetorical reading is a strategy which can help many readers who may not have prior knowledge of the content. When we predict it makes it easier to interpret the text. Hass and flower understand the levels of difficulty can affect how a reader will interpret the information. The research project that they used with the same piece of material with different readers and different reading levels they were looking for what strategies were used to interpret the message.
When we read many questions arise which is part of the reading strategies that is set forth. Content strategies are most commonly used in students and experienced readers. The way we read can’t be right or wrong. The strategies help us make our own opinion in the study rhetorical readers recognize more claims. We are able to recognize certain context which will engage us.
We all have different reasons as to how and why we read. There is a solution to these common misconceptions which is the strategies in which the student can identify the text that they may not fully comprehend.
When you read any piece of material you focus on understanding what the author is trying to say. We read words but reading strategies are important when analyzing what is being represented. My own experience in reading is very similar to my writing habits. I am used to skimming through a text to look for answers related to questions on an assignment. We as readers must identify a piece of information we do not understand. In elementary I was taught to make sense of how the text gives clues to the main idea.
According to flower and Haas the strategies they present have already been introduce to students but not exactly acquired. When I read something that is difficult to comprehend I read aloud and think about what I’m reading as part of “Critical Reading.” Their argument is that students know what words they are saying and they are paraphrasing the content instead of analyzing it to make better sense of it. I feel that I am not guilty but a victim of this issue. We are taught to simplify everything we read instead of being taught how to read and to simplify what we are trying to understand.
Rhetorical reading is a strategy which can help many readers who may not have prior knowledge of the content. When we predict it makes it easier to interpret the text. Hass and flower understand the levels of difficulty can affect how a reader will interpret the information. The research project that they used with the same piece of material with different readers and different reading levels they were looking for what strategies were used to interpret the message.
When we read many questions arise which is part of the reading strategies that is set forth. Content strategies are most commonly used in students and experienced readers. The way we read can’t be right or wrong. The strategies help us make our own opinion in the study rhetorical readers recognize more claims. We are able to recognize certain context which will engage us.
We all have different reasons as to how and why we read. There is a solution to these common misconceptions which is the strategies in which the student can identify the text that they may not fully comprehend.
Q&R 2
How do we read and how do we understand what we are reading?
When you read any piece of material you focus on understanding what the author is trying to say. We read words but reading strategies are important when analyzing what is being represented. My own experience in reading is very similar to my writing habits. I am used to skimming through a text to look for answers related to questions on an assignment. We as readers must identify a piece of information we do not understand. In elementary I was taught to make sense of how the text gives clues to the main idea.
According to flower and Haas the strategies they present have already been introduce to students but not exactly acquired. When I read something that is difficult to comprehend I read aloud and think about what I’m reading as part of “Critical Reading.” Their argument is that students know what words they are saying and they are paraphrasing the content instead of analyzing it to make better sense of it. I feel that I am not guilty but a victim of this issue. We are taught to simplify everything we read instead of being taught how to read and to simplify what we are trying to understand.
Rhetorical reading is a strategy which can help many readers who may not have prior knowledge of the content. When we predict it makes it easier to interpret the text. Hass and flower understand the levels of difficulty can affect how a reader will interpret the information. The research project that they used with the same piece of material with different readers and different reading levels they were looking for what strategies were used to interpret the message.
When we read many questions arise which is part of the reading strategies that is set forth. Content strategies are most commonly used in students and experienced readers. The way we read can’t be right or wrong. The strategies help us make our own opinion in the study rhetorical readers recognize more claims. We are able to recognize certain context which will engage us.
We all have different reasons as to how and why we read. There is a solution to these common misconceptions which is the strategies in which the student can identify the text that they may not fully comprehend.
When you read any piece of material you focus on understanding what the author is trying to say. We read words but reading strategies are important when analyzing what is being represented. My own experience in reading is very similar to my writing habits. I am used to skimming through a text to look for answers related to questions on an assignment. We as readers must identify a piece of information we do not understand. In elementary I was taught to make sense of how the text gives clues to the main idea.
