Literacy Response Journal

Tue, Jan 26, 2010 -- Blog Prompt Week 5
Cooper and Routman 8 (both chapters are required reading):

How are these two readings similar to each other and how are they different? You might explore this question in a global sense or you might consider a few specific points of comparison. Additionally, what aspects of the Optimal Learning Model are evident in the readings? Why are think alouds so important in comprehension strategy instruction? Have you seen this type of instruction in your placement? What is similar or dissimilar?

Please consider these questions and focus on an element of the readings that is of particular interest to you.

Both of the readings, in Routman, chapter 8 and Cooper,Literacy: Helping Student Construct Meaning focus on very significant points in reading comprehension. In glancing at the publication dates, I observed that the Cooper article was published more recently than Routman. I found it interesting that both Routman and Cooper share similar models in teaching reading comprehension, although Cooper's was a bit more extensive because the implicit and explicit modeling of using different types of text was included, as well, an added evaluating step in the reading comprehension strategy. However, in terms of student focused learning, Routman's clarity in teaching the explicit modeling and students' independent comprehension is nicely balanced with a 20-percent-80-percent rule (Routman, p.119).
The focus of Cooper's model emphasized both the implicit and explicit modeling of reading, whereas, Routman, focused more on explicit instruction.

In addition, Cooper has an added evaluating step where questions such as thinking about whether one liked the story, deciding whether an author has done an effective job developing a story, or making judgments on the author's use of support for a point of view occupy the process of reading comprehension (Cooper, p.155). Routman cautions that "so much emphasis on comprehension strategies an actually make reading harder - students become so focused on identifying words they don't know, questions to ask, or connections to make that they forget to read for overall meaning" (Routman, p. 119). This causes me to wonder, if reading comprehension strategies such as Cooper's or Routman's model are perhaps, age or grade specific?

Both Cooper and Routman agree that teaching reading comprehension belongs in the kindergarten curriculum. Yet, I can envision Routman's model to be more applicable to kindergarten students than Cooper's model for this smaller age group because the complexity involved in processing Cooper's evaluation step may not be aligned with kindergarten students' cognitive development of such questions as 'making judgments on the author's use of support for a point of view'. I would be inclined to understand Cooper's model for this age group, if I have seen this modeled in the kindergarten classroom, which I do not believe has yet occurred. This is possibly, the reason why 'think alouds' are so important because they enable students of all grade levels and reading abilities to think more critically and gain more in depth knowlege, connections, and understanding to the text - particularly, if the evaluating step has not been mastered.

However, in both the Cooper and Routman models, the structure of direct teaching, to guided and shared instruction, to independent learning as in the Optimal Learning Model, is the ideal standard in teaching reading comprehension and rightfully so. It appears that this model is most effective because students learn explicit or implicit instruction from the teacher's modeling, develop confidence and skill during the guided and shared instruction, and the ownership of learning in the independent learning stage. Overall, both the Cooper and Routman model would be great tools to teach reading comprehension. I would examine the model that would most align with the grade level teaching in selecting an appropriate instructional strategy.