Reading Information Part 1

“Information wants to be free”

What information can we carry away from what we read?  Sounds like a section taken from Rosenblatt’s The Transactional Theory of Reading and Writing, on “efferent reading”.  In Illuminating Texts, Jim Burke defines the different types of information available to us through Alan Purves ideas in The Scribal Society, regarding infotext(books, textbooks, journals, newspapers, and computer manuals that we read to gather information about a particular topic).  Burke describes them as the three major kinds of infotexts:

1. Recorded information- Essentially its documentative writing (laundry lists, telephone messages, certificates, etc.)  Usually the information and organization are established before writers ever begin writing.
2. Reported Information- Is the information that is easily accessible or already known to the writer however still needing to be organized and formed with style, tone, and/or imagery (Narrations, descriptions of people, places or things, business request or denials, etc.).
3. Exploratory Discourse- Usually implies that both the information and form are chosen by the writer (which means that the writer has to invent or generate the ideas or events, and must choose the way to organize it and present it).  The choice is based on the knowledge  of what the texts function is and the limitations in information, organization, and style accompany the particular text.

Regardless of these types of information it is important for us to illustrate to students that how we read this information is entirely dependent on why we are reading it.   Without that I’m not sure students would every really be able to get a grasp on how exactly to use the information they just read. 

Now before using it ever occurs we ask students to understand the information.  As simple as that sounds, the complexities of the command are mind boggling. First information comes at us from everywhere: words, icons, symbols, logos, images, illustrations, and numbers.  I say this because communicating information is going beyond what’s written.  How authors, organizations, educational systems, etc. present information to students is evolving and taking on new ideas of images and figures showing up regularly within text or supplementary works like web links and videos for those texts.  Technology is forcing its way into the classroom and changing education drastically.   Granted equipping our students with specific skills to critically dissect information is key, but breaking down what’s already there is another issue within the linings of understanding information.  I believe to truly teach students to understand the barraging nature of information in today’s society teachers must also understand and respect what K.C. Cole (author of The Universe in a Teacup: The Mathematics of Tuth and Beauty) describes as the “peculiar nature of the human thinking apparatus we carry around in our heads”.   Most individuals see the world through the patterns, or signals, they see in their heads, but those patterns and signals are created outside themselves.  Mixing that in with the amount of information literally surrounding them from a young age creates a potent dose of who knows what.   But maybe that’s how the world’s always been, just a series of information that we must judge and interpret, now there’s just more of it.  Maybe we should stand back and respect it for what it is, do what we can to aid our students in gaining some textual intelligence and make the best of it. Ha.  Wow this blog is everywhere! This information can’t be contained! I guess I should just take a break and revisit this another day.

Reading Literature

“Classroom texts should pose intellectual challenges to young readers…these texts should be books that will make students stronger readers-and stronger people.” Carol Jago

In Rosenblatt’s article The Transactional Theory of Reading and Writing, he tries to illustrate how a reader should take all the choices, aspirations, and values out of literature and weave his/her own personal philosophy.  It is the job of the reader to see beyond the bounds of literary value with the works urged upon them,  they must also gain some approach to life, images of fate or assertion, or even certain kinds of experiences or modes of feeling; all of which holding rich value.  Literature, to me and what I’ve gained from articles like Rosenblatt’s, must be used as potentially subversive forces that invite serious encounters with the people we are and think we want to be, with the people we know and don’t.  It’s all about rich encounters and real experiences.

Coming back to Burke’s Illuminating Texts, he brings up a valid point of literature also encompassing many different things such as movies (videos), poems, and even art (images).  So with that and what was stated above in short I think we as teachers should help students transcend the boundaries imposed by pages or screens to allow for conversations to happen between authors, characters, teachers and students.  If that can only be achieved through simple exercises of improvisations or role playing so be it, but I’m sure we can easily come up with cohesive exercises to achieve this. 

Burke shows us in this portion that literature is another form of text that students must read and once again has many strategic elements that we must consider to refine, understand and apply to become “better readers”.  However I feel that literature can serve as a great tool to teaching the points of critically reading, because literature across the board (for the most part) is the most favored piece of text among young readers.  I think it easy to hold long discussions and visit different perspectives when analyzing this type of text. Don’t you think?  It’s easy to ask “So what does this text want us to talk about?” a question that can be taken in so many different directions and still be considered productive and valuable.   And because it is so easy to discuss it makes reducing complex literary text to essential elements much simpler and meaningful than that of the internet or textbooks.  It promotes what Burke repeats throughout this book, being “textual intelligence”, or the ability to critically read.

