In a Reading State of Mind

Brain Research, Teacher Modeling, and Comprehension Instruction

Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and Diane Lapp

Call it neuronal networks or schema-building or just good teaching. The historical, neurological, and educational fields point to the same advice—let me show you, then you can make it your own.
— from Chapter 2

A book and DVD that models effective instructional modeling
Educators agree that teacher modeling is a key component of good instruction—but how do you model reading comprehension? What’s the best way to present new information so your students’ brains can convert it to working knowledge and useable skills? This book seamlessly blends current research about the brain and learning with classroom examples to show you how instructional modeling can lead to increased engagement and literacy learning.

In these pages, you will learn what happens in the brain as a person reads and how to model your own thinking effectively. You also will meet a number of middle- and secondary-grade teachers who use modeling to help their students’ understand complex ideas. Chapters explore, specifically, ways you can model comprehension and word solving strategies, as well as how to use text structures and text features to learn and retain information.

The accompanying DVD gives you an opportunity to see teacher modeling in action in real classrooms, and the final chapter in the book serves as a professional development guide with discussion questions that correspond to segments of the DVD.

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An IRA Book Club selection, November 2008

© 2009 | 160 pp.
ISBN 13: 978-0-87207-777-2

Also of interest:

Building Reading Comprehension Habits in Grades 6–12

Classroom Strategies for Interactive Learning 2nd edition