About the Book
Comprehension instruction is widely recognized as an essential component of developing students' pleasure and profit from reading. Yet despite significant recent gains in knowledge about how comprehension develops and how it can be taught effectively, classroom practice still lags behind research in this crucial area. This volume brings together the field's leading scholars to summarize current research and provide best-practice guidelines for teachers and teacher educators. Each coherently structured chapter presents key findings on a particular aspect of comprehension, discusses instructional practices supported by the research, and addresses what still needs to be known in order to provide the best possible comprehension instruction for every student. Topics covered include assessment, curriculum, methods, and comprehension difficulties, from the preschool level through high school.
Table of Contents:
Block, Pressley,Introduction. Part I: Theoretical Foundations: New Directions For The Future.Pressley, Comprehension Strategies Instruction: A Turn-of-the-Century Status Report. Duffy, The Case for Direct Explanation of Strategies. Block, Schaller, Joy, Gaine, Process-Based Comprehension Instruction: Perspectives of Four Reading Educators. Sinatra, K. J. Brown, Reynolds, Implications of Cognitive Resource Allocation for Comprehension Strategies Instruction. Baker, Metacognition in Comprehension Instruction. Afflerbach, Teaching Reading Self-Assessment Strategies. Part II: Branching Out and Expanding Our Horizons in the 21st Century.Spires, Estes, Reading in Web-Based Learning Environments. Williams, Using the Theme Scheme to Improve Story Comprehension. Smolkin, Donovan, "Oh Excellent, Excellent Question!": Developmental Differences and Comprehension Acquisition. Narvaez, Individual Differences That Influence Reading Comprehension. Trabasso, Bouchard, Teaching Readers How to Comprehend Text Strategically. El-Dinary, Challenges of Implementing Transactional Strategies Instruction for Reading Comprehension. Part III: Comprehension Instruction in Preschool, Primary, and Intermediate Grades.Tracey, Morrow, Preparing Young Learners for Successful Reading Comprehension: Laying the Foundation. Ivey, Building Comprehension When They're Still Learning to Read the Words. Pearson, Duke, Comprehension Instruction in the Primary Grades. Ogle, Blachowicz, Beyond Literature Circles: Helping Students Comprehend Informational Texts. Guthrie, Ozgungor, Instructional Contexts for Reading Engagement. Dreher, Children Searching and Using Information Text: A Critical Part of Comprehension. Gambrell, Koskinen, Imagery: A Strategy for Enhancing Comprehension. Part IV: Intensification of Comprehension Instruction throughout Middle School, High School, and College.Reznitskaya, Anderson, The Argument Schema and Learning to Reason. R. Brown, Straddling Two Worlds: Self-Directed Comprehension Instruction for Middle Schoolers. Fisher, Schumaker, Deshler, Improving the Reading Comprehension of At-Risk Adolescents. Simpson, Nist, Encouraging Active Reading at the College Level. Part IV: Conclusion.Pressley, Block, Summing Up: What Comprehension Instruction Could Be.
About the Author :
Edited by Cathy Collins Block, PhD, College of Education, Texas Christian University, USA, and Sheri R. Parris, MEd, Department of Reading Education, University of North Texas, USA.
Review :
The importance of this timely volume cannot be overstated. It provides an essential counterbalance to the strong emphasis on decoding research that is currently so influential in educational policy. Researchers, students, and professionals from a wide variety of disciplines will find much of value in this very up-to-date and complete volume. Featured are readable summaries of research in particular areas, evidence-based practice guidelines, and clear outlines of future research needs. This is truly an excellent resource.
Anne van Kleeck, PhD, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Georgia
The importance of this timely volume cannot be overstated. It provides an essential counterbalance to the strong emphasis on decoding research that is currently so influential in educational policy. Researchers, students, and professionals from a wide variety of disciplines will find much of value in this very up-to-date and complete volume. Featured are readable summaries of research in particular areas, evidence-based practice guidelines, and clear outlines of future research needs. This is truly an excellent resource.
Anne van Kleeck, PhD, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Georgia
