Author: Santosh Kumar Biswa, Sr. Teacher, Damphu CS, Tsirang, Bhutan
The varied demands of
learners can be met by utilizing a variety of teaching tactics because
different students have various learning preferences and styles. Students can
learn more effective reading techniques and increase their understanding and
memory of the material they read by being taught various reading techniques.
Since they are better equipped to comprehend and analyze material and recognize
potential solutions to issues, students with strong reading comprehension
skills are better problem solvers. With strong communication and critical
thinking abilities, kids will also have a greater awareness of the world around
them and broaden their knowledge and viewpoints. To familiarize students with
knowledge, skills, and values, which is the fundamental purpose of education,
teachers should use acceptable teaching reading methodologies.
The "History
Frames" and "Zooming in and Out" instructional strategies, which
I believe will be the most successful in my chosen curriculum area as a
secondary school teacher. They are successful for the following reasons:
The History Frames Strategy:
The
History Frames Strategy is a teaching strategy that involves grouping
historical occurrences into chronological "frames," which aids
students in comprehending the connections between events and the broader
historical context and in gaining the background knowledge necessary to fully
comprehend a concept (Jones, 2012). This technique was chosen because it
establishes the goal of reading in the classroom. It is a cognitive technique
for memory recall, especially while learning or studying new material. To
increase retention and recall, the method entails setting up new information
into a chronological or sequential framework, comparable to a timeline or
story. The title of the event, significant participants, the main issue or
objective, the location and date of the event, significant episodes of the
event, the resolution or result, and the theme or lessons learned are the core
elements of a history frame (Urquhart & Frazee, 2012). Since I teach
literature to grade twelve students, I've observed that in my country,
literature studies are introduced to students as early as grade ten. Therefore,
they may recollect and relate to the new material they are going to study
anything they have already learned about the specific history of the literary
era. Therefore, using this method will enable my students to read with greater
comprehension. When explaining the who, what, where, how, and why of historical
events connected to what they already know, they can organize what they have
learned from the book (Urquhart & Frazee, 2012). It focuses on how people
conceptualize past events or present time moments. Learners can construct a
mental map that will aid in their understanding and retention of the material
by structuring new information into several frames.
I
can implement the History Frames Strategy in my classroom by doing the
following:
•
Identify the essential facts or ideas that must be learned.
•
Arrange those occurrences or ideas in a chronological or logical order.
•
Conjure up a picture or tale in your head to connect the many thoughts or
occurrences.
•
Tell the story or mental image again to help with remembering and recalling.
For instance, I can
have my students use the History Frames Strategy to arrange the sequence of
events leading up to the conflict between Jews and Christians in ancient times,
the major clashes and turning points, and the aftermath and consequences of the
conflict when I am teaching the play "The Merchant of Venice," which
focuses on the conflict between Jews and Christians. My students can better
understand the overall narrative and retain the information by mentally
connecting these events into a story or timeline. Then, they can relate the
history of sixteenth-century Venice with Elizabethan England and finally
analyze the information critically as a reflective study in our context. This
technique helps enhance memory and recall in many educational scenarios; thus,
I think it may be applied by learners of all types. By employing this strategy,
my students will be able to connect the dots between various historical
occurrences and comprehend the larger historical context in which these
occurrences took place, which aids students in developing a more comprehensive
understanding of history and recognizing the connections between various historical
occurrences. Additionally, it will aid in the development of their historical
thinking abilities, including the ability to recognize various viewpoints,
analyze primary sources, and establish cause-and-effect linkages. I believe
that to comprehend the complexity of historical events and build a
sophisticated perspective of history, one must possess these abilities.
Challenges I believe I
may be associated with implementing the History Frames Strategy
Although this approach
has the potential to be an effective tool for assisting students in learning
and memory, I feel as though I may run into some difficulties when attempting
to implement it in my classroom. The following are some of the challenges in
putting the History Frames Strategy into practice:
- It might take my pupils some time to develop a
chronology or tale for a certain piece of content, which would put me
under time pressure. I think I should come up with alternatives to strike
a balance between this strategy's use and the other material that needs to
be taught in the curriculum.
- Due to the variety of learning styles present in the
classroom, it might be beneficial for certain visual learners but less so
for those who prefer other learning modalities, such as auditory or
kinesthetic learning. To address the needs of the many students in my
classroom, I think that the technique needs to be modified.
- Because I was trained to teach literature and not world
history, I might have trouble recalling some important facts or ideas. I
should decide which historical occurrences or ideas should be
included and how to arrange them logically and consistently.
- Since we have a large number of students in the
classroom, the assessment part can be challenging for me. As it is focused
on memory recall rather than other skills like critical thinking or analysis,
I believe that it can be difficult to assess its effectiveness. I may have
to opt for other alternatives to measure higher-order thinking skills.
