Session+6

What is your opinion on the active versus passive involvement in reading? The two articles give some very good ideas to help readers remember what they are reading. One of the suggestions I really liked was the one that said to make the material as visual as possible while reading. It said to tell the students the sillier the better to make it easier to remember. Another worthwhile tip, is the suggestion to make notes. Oftentimes, writing down information helps the reader to remember what they are reading. I have a very high opinion of active reading. I think it is a very good habit for all readers to get into the habit of doing. I believe that if students are doing any of the suggestions then they are well on their way to reading for meaning. Active reading keeps the reader involved with what is being read and they are more likely to remember what they read to report on it later. But in order for your students to become active readers, you have to teach them how to be actively involved in the material. This is very time consuming. At first, you must introduce one strategy at a time. Then, after they are familiar with all of the strategies, tell them to use a particular one while reading. If they get into the habit, they will be able to pick out their favorite to use all the time. Active reading is a wonderful asset for any student to have to fall back on while reading.