Reading and Thinking

Question: What is one step in thinking through reading?

 Answer/Quote: “Basically, teachers in the subject areas have begun to discover that visual organizers such as time lines, Venn diagrams, inductive towers, concept maps, causal chains, force fields, and flow charts help students recognize and take control of the intellectual processes which bring meaning to the study of academic content.”

Comment: In other words, designing a visual representation of the content encourages students to think through ideas in the chapter, article or book. Should perhaps be the first step after reading before discussing the ideas read. Of course, the visual organizer will vary with the purpose of the content material. RayS.

Title: “Using Visual Organizers to Focus on Thinking.” John H. Clarke. Journal of Reading (April 1991), 526-534.