Responding to Schoenbach (Chapters 7-8)

I did not think that the teaching of reading could effectively transfer over into subjects like math and chemistry. I always thought that math and science didn't require reading skills because those subjects didn't require the kind of interpretation that reading needs. It's much more fact-based and memorizing. There are concepts to learn, but it's a different thought process. What I didn't realize, however, was the fact that it wasn't the teaching of reading, but it was the mental attitude that was being taught. The subject teachers weren't teaching students how to read but they were teachings students how to approach their struggles, use their peers as fellow learners, and bring in their prior knowledge of schema.

There were also some ideas that I knew that I would struggle with as an instructor. Schoenbach cautions that "knowing when, whether, and how to intervene in students' misunderstandings is a skill that teachers develop as a crucial part of encouraging and guiding students toward deeper comprehension of challenging texts.

"the need to ensure that students have immediate, correct information almost never trumps building or maintaining students engagement." I am going to have to work really hard to stop myself from being too pushy. This may explain my desire to fix every mistake I see on student papers. The good news, I suppose it that my perspective on this has considerably changed. I initially believed that grammatical clarity was extremely important, but I've managed to shift my focus.

I was also surprised by the amount dedicated to building students' vocabulary in Chapter 8. Vocabulary was something I had not considered important enough to implement direct lessons. I suppose my response would vary depending on the my class' needs. If it seems like many students are struggling because of vocabulary, I would most likely add some type of exercise or activity that would help them address their needs.  

There was also one idea mentioned in Schoenbach's knowledge-building dimension that stuck with me: "knowing when, whether, and how to intervene in students' misunderstandings is a skill teachers develop as a crucial part of encouraging and guiding students...the need to ensure that students have immediate, correct information almost never trumps building or maintaining student engagement." This worries me partially because it is a skills teachers develop. I fear that I'm the type of person who feels obligated to correct people's misconceptions or mistakes.