TA Teaching Tips

Skimming a text in search of specific information is one way of reading.
Reading for a general grasp of a position is another.
Close reading of a text is yet another.

Helping Students Become Effective Readers
Virginia Ingram, Philosophy

When I first began designing my courses I assumed that my students would come to class having carefully read the assigned material, eager to engage in lively discussions. I planned to lecture occasionally (perhaps to provide a context for the reading and to illuminate especially difficult passages) but I most looked forward to facilitating discussions. I found Washington University students very eager to participate--until I forced a detailed discussion of the assigned text. Too often I sensed that either my students had not read or, more frequently, they had not read carefully or with skill. I doubted my problem was unusual. Other teachers tell me that they have similar problems. Some say that they routinely prepare lectures with the assumption that no one will have understood, or even read, the assigned material. Others tell me they summarize the assigned reading at the beginning of a class discussion so students who have not read can "catch up to speed" and participate.

When I suspected my students had not read I began asking my students why this seemed to be the case. Their most common responses surprised me. Students would say that they had sincerely tried to do the reading but were so lost after the first page or two (or even paragraph) that they had simply given up. With great embarrassment they would say things like, "I understood every word in each sentence but at the end of the page I had no idea what it was all about." Other students claimed to have completed the reading but claimed they didn't really know what to say about it." Less often, but still with alarming frequency, students would say that reading was low on their list of their priorities since they assumed that the professor would tell them what they needed to know in the lecture.

Of course our students are very bright but secondary education rarely focuses on helping students become critical readers. I have found it necessary, if I want fruitful class discussions that are centered on the text, to develop strategies to help students become skilled and active readers. My aim is not merely to aid students in their ability to comprehend difficult texts. I also aim to help them become demanding readers.

Emphasize importance of reading with care when the course is designed and the syllabus is presented.

• The syllabus should not just list the required exams and papers but also "careful reading of the assigned texts" as a course requirement. If you expect students to have read the assignment more than once, make this expectation clear. I usually demand that students read an assignment three times. I often suggest that students first read the 'assignment quickly so they can get a sense of the author's position. Their second reading should focus on extracting the details and structure of the reading. A third reading is an opportunity to further evaluate the reading and considering its implication in greater detail. I accept that most students will not do as I suggest. Nevertheless, the demand helps students realize that when they fail to fully grasp an assignment on a quick read through it is not because they are incompetent: the reading requires more effort than they put forth.
• When planning a course avoid the trap of assigning too much reading material. There is, of course, pressure to cover as much material as possible but you must realistically evaluate how much material a student can read in a given period of time. Texts vary in difficulty and there is no formula for how many pages are appropriate to assign In a given week. Be careful to remember content is of little value if there is no comprehension or retention.
• The syllabus should make clear on what dates the assigned reading are to be completed.
• If you assign a lengthy work consider whether you want to require that the entire text be read before the first day the text is discussed. Whether or not I demand this depends on the difficulty of the text. If I feel students will be able to read the text ahead of time with reasonable skill, I will often require that it be read in its entirety on the first day of discussion and then require for each class session that they reread particular sections. With other texts I do not require that the text be read in its entirety because I realize that the students will need to be guided through the text, chapter by chapter. Whatever you decide, make your expectations clear to your students.
• Insure that the format and assignments of the course make clear the importance of doing the reading; otherwise students will feel that they can put the reading aside. The course must be structured so that students find the reading necessary to understand the lectures and participate in discussions. Construct, for instance, writing assignments that force students to be engaged with the text. If students develop their own paper topics demand that those topics be approved in advance. Students often develop paper topics that do not force them to deal with the details of the readings
• Make it clear to students that on exams they will be responsible for all assigned readings, even if each reading is not fully discussed in class. Students often believe that they are only responsible for what is discussed in class. They often justify not doing the reading on these grounds, thinking that if they come to class they will be told all they need to know.
• Decide if you want to give quizzes to insure students have read. If so, include this information in the syllabus. Some professors claim that giving a short quiz at the beginning of a class (either announced or by surprise) is a good way to insure students will read. This may work well in some courses and with some students but I have reservations about this strategy. It's cumbersome to constantly grade these things. Students are often insulted by the practice. Most importantly, students often end up directing their focus, not on reading critically, but on trying to figure out what the quiz will cover. There are many things I want students to consider while they read; what might be on the quiz is not one of those things.
• Early in the course acknowledge that some of the reading will be quite challenging and that you will help them develop strategies for reading the material effectively. Students are often embarrassed to admit that they have difficulty completing the assigned reacting. They are surprised to encounter texts that are difficult for them to understand. When inviting students to come by our offices to discuss rough drafts and burning question, remember to invite students to seek us out if they have trouble with the reading assignments. Such an invitation helps reassure them that you expect the reading will be challenging and that they should not be ashamed if they experience difficulty.

