Reading to Learn Science as an Active Process.

Abstract

Science teachers often think of reading as a passive activity and science as a hands-on active process. As middle and high school science teachers, we came to view reading as we viewed science--a cognitive process in which learners actively construct their knowledge in a transaction with the text. As we implemented active reading strategies in our hands-on classrooms, two things became apparent to us: first, our was more efficient as students took responsibility for acquiring information outside of class; and second, we often noticed dramatic increases in student achievement, particularly with struggling learners. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] But how did we do this? How can science teachers help students learn to read science and at the same time teach the content? Can these tasks be accomplished simultaneously? Thankfully, yes. One way to do so is by incorporating classroom strategies that actively engage students in thinking, talking, reading, and writing about science. Strategies must be chosen carefully depending on the target content, the context, and the student audience. How do teachers maximize the probability that strategies will be effective? One answer is to use a cycle as a guide when designing lessons. In this article, we describe cycles in science and reading, including processes involved, and strategies that maximize student involvement and learning. Learning cycles Learning cycles independently evolved in the separate fields of science and reading. The origin of cycles in science education is generally attributed to Karplus (1964). Others have modified this cycle. Figure 1 summarizes, though not comprehensively, several science cycles. In this section, we refer to the cycle phases as (1) exploration, (2) concept invention, and (3) application. The purpose of the exploration phase is to get students ready to learn new concepts through activities designed to raise student interest and identify levels of prior knowledge. In science, it is particularly important to attend to prior knowledge because many students hold scientific misconceptions (Guzzetti et al. 1993). The exploration phase is critical in order to identify misconceptions that will be addressed in the concept invention phase. Although some teachers tend to skip the exploration phase, it is especially important for students in the concrete operational developmental stage (Abraham and Renner 1986). The concept invention phase builds on the exploration phase and involves information input, usually from the teacher or a text. In concept invention, the teacher scaffolds students' using a variety of instructional strategies. This phase is traditionally viewed as the actual teaching and learning phase, in which students begin to understand concepts as the teacher facilitates student interaction with resources using multiple styles. In the application phase, the teacher uses strategies that require students to apply the newly constructed concepts to novel problems and situations. Students take ownership of the new knowledge as they organize, use, and understand the knowledge from a variety of personal and social perspectives. As students apply their new knowledge, additional information may be required and the cycle repeats. In this way, the application phase may evolve into the exploration phase of another cycle. Similar three-phase cycles have been described in the reading field. In a typical cycle in the reading field, the teacher (1) prepares students for reading by activating prior knowledge, focusing attention on important ideas and generating a purpose for reading; (2) guides or scaffolds students' reading; and (3) helps students transform and personalize information through reflection (Alvermann, Phelps, and Ridgeway 2007). Figure 2 summarizes cycles described in reading education. …