College Reading Success

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College Reading Success

• Dr. Pamela Petty Associate Professor of Literacy
• College of Education and Behavioral Sciences
• Special Instructional Programs
• pamela.petty_at_wku.edu
• http//www.pampetty.com
• 270-745-2922

http//edtech.wku.edu/ppetty/collegereading.htm
Link for todays presentation found on
this site.
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The Problem
"Students didn't learn how to read scholarly
papers in grade school," one teacher told us,
"but they usually get little training beyond that
level on how to read.
We can count on about 50 of the kids who walk
across the stage a high school graduation NOT
being able to read at a level that is demanded of
college freshmen.
Bain, K. (2004). What the Best College Teachers
Do. Cambridge, MA Harvard Press, p. 89.
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Opening Question

• Take a moment to reflect on your experience with
  reading at the college level.
• Come up with 2 causes for the struggles you have
  experienced.

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Areas of Need
VOLUME
http//edtech.wku.edu/ppetty/collegereadingvolume
.htm
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Think-Pair-Share

• Consider the volume of assigned reading within
  your course(s). Do you think that the volume of
  assigned reading is something you need to
  address?
• Turn to a partner and share your knowledge.
• Do you have anything to share with the group?

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Depth of word knowledge
http//edtech.wku.edu/ppetty/collegereadingvocabu
lary.htm

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Repetition
Repetition
Repetition
Repetition
Repetition

Repetition
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List/Brainstorm

• What strategies to you presently use to learn new
  vocabulary within your course(s)?
• Start with your clearest thoughts and then move
  on to those that are kind of out there with
  ways you might include DEPTH and REPETITION to
  your vocabulary learning.

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Retention of Information
Part of the problem in instructors assign" and
"students do the assigned" is the expectations on
each side of that coin.  http//edtech.wku.edu/
ppetty/collegereadingretain.htm
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Path to Retention

• Three avenues for comprehension 
• what you do BEFORE you read,
• what you do DURING the reading, and
• what you do AFTER the reading. 

You must REPHRASE in order to RETAIN.
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FORMAT

• We do not read a science book the way we read a
  psychology book or a novel, a poem, a webpage or
  any of many dozens of other types of print. 
  Several factors guide our decision making as far
  as HOW we read a particular text (text print). 
  One critical factor is the FORMAT of the
  reading. 

http//edtech.wku.edu/ppetty/collegereadingformat
.htm
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Test Taking

• Strategies for Studying FOR and TAKING texts
• http//edtech.wku.edu/ppetty/collegereadingtestta
  king.htm

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NOTE CHECK

• Take a few minutes to compare notes with a
  partner
• Summarize the most important information.
• Identify (and clarify if possible) any sticking
  points.

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College Reading Success
http//edtech.wku.edu/ppetty/collegereading.htm
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Collection of Data

• Electronic submission of responses to 20 queries
  4 of which allowed for open response.

Pre January 2006 http//www.pampetty.com/college
readingsurvey.htm Post May 2006 http//www.pam
petty.com/collegereadingsurveypost.htm Weekly
anecdotal notes from graduate student working
with each undergraduate student.
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Structure

• 8-weeks
• Tuesdays
• 500 615
• Small group format
• Literacy graduate students
• Authentic texts
• Current courses

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Demographics

• 60 students registered
• 40 students completed the 8-week sessions
• average ACT 20.45
• average GPA 2.81
• average of hours taken spring semester
  12. 26
• average number of assigned readings per
  week 104.4 pages

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Year in College
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Majors Represented
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Child Psychology
civil engineering
Accounting
Computer Information Technology
Textiles and Apparel Merchandising
Photojournalism- New Media
Environmental Science
Hospitality Management
Secondary School Counseling
Economics
Middle Grades Education
Social Studies
Political Science
Medical
Computer Information Systems
Social Work
Business Technology Business Management
electrical engineering
Health Care Administration
International Relations
Sales Marketing
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Reads Assigned Text
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Factors that guide decision-making about what to
READ
before
quiz
interested
beginning
exam
refer
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Study Skills Regularly Used
Study Between
Highlight
Never Look
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Most Problem with
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Two Minute Paper

• Summarize the most important points for you in
  todays session.

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One Final Question . . .

• Which of the strategies weve covered would you
  like to try in your own learning?