• If the upcoming reading contains words that have specialized meanings unfamiliar to students I identify these words and give them a brief background. Most students do not understand that a word may be used in a way that is not captured by Webster's. They will often say, "I looked it up in the dictionary and it still didn't make sense." Discussing this issue ahead of time saves them great frustration. Encourage them to circle words and phrases that confused them and to ask for clarification in the next class session.
• Make it clear to students how much time you expect the assignment will take to complete. Students expect to be able to read about thirty pages per hour; that's how long it takes them to read a John Grisham novel and they expect to read Joyce and Hegel with the same speed. Keep in mind that if you have assigned ten pages of extremely difficult material students may believe that they can complete the reading fifteen minutes before class begins unless you warn them otherwise.
• Briefly explain how the article connects to what the class has been discussing or how the article continues a theme or subject. This encourages students to connect what they are reading to what they have already learned. This is an important feature of active reading.

Underline important points and forceful statement.

Use vertical lines to indicate statement already underlined or that are too long to underline.

Asterisks can be used sparingly to emphasize the most important passages.

Use numbers in the margins to indicate the sequence of an argument.

Use 'Cf." to indicate other pages where the author makes a similar or related point.

Circle key words or phrases.

Write questions and comments in the margins and at the top and bottom of the pages.

Use the endpages at the back of the book to make a personal index of the author's points and your own questions and ideas.

Use a question mark to indicate passages that you found confusing and want to return to later or discuss in class.

• Consider xeroxing and passing out a brief portion of your own annotated text. Students are often under the impression that their professors read Kant as easily as one might read the newspaper. Sharing your process of reading and annotating helps them understand the activity of reading. After you pass out your annotated text take them through your reading. Explain, for instance, why you underlined at particular points, and why you were inspired to scribble in the margins.
• Encourage students to annotate their texts during class discussions. When a particular passage is being discussed make sure students have their books open and helpfully suggest that they makes notes in the margins, not just their notebooks. Helping them annotate their text in class will heighten their ability to do so on their own.
• At the beginning of class invite students to ask questions about passages they found difficult or terms they did not understand. This is useful to do even if you plan to spend the class session lecturing. It is, better to find out before the lecture that they failed to understand an important idea or concept than to give a lecture that assumes they have that understanding.
• Remember that skilled readers approach a text with some objective or question in mind. Perhaps we read to extract an argument, to evaluate a claim, to get information, to understand how a term is being used, or to pass time on a long flight. Often, of course, we have multiple purposes. It is that purpose that guides the focus of our reading. Most students are accustomed to reading for pleasure or for information; that there are other objectives is a new idea to many students. Students need help understanding that different disciplines and endeavors require different objectives and they need to be told what those objectives are. I help them learn to focus their reading for different objectives by suggesting certain aims guide their reading. I might ask my students to extract an argument or to think about the way a particular distraction is being made. Reading with some objective in mind also helps them focus their discussion at the beginning of the next class meeting.
• Help students know what questions to ask while they read. Of course, the appropriateness of the question depends on the discipline being studied and the overall aims of the course. The following questions may seem basic to graduate students but introductory students need to be taught to question while they read.
• What is the book/article about?
• What is being said in detail, and how?
• Is the book/article convincing or valuable, in whole or in part?
• Is the text significant?
• What further is implied or suggested?
• How does this work compare to other readings on a similar topic?
• How does this reading contribute to the central issues of this course?
• How might the author's position be strengthened?
• Remember that many students think that what ever is in print is true, written by authorities that they have no right question. Encouraging students to read critically requires helping them understand that they can and should evaluate what they read. Stress to students that not only do you want them to comprehend what they read, but also question what they read.

The results of such a discussion will, of course, guide where you go from there. In such instances I frequently ask students to open the text to the first paragraph and start working though the text sentence by sentence. This is a wonderful way to combine a careful attention to the content of the reading while simultaneously helping students learn how to work through a text.

Helping students learn to become demanding readers need not become so overwhelming that the actual content of the course is neglected. In fact, I've found that precisely the opposite is true. Since I have stressed their development as readers, my students have been better able to appreciate lectures that go beyond mere summaries of the assigned reading. Class discussions are more likely to stay on track and include discussions of the details of the assigned reading. And as an added but important bonus, as their reading skills increase their ability to write with an attention to the details of the text increases as well. On an even brighter note, students seem to improve in this area with some rapidity and developing reading skills often requires less emphasis as the semester progresses.