I Read It, But I Don't Get It.

I found this book to be easier to read, aside from its length, than the articles we have read previously. I liked the way the author would make frequent references to real world applications of the concepts she discusses in the book. I found it helpful to see these constant practical examples of what people do when they are failing to really read, and what successful readers do. I also found it useful to see these concepts explored both in the form of real-world stories, and also in occasional bulleted lists. This method of repeating the important information helped make it easier to remember. I also appreciated the samples of actual work the students could see that were provided at the back.

I also liked the way that the author described relating to her students as a former bad reader herself, and how the students responded when their expectations of her and themselves shifted. When I started the book, I thought that her personal examples from teaching would stop as she shifted into a discussion of the teaching techniques, but I appreciated that she continued to use them throughout the book. Often in the course of our education classes, we get real-world examples but soon switch to dozens of pages of educational theory without getting to see the practical side. I think I can speak for many teacher candidates when I say that we often want to know more about what to expect when our theories come into play in actual classrooms.

I also like how the book walked through the different stages of responding to and helping someone who is failing to really read. It was useful to see ways to identify what the exact nature of the problem is, and then go about fixing it. The description of comprehension strategies also caused me, as someone who has never had a problem with reading, to be more reflective about what I'm doing when I read, which will help me to apply those strategies when helping my students.