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By Doug Buehl,
Madison East High School teacher
Member, Wisconsin State Reading Association
June 2003
Would you run that by me again? Sometimes, once is not
quite enough, when we are trying to understand. “Wait! Did I hear
you say . . .” we interject as we listen to a speaker, rephrasing
the message to ensure that it makes sense to us. Or we reach for the replay
button on our remote as we view a video, needing to absorb a scene a second
time and mull over what we saw. And most especially, as we read, we periodically
need to pause, a thumb holding our place in the book, while we ponder
and consider, perhaps sneaking another look at a crucial passage to verify
what we think.
As learners, we frequently discover that we need opportunities
for further deliberation, to double-check our understandings and to clarify
our thinking. This essential component of comprehension – synthesizing
– involves processing a message so that it has personal meaning.
Last month’s column described the strategy of Content/Process note-taking
which prompts students to engage in synthesis as they refine their comprehension.
Additional synthesizing strategies are outlined in this column.
The Strategy
The ability to summarize what is learned is integral to synthesizing.
Sousa (2001) draws a distinction between classroom review, during which
the teacher goes over key concepts as a reminder to students, and “closure,”
which involves the students themselves summarizing the material. Because
“closure” engages students in processing material at a deeper
level than listening to a teacher-generated review, students gain necessary
practice in rehearsing and refining their new learning.
Step 1: Admit slips and exit slips are a strategy
that encourages summarizing and personal reflection. Students jot down
thoughts, questions, confusions, or key ideas on index cards or small
slips of paper, which are collected as they enter the room at the beginning
of class, or as they leave at the end of a period. Students might be provided
with a variety of prompts that encourage revisiting their learning:
Admit slips can be assigned as a homework component, which students need
to hand the teacher when they arrive to class. Exit slips are perfect
for the last couple minutes of class before a bell rings, to ask students
to engage in some synthesizing when ideas are still fresh.
Admit and exit slips also provide the teacher with feedback on points
needing further clarification or discussion. The teacher can read from
selected cards to start a class period and re-focus the previous day’s
learning. At times you may wish to have the slips be anonymous, to encourage
honest responses to confusions or questions that remain, and at other
times you may decide to have the students include their names on their
slips.
Step 2: Line-Up Reviews are another strategy that encourage summarizing.
Students respond to a particular prompt on an index card, which will then
be shared with their peers.
For example, students may be asked to describe something important they
have learned or read that many people may not know. On the back of the
card, they write why they believe this item is of particular significance.
When they have completed their cards, students form two lines of equal
numbers so that each person is facing a partner.
After both students have talked, students are ready to move down the
line. The partners swap their cards and everyone in Line B moves down
to the next student to their left. Each student now has a new card to
share and a new partner.
In this way, students have an opportunity to verbalize a number of concepts
and ideas with several of their peers. Line B can keep shifting to the
left until students have had perhaps eight to 10 different partners and
cards to review.
The Line-Up Review is an especially effective strategy for exam review.
Students can be asked to predict one specific piece of information they
think might appear on an exam, describe it, and note why it is important
to know. To avoid the same material appearing on the cards, you can assign
different sections of a unit or chapter to groups of students. The line-up
allows them a chance to revisit a number of important concepts and engages
students in summing up their understandings.
In addition, Line-Up Reviews promote careful listening because students
realize that they will soon be repeating what their partners tell them
to another student. Therefore, they are also encouraged to clarify what
their partners tell them, to ask questions if they are confused about
any details, or to assist a partner who is struggling with understanding
a card. The strategy has the additional advantage of coordinated movement,
as students get to talk on their feet, which can provide a welcome active
transition between class activities.
Step 3: Finally, students can use text codes (see last month’s
column) for admit and exit slips, and for Line-Up Reviews.
Opportunities for synthesizing abound in a classroom, and teachers should
resist the temptation to “do the review” for the class, instead
ceding this responsibility to students whenever feasible.
Posted June 11, 2003