Self Monitoring
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Self-monitoring is knowing when what you are reading makes sense and when it does not. It helps struggling readers to notice when they understand and when they fail to understand (Bender & Larkin, 2003, p.156), and tells them what to do when meaning is disrupted.
Many students sound like good readers because they can “read” all the words. However, when you ask them what the selection was about, they simply reply, “I read it." They are unable to recount what they read because they have not been actively engaged in thinking about what they were reading. In other words, they were not self-monitoring as they read.
For students to be self-monitoring:
There are several self-monitoring strategies for students to use. They include:
What word or words confused you or were unfamiliar to you?
What didn’t make sense to you?
Think-Aloud
Modelling the think aloud is a particularly suitable technique for demonstrating self-monitoring to a whole class. Firstly choose a book that is above the students' reading level. As you read, 'think aloud' about the parts that they may find confusing. Give voice to thoughts such as 'That didn't make sense. I think I'll reread that section again. Maybe I read something wrong?' Or 'I am not sure about what that means, but I see that word in the next page's heading. I think I'll read on and come back if I need to.' Or 'I didn't understand this part. I might put a post-it note here and ask if anybody else understood what this was about'. The post-it note will help them demonstrate to the teacher that they know when they do not know.
After you have modelled self-monitoring, have the students practice the strategy by working in pairs to read a text. Then, have them discuss any questions they may have about the meaning of the text.
Specific Instructions for students to use individually or in small groups:
Cross Check
When you are reading ask yourself, "Does this word look right, sound right, and make sense?"
Post-It Notes
Use post-it notes to monitor your understanding of the material. Write brief comments, question marks, exclamation marks on the post-it notes to indicate the parts of the text that you are interacting with. These interactions can indicate a connection made, identify a development in the story that surprised you, point out something you want to ask about, or highlight new information.
Reread
When you are reading and a problem comes up, return to the beginning of the sentence or paragraph and try again.
Predict
Ask yourself, "What word do I expect this to be?", "What do I think will happen next?", "Does that make sense?"
Skip, Read On and Go Back
If you come to a word you don't know skip it and read to the end of the sentence thinking about what word would make sense. Using what you have learned go back and reread trying to figure out the word.
Use Background Knowledge
When you are reading think about what you already know about the subject. You might see a connection that will help you.
Stop and Make a Picture in Your Mind
When reading longer text, stop and think about what has happened so far in
the story. Make a picture in your mind to help you "see" the events.
Synthesize: Think of the message that the author is trying to give
When reading, think about the new information in relation to the information you already know about the topic. Have an opinion about what you are reading and think about the message / viewpoint that the author is trying to get across. Ask yourself if you agree with the message and why.
Adapted from Konza, 2011, Research into Practice; and Lakeshore Comprehension Strategies Teaching Charts retrieved from http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/media/product_guides/dd368.pdf
Many students sound like good readers because they can “read” all the words. However, when you ask them what the selection was about, they simply reply, “I read it." They are unable to recount what they read because they have not been actively engaged in thinking about what they were reading. In other words, they were not self-monitoring as they read.
For students to be self-monitoring:
- They need to be aware of what they do understand.
- They need to identify what they do not understand.
- They need to use appropriate strategies to “fix up” the problems in comprehension.
There are several self-monitoring strategies for students to use. They include:
- Identifying where the difficulty occurs.
What word or words confused you or were unfamiliar to you?
What didn’t make sense to you?
- Restating the difficult sentence or passage in their own words
- Looking back through the text
- Did the author mention this before?
What did he say about it? - Looking forward in the text for information that might help them to resolve the difficulty
- Are there any charts or graphics that might help?
Oh, the next section tells me more about that. I need to read on.
Think-Aloud
Modelling the think aloud is a particularly suitable technique for demonstrating self-monitoring to a whole class. Firstly choose a book that is above the students' reading level. As you read, 'think aloud' about the parts that they may find confusing. Give voice to thoughts such as 'That didn't make sense. I think I'll reread that section again. Maybe I read something wrong?' Or 'I am not sure about what that means, but I see that word in the next page's heading. I think I'll read on and come back if I need to.' Or 'I didn't understand this part. I might put a post-it note here and ask if anybody else understood what this was about'. The post-it note will help them demonstrate to the teacher that they know when they do not know.
After you have modelled self-monitoring, have the students practice the strategy by working in pairs to read a text. Then, have them discuss any questions they may have about the meaning of the text.
Specific Instructions for students to use individually or in small groups:
Cross Check
When you are reading ask yourself, "Does this word look right, sound right, and make sense?"
Post-It Notes
Use post-it notes to monitor your understanding of the material. Write brief comments, question marks, exclamation marks on the post-it notes to indicate the parts of the text that you are interacting with. These interactions can indicate a connection made, identify a development in the story that surprised you, point out something you want to ask about, or highlight new information.
Reread
When you are reading and a problem comes up, return to the beginning of the sentence or paragraph and try again.
Predict
Ask yourself, "What word do I expect this to be?", "What do I think will happen next?", "Does that make sense?"
Skip, Read On and Go Back
If you come to a word you don't know skip it and read to the end of the sentence thinking about what word would make sense. Using what you have learned go back and reread trying to figure out the word.
Use Background Knowledge
When you are reading think about what you already know about the subject. You might see a connection that will help you.
Stop and Make a Picture in Your Mind
When reading longer text, stop and think about what has happened so far in
the story. Make a picture in your mind to help you "see" the events.
Synthesize: Think of the message that the author is trying to give
When reading, think about the new information in relation to the information you already know about the topic. Have an opinion about what you are reading and think about the message / viewpoint that the author is trying to get across. Ask yourself if you agree with the message and why.
Adapted from Konza, 2011, Research into Practice; and Lakeshore Comprehension Strategies Teaching Charts retrieved from http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/media/product_guides/dd368.pdf