Of course to achieve these impactful conversation students must know elements like metaphors, tone, and language, but that is why literature, to me, serves as a great starting point to delving deeper into the essence of reading.   That makes discussing how stories work and what they are used for absolutely essential to developing their capacity as readers and also extending their understanding of what we teach.   It is here where I hope to achieve this one simple fact by Robert Scholes, “It is not what is covered that counts but what is learned.  It is not what students have been told that matters but what they remember and what they do.”

I forget sometimes to stand back and take a look at what I write, so please do not confuse what I say about “textual intelligence”,  I don’t think it’s only about being able to read different types of texts.  It has to be both reading and producing different types of text, but in terms of the book I am to discuss, such emphasis is placed upon the reading aspect of textual intelligence.  I believe that Burke figures to be able to write students must and should be exposed to a vast array of different texts in specific situations.   

Reading A Test

“Not everything that counts can counted ; not everything that can be counted, counts.” Albert Einstein

Oh the politics of testing! It is an estranged tool that can limit so much and influence even more.  In this section of Burke’s Illuminating Text, he discusses the inevitability of test stress and its overshadowing on teachers curriculum and students learning.  I venture ask why not take the time out or interject into our curriculum (teachers) a section or portion that teaches our students how to take tests, or even little anecdotes on how to mage time or strategies.   Burke notes the different types of exams  out there in our educational system and denotes the implications and justifications that schools, states, and even the nation rely heavily on.

So how can we prepare students for any test?  Burke discuses a variety of different strategies, questions to ask, and methods to follow, however though I do think these things to be important, a successful environment is the key element.  A lot can be said for feeling confident and comfortable; something I’ve emphasized in every post, keeping an open dialogue with students not only about class material but about test layout and questions is also incredibly useful.   What I mean by this is that it is not our job to scare the crap out of our students with these tests or insert our views and opinions about state testing, school funding, etc.  But it is our job to let them know that these tests can get them jobs, outlay their academic future, or separate them from other learners so in short these test matter.

A reoccurring theme in literacy is to understand where the writing is coming from, and I feel the same can be said for tests.  Burke brings up the phrase testing intelligence, calling it the ability to read a test using your own knowledge while incorporating the knowledge you know about the people who created the test and the people who required it.   I believe a student should understand where the test came from to accurately and critically read and interpret it.  With that in mind I think a sense of distinction between texts, especially dealing with language, becomes essential.  It’s amazing how much a single word can help or confuse a normal test taker (or reader for that matter) from ambiguous words to directive words or even technical words.  This is among one of the few elements Burke writes about in successfully talking, reading and understanding tests.  He also visits understanding the length of a test, and also the rules and guidelines of them.

This portion of Burke’s book really impacted my outlook on test and testing.  I hate and have always hated tests, in part because of my experiences with them.  Aside from my disdain for them I’m actually a pretty good test taker, always proudly giving my ACT scores to any person wanting to compare.  I’ve just been unable to prove to myself how my scores make me smarter or more deserving than any other student.  I can remember a few occasions where I took a test that I studied the night before in a class that I only attended a hand full of times and successfully received a passing grade (exceptional scores sometimes).  Regardless tests are here to stay and instead of approaching tests as means of exercising my power over students I hope to help them develop the means and capacity to overpower tests.  Burke proves (to me at least) that developing annotative skills, improving reading pace and stamina, and remaining focused during such serious reading encounters only promotes better readers.

Reading Textbooks

“Curriculum as conversation” Arthur Applebee

How do we use textbooks? I found many responses to this question in this section of Burke’s Illuminating Text; however none as more clear than guided inquiry.  It helps students retain information and note key points and issues that circulate around a central theme.  In no shape or form, I believe, should a textbook become the center of instruction far too often when I was growing up I noticed my teachers letting our texts drive the class.  One word comes to mind…BORING.   The real challenge in those classes wasn’t the ridiculous 50 some question midterm and final but staying awake during the class readings and the teachers tangents, whoof. 

