Responding to Schoenbach (preface-Chapter 2)

These chapters outline some ideas that I think resonate throughout the English Composition program at SFSU and some of the pedagogical changes that many teachers have been pushing for.

Schoenbach brings up many ideas that have come up in our class readings before. The reading almost felt like an instructional guide in some ways. Sometimes I felt like the text was showing me examples of how to apply interactive, student-centered learning. I also appreciated how Schoenbach touches on the idea that struggling students simply are not motivated. I would have believed that before, but after reading some of the literature on students engagement, I now know that is not the case. Schoenbach also mentions something that I think contributes to the low success rate of "remedial" programs. Such programs become so focused with bringing students up to speed that they seem to ignore how reading skills are learned in the first place. She points out that "these programs require skilled implementation to build students' personal engagement, develop social supports for reading, and engage students in the extensive reading of extended text." It was refreshing to read that "there is no quick fix for reading inexperience."

This reiterates the idea of what we've often learned not to do; mechanical, repetitive tasks that usually have nothing to do with the material at hand.

Schoenbach mentions that "skills-in-a-box" curricula tends to fail. I am certain that she is referring to the quick-fix programs mentioned before, but I would argue that the Reading Apprenticeship is a expanded version of a "skills-in-a-box" program as well. For example, instead of teaching students simple content-based tools, the Framework helps students assemble their own collection of cognitive tools that they will need to succeed as students.

I think the provided definitions of reading and successful readers are useful. My instinctive reaction is to show this to students on the first day of class, but I get the feeling that they aren't going to believe it or take it seriously.

I think the Reading Apprenticeship Framework is great partly because it can be applied to a variety of disciplines. In fact, I'm not sure it should be specified as the "Reading" Apprenticeship Framework. I think that all successful classroom incorporate the social, personal, cognitive, and knowledge-building dimensions in one way or another regardless of subject. Granted, I don't think the personal dimension isn't as applicable as it would be if it were part of a math or science class, but the other dimensions are important.