Columba, Kim, and Moe (2009) asserted that storytelling is the natural way the mind works, citing Jackson, who wrote, “Stories do not simply contain knowledge, they are themselves the knowledge we want students to possess” (p. 2). Consequently, comprehension is the most important part of reading, yet Cunningham and Allington (2016) stated that it receives the least attention. When students understand the text, they are motivated to read and to learn. Teachers must, therefore, ensure that instruction in comprehension is a priority in the classroom.
Strickland (2005) defined comprehension as the “end product of meaning making” and asserted that teachers cannot fully teach comprehension because “readers themselves bring meaning to the text they …show more content…
Ordinary schools are based upon “adult conception of what a child should be and how a child should learn” (Neill, 2010, p. 134). Schools are often a place controlled by authoritarian figures whose concern for subjects is far greater than their concern for educating the individual student (McKeachie, 1997). Many educators give little thought to the idea of school existing as preparation for life and, instead, choose to devote the majority of schooling toward memorizing lessons. Children, who are naturally active, are forced to sit at desks for long hours every day, and by being forced to be somewhere they do not want to be and to do something they do not want to do, lose their natural love for …show more content…
He described his first day teaching, expecting to be a typical Irish schoolmaster while his students memorized grammar. However, he realized immediately that his students would not be able to gain knowledge through drill. Instead, he had his students compose stories about grammar. Additionally, McCourt utilized Dewey’s (2009) theory that “there is all the difference in the world between having something to say and having to say something” (p. 41), and created a class in the art of writing excuse notes. This class developed the students’ writing while also giving them a chance to be
Strickland (2005) defined comprehension as the “end product of meaning making” and asserted that teachers cannot fully teach comprehension because “readers themselves bring meaning to the text they …show more content…
Ordinary schools are based upon “adult conception of what a child should be and how a child should learn” (Neill, 2010, p. 134). Schools are often a place controlled by authoritarian figures whose concern for subjects is far greater than their concern for educating the individual student (McKeachie, 1997). Many educators give little thought to the idea of school existing as preparation for life and, instead, choose to devote the majority of schooling toward memorizing lessons. Children, who are naturally active, are forced to sit at desks for long hours every day, and by being forced to be somewhere they do not want to be and to do something they do not want to do, lose their natural love for …show more content…
He described his first day teaching, expecting to be a typical Irish schoolmaster while his students memorized grammar. However, he realized immediately that his students would not be able to gain knowledge through drill. Instead, he had his students compose stories about grammar. Additionally, McCourt utilized Dewey’s (2009) theory that “there is all the difference in the world between having something to say and having to say something” (p. 41), and created a class in the art of writing excuse notes. This class developed the students’ writing while also giving them a chance to be