It seems the problems with textbooks are similar to the internet except not nearly as big databases and with more guidance to content.  So really nothing like the internet, ha.  However the same strategies and importance of reading critically are needed.  One of the more interesting approaches to reading textbooks was that of which Burke calls and “evaluator”.  As an evaluator you ask questions on the presentation of the information you read.  Asking questions like: What questions is this book not asking or answering? What evidence is the author/s provide to support their observation?  How can I best use this book in light of its content form and/or function?  To me this approach seems incredibly empowering to the reader and develops a sense of importance to thought and analysis.  It gives a student yet another way of feeling confident and comfortable within their reading (a point I feel is important in achieving literacy).

It’s interesting that I have to remind myself of the elaborate amount of choices the author/s and publisher/s make.  Content, form, style and perspective are all critical elements to developing a textbook.  Doesn’t this worry anybody else?  The amount of power the State education boards have on determining what goes into a book in our school divisions.   I think this is something students must also take into account when developing their critical reading skills especially with textbooks.  A student should keep in mind the choices made in the creation of the books they read and understand that these documents reflect the views of the era in which they are made.  Very powerful stuff.

As I write, I wonder all of these strategies are crucial for students to read effectively, once a student knows how to read he/she will soon (If not already) develop the daunting question of why they are reading.  This is where we come in.  Providing and active learning and teaching environment, as stated above, is essential.  Whether through simulations, student written guidebooks, written reviews, or even project designs these all develop rich means to learning and understanding.  Arthur Applebee puts it best as knowledge-in-action.

One thing I take from this section is that the content found in reading textbooks is not learned through the books themselves.  I feel students should understand that.  I can’t help but think of Rosenblatt’s reference to experience.  From a teachers stand point, such guided inquiries as I mentioned above should be based on the concept that we learn through our experiences and encounters with strong ideas (real ideas).

Reading the Internet

“Information pretending to objectivity but possessing a hidden agenda of persuasion or a hidden bias is among the most common kind of information in our culture” Robert Harris

The internet is here to stay and our students must/need to know how to read what they find there. 

In the next section of Burke’s Illuminating Text he discusses reading the internet and the wide range of texts, each serving a different audience and purpose.  An important point taken from the section is that different modes of discourse should be read differently especially those found on the web.  For example students/youth are able to focus and pick up on certain coded spelling found in most email like differences between ur (your) and u r (you are) with quite ease.  However they often lack the same skill when it comes to reading web sites.

It is important for us as teachers to help students acquire the proper skills they need to determine the validity, aesthetic or literary quality, accuracy, and authenticity of information online.  To achieve this Burke asks us to start at classifying or defining web sites.  For example most web sites fall under commercial (.com) educational (.edu) institutional (.org) news/media (.com) and personal (.com).  This is complicated because rarely do web sites exist to serve one purpose however understanding the content and the context in which it is placed is a critical step to developing strong reading skills over the internet.  As we teach, we can use these classifications to develop an understanding of purpose for each web site and information being read such as: to educate, to entertain, to inform, to persuade, to sell, to share, and to support.   Now as stated above most sites don’t exist to serve one purpose, but we can show students how using multiple purposes can create a more powerful means of communication.  And of course with the knowledge of purpose we are able to fully convey an understanding of the intended meanings of each site.

It is clear that Burke and other educators like Susan Zimmerman and Ellin O. Keene strive to teach students to become discerning readers.  In Zimmerman and Keene’s  Mosaic of thought they describe interactions between two different student readers and their inability to ask questions before they ever begin to read.  Each of these educators emphasize this preread ability to ask questions (to themselves of course) that vary on the purpose for reading but still nonetheless allows them to take the right information from the right resources to fulfill the right purpose.   In alignment with Burke and online reading it is almost more important to ask these questions as you explore the wide range of information the web has to offer.

With all this now we have to ask a student to know how to look beyond surface details as quality writing.  A tall order for middle school students and high school students, so with this Burke suggests a working rubric that indicates key topics such as: sources, timeliness, authorities, audiences, quality control, etc.  It is with this section of Burke’s text that I cannot help but think what levels of aptitude are we expecting of our students.  Is it something at such a young age we rely heavily on or tip toe into it at a middle school and early high school age and dive into at the later years.  The internet provides such vast arrays of information that it seems to undermine the very essence of credibility.  As an adult I still find myself unknowing and often times baffled at the information I read, almost to the point where nothing is truly credible and nothing is fully explained.    However what is clear is that our students must start somewhere, and by teaching our students to read the internet critically further prepares them for the digital age.