According to flower and Haas the strategies they present have already been introduce to students but not exactly acquired. When I read something that is difficult to comprehend I read aloud and think about what I’m reading as part of “Critical Reading.” Their argument is that students know what words they are saying and they are paraphrasing the content instead of analyzing it to make better sense of it. I feel that I am not guilty but a victim of this issue. We are taught to simplify everything we read instead of being taught how to read and to simplify what we are trying to understand.
Rhetorical reading is a strategy which can help many readers who may not have prior knowledge of the content. When we predict it makes it easier to interpret the text. Hass and flower understand the levels of difficulty can affect how a reader will interpret the information. The research project that they used with the same piece of material with different readers and different reading levels they were looking for what strategies were used to interpret the message.
When we read many questions arise which is part of the reading strategies that is set forth. Content strategies are most commonly used in students and experienced readers. The way we read can’t be right or wrong. The strategies help us make our own opinion in the study rhetorical readers recognize more claims. We are able to recognize certain context which will engage us.
We all have different reasons as to how and why we read. There is a solution to these common misconceptions which is the strategies in which the student can identify the text that they may not fully comprehend.
Q&R 2
After reading this piece, how did you feel about your way of reading? What strategies did you use when reading before you read Haas and Flower's article? Do you think you will apply to the strategies mentioned in the article (Content, Function/feature, and Rhetorical) and read differently from then on? Compare your skills in reading to those required by Haas and Flower and explain how your own style of reading can affect your style of writing.
I realized many things after reading Haas and Flower's article, such as the importance of how one reads and how they attain information from what they read.
I felt my manner of reading was not enough even if I mainly used the strategy of observing how the author tried to persuade his audience and what skills he used in order to do so (mostly the choice of words, syntax, and tone).
My way of reading will remain the same -when discussing strategies- however, I will try to comprehend a text by constructing "multi-faceted representations" which I know will help me organize everything into simpler, understandable information.
My skills in reading compared to the article's requirements were poor and what I read was vague for me after seeing how the words are used. This reflected difficulty in my writing skills because I wrote -unsure of what words to write to make my text effective- to the point where I confused my audience.
I realized many things after reading Haas and Flower's article, such as the importance of how one reads and how they attain information from what they read.
I felt my manner of reading was not enough even if I mainly used the strategy of observing how the author tried to persuade his audience and what skills he used in order to do so (mostly the choice of words, syntax, and tone).
My way of reading will remain the same -when discussing strategies- however, I will try to comprehend a text by constructing "multi-faceted representations" which I know will help me organize everything into simpler, understandable information.
My skills in reading compared to the article's requirements were poor and what I read was vague for me after seeing how the words are used. This reflected difficulty in my writing skills because I wrote -unsure of what words to write to make my text effective- to the point where I confused my audience.
Q&R-1
State one “common misconception” about writing that this article attempts change. How did it change your view of writing?
This article concentrates on de-categorizing writing and informing students about the different misconceptions about the study of writing. In an effort to teach us, FYC professors or any writing professor assumes that what we learn in that one semester in their class will automatically carry over to all other subjects. In reality, every subject has its own distinct style of writing that does not apply with FYC. The misdirection of FYC is that academic writing is universal and that any thing you learn in FYC applies in all other subjects. It is difficult to help students understand writing with the system that is currently in place because it is taught mostly in English departments. Professors from other courses expect or assume that the style of writing you learn in FYC applies to what they’re teaching. Professors are also subconsciously forced to teach writing based on their own experiences and cultural differences.
Before I read this article, my idea of writing was based on what I was taught in high school. There I learned correct grammar skills and how to correctly write a sentence. I was given prompts and asked to expand on the ideas of them. In my past experiences I was taught that the longer my composition, the better my score would be. I used to write as much as I could just to make the three-page goal that was set for me. I know now that what I was taught then does not completely apply in college. This article helped me change my view of writing by showing me that even though we’re taught a certain style of writing in FYC we should not use it as our foundation of all of our writing tasks. Writing should not be taught as a single subject; it should be taught on all courses. Practicing different styles of writing will help us better understand the subject as a whole. In reading this article, I understand that writing should be expressed in our own words and that even though were taught how to write, we shouldn’t use those principles as the basis of every subject. This article teaches us about the reality of writing and the flaws that our currents system has in how we learn writing skills.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)