The "Zooming In
and Out" strategy
It is a method that
teachers employ in the classroom to help students comprehend a certain idea
better. Students investigate and analyze a text's details by zooming in, and
then they zoom out to explain how those details support their understanding of
the text as a whole (Nesbit, n.d.). This strategy entails switching back and
forth between a wide, general picture of a subject and a more focused,
particular one. I picked this approach because it works very well when teaching
literature, which is what I specialize in. It can help my students become more
adept at connecting various levels of detail and gaining a deeper comprehension
of challenging ideas from literature and history. By rating pertinent content
material and then stating what the idea would not be expected to do or tell us,
it may also be used as a vocabulary and text comprehension approach to assist
my students in analyzing a concept more closely (Urquhart & Frazee, 2012).
Students might then research and consider concepts that are comparable and
connected before drafting a summary statement.
I must first explain
the subject or idea that will be covered in my lesson before I can use the
"Zooming In and Out" technique. Then, I should start with a broad
perspective on the subject, like a broad overview or summary, and then move on
to a more in-depth and specific perspective, like a close reading of a
particular passage or a thorough examination of a particular occurrence or
phenomena. To assist pupils in understanding the links between the specifics
and the bigger concept or topic, I should then return to a broad, general
perspective. To help students gain a deeper comprehension of the concept or
issue, I should then repeat the process while progressively stepping up the amount
of intricacy and information.
For instance, when I
teach "The Merchant of Venice," focusing on the conflict between Jews
and Christians, I can have my students begin with a broad overview of the
causes and significant events of those conflicts, then move on to a more
detailed analysis of the history of sixteenth-century Venice and mistreatment
of Jews, and finally return to a broad view to help students see how the claim
made by Shakespeare through the play fits into the larger picture. This will
help my students fully comprehend Shakespeare's critique of Elizabethan
Christians and their anti-Jewish prejudices and contextualize that knowledge in
a way that supports diversity in our setting. However, I must exercise caution
throughout the entire process, from the planning stage through the activity's
implementation, and I must give them clear direction and support at all times.
This helps students improve their critical thinking abilities and gain a deeper
comprehension of the material. I will be able to engage them through in-depth
analysis so they can pinpoint the problem's precise causes and effects and
design focused solutions with improved decision-making to find the most
efficient ones. As they develop their problem-solving and communication skills
through in-depth analysis and a holistic view to see the bigger picture and
comprehend the broader context of the problem or situation, my students will
realize that thinking is a process and that minds can be changed based on new
understandings (Zoom In, n.d.).
Challenges I believe I
may be associated with implementing the "Zooming In and Out"
strategy.
I think I may
encounter some challenges using this method in my classroom, even though it has
the potential to be an effective tool for assisting students in gaining a
better comprehension of the subject matter and concept. The following are some
potential difficulties with putting the "Zooming In and Out" approach
into practice:
·
The procedure might
take some time since my pupils must switch between several degrees of depth
when handling the literature history and because it takes time to acquire data
and consider the issue from both a wide and specific angle.
·
I think that when we
focus on too many details, we may wind up overcomplicating the situation. I
think that I need to strike a balance and find methods to integrate these
strategies with the other subject that needs to be addressed in the curriculum.
It could be challenging to build a workable solution and comprehend the big
picture as a result.
·
If we don't do it
correctly, I think we might end up with an incomplete analysis because if we
only look at the large picture, we might overlook vital details while focusing
too much on the specifics, and we might lose important broader context.
·
Because it is
cognitively difficult to transition between the big picture and the specifics,
we may experience cognitive overload, which can impair our ability to make
decisions and solve problems.
·
Due to differences in
viewpoints, there might not be unanimity in my class regarding the gravity of
the issue or the best course of action.
In
conclusion, I realized that I might need to be adaptable to change the method
to fit my student's requirements and the limitations of the classroom. To avoid
any deficiencies, I should always be sure to provide thorough consideration and
balance the time spent on each perspective.
References
Jones, R. (2012, August 26). History Frames/ Story Maps. Reading
Quest. Retrieved from http://www.readingquest.org/strat/storymaps.html
Nesbit, K. (n.d.). Zoom In, Zoom Out.
https://www.katenesbit.com/uploads/4/8/2/7/48275497/sample_assignment_-_zoom_in_zoom_out_close_reading_essay.pdf
Urquhart, V., & Frazee, D. (2012). Teaching
reading in the content areas: If not me, then who? Retrieved from eBook Central
(accessed through LIRN).
Zoom In. (n.d.). Cultures
of Thinking.
http://www.rcsthinkfromthemiddle.com/zoom-in.html#:~:text=Description%3A%20The%20Zoom%20In%20thinking,revealed%2C%20students%20make%20new%20inferences.
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