Reading the World

"The purpose of education in this society is to bring the kids up to be conversant with the most important ideas and the representation systems that are used to express them. " Alan Kay

In the first pages of Burke’s Illuminating Texts, speaks of validity, truth, and facts written in popular texts such magazines papers, advertisements, etc.   He hints at the growing goal of first coverage as opposed to truth/validity/fact or what he calls “right”.

Caveat emptor (buyer beware) caveat lector (reader beware).

Burke asks us to be different kinds of readers when dealing with texts.  Living in an accelerated society Burke visits the notion of being able to read well on the run given the faster living and greater distraction surrounded by our lifestyles.  Burke uses a table of words to remind us of all the things that happen within any given text.   We find in so many previous textbooks (1999 or earlier) so many included factual errors and ideological bias.  However not only is this apparent in writing we find more and more films being based on novels and historical events.  These examples tempt many students into mistakenly draw what is fiction over what is fact.    Arming our students with what Burke call “the readers tool belt” will enable a student to discern what is real versus what is true.

Within reason to arming a student s with what he should expect to happen within most if not all texts Burke advocates to draw attention to the types of text.  Alluding to the context in which each piece of literature is put in.  Given the number of times a student is given a text in a class day I find this to be vital, especially knowing that most students go through multiple classrooms a day seeing multiple teachers and therefore reading multiple texts.  Students must understand that there are many possible ways to think about texts.

Now where do we (the teachers) stand during this?  In Burkes opinion, and mine as well,  we as teachers must remember to return everything back to the classroom after the event is over. Engage with the students; teach them about how to read what has just occurred even if what has just occurred has taught you something.  How can we help to make sense or comprehend what we hear or read as we move along?  Burke makes it clear as to what standards across the nation overlap and highlights what is expected to be accomplished as a teacher and student.  However in and to “beating the odds” all teachers and students collectively must delve deeper and find ways to draw meaning and understanding within the context of the students lives.  

Now with all this being said one cannot help but think of how important it is to be able to read well in the minefield of truths that make up the Information Age.   With most learning taking place online and students finding themselves more often being required to draw reasonable inferences from such texts without guidance or facilitation.  We (teachers/mentors) have to equip every learner as best as we can with every passing year.

The purpose of the first chapter is to go beyond just reading words.  Burke illustrates what this course has been repeating through the previous readings (Rosenblatt, Gee, Emig, and Marvit), that being able to change our role and perception of ourselves is key to discovering the text as a larger context of history.  Meaning, to think and operate as practitioners of the domains you are studying.  These shifts in perspectives promotes more active roles in both reading and writing, and to me, more importantly provides an added benefit to developing imagination and comfort.  

Introduction P1

Hello All,

This is my BlogSpot. This is my first time working with blogging and I'm curious to see where it takes me in terms of the literature I've chosen and of course personal reflection.  I'm enjoying the idea of using blogger because in all of my favorite rap albums, one or another references to each artists "BlogSpot.com" is interjected into their verses.  So without further adieu:

About myself, I'm getting my masters in Art Education with licensure in K-12.  I have no teaching experience, however I have worked with children since I was a child.   As a mentor for our youth soccer program in Las Cruces, New Mexico I got my first taste of providing a guiding hand to mentees at the age of 15.  I continued coaching when I moved up to Albuquerque for college, and currently coach 4 teams at a competitive level.  I have multiple teams who travel the states competing and I've guided multiple players to continue at the collegiate level (Including 3 at UNM).  So through soccer I found an avenue to pursue helping youth and have had a growing urge to expand on my experiences and learnings. I've also volunteered at numerous community centers in Albuquerque mainly focusing on Spanish speaking communities since I myself am a first generation United States citizen.  I am in the final year of my degree and look forward to applying what I've learned in the past 2 years to whatever path I chose to pursue.

For the course I've chosen Illuminating Texts by Jim Burke.  The sub text grabbed my attention, "How to teach students to read the world".  In my coaching and mentoring philosophy I always aim to teach individuals how to become working members in our society and give them the best chances to succeed.  As I've stated above this is my first blogging experience so until next time.