Working Complex Text Techniques

The book “Developing Readers in the Academic Disciplines” by Buehl in chapter 6 “instructional practices for working complex text” the writer starts with some very important questions but I believe difficult to answer specially for individuals that don’t have teaching experience. Such as How can instruction scaffold the reading of complex disciplinary texts? What do you do when you have to work a text? According to the author when someone need to work a text, it is recommended that the instructor/teacher does some digging into documents, pick into the details of the documents, discover unfamiliar vocabulary, sources and other research information that can help understand the text more clearly. As the author mentions “you do whatever you need to do to get whatever you need or want from the text.” The knowledge of reviewing/studying a document or text is going to change as the education of student’s progresses.

When you really have to work a text? When the text is too difficult to understand and the answers are difficult to locate. A text has to be studied with full attention and determination. It is important that students and instructors learn to summarize what they understood, that rereading the text to examine and connect visual information is crucial to their own understanding in the process of projecting new information. The Students and instructors should never forget that is important to keep actualizing themselves by constantly reevaluating their studying techniques.  When you are unable to avoid reading it or cannot depend on someone else telling you what it says? In regards to students, they don’t have to develop the capacity to read complex texts independently, because it is necessary that they have the class lecture and information that it’s needed, but it is the student’s responsibility to engaged inside and outside of school in a much deeper studying process necessary to successfully understand a complex text.

According to the author in order to understand a problematic text students need to show motivation and commitment. Also, manage time well and learning style, give full attention to that specific task, recite, paraphrase, summarize, take notes, mark the text, underlining, and text annotating.  These learning strategies are appropriate to understand and remembering. Even though, issues exist regarding the students personal studying habits and student’s identities as readers, writers, and thinkers it is important that teachers/instructors focus on cognitive strategies of instruction because is a form of motivating students to learn that what they are learning has a goal, value, utility and time management would help them achieve their reading goals. It gives me the impression that the students have many things to learn through their careers as students and learners, but it is also not impossible to learn the proper tools and knowledge in order to be successful in the process of reading, writing and thinking critically.