When and Where did I find the word: As I was reading chapter 19 of the Handbook of Reading Research (vol.3) , I came across this great buzzword in education that I think all teachers regardless of content area should have a grasp of. Full citation Alexander, P.A. & Jetton, T.L. (2000). Learning from text: A multidimensional and developmental perspective. In M.L.Kamil, P.B. Mosenthal, P. D. Pearson, & R.Barr, (Eds.) Handbook of Reading Research (vol.3, pp. 285-310). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates
What it Means: This word refers to "a specialized instance of procedural knowledge (essentially the 'how to' knowledge). Strategies can take the form of algorithms, step-by-step procedures that result in the expected solution to a given problem. Or, they can take the form of heuristics, broad guidelines that contribute to but cannot guarantee better performance"(as cited in Alexander & Jetton, 2000, p.295). The authors imply that readers must intentionally want to employ strategies and that they are essential tools in learning (as cited in Alexander & Jetton, 2000, p. 295).
Level of Familiarity: I am familiar with this concept, but I think it is always good to be reminded of the difference between skills and strategies and where skills end and strategies begin.
Do I want to Know this word well and why? Yes, of course! I do want to know this word well because I think it will allow me to give my students essential tools in learning. I firmly believe that when our students are employing strategies efficiently and effectively, they are promoting deeper and better understanding.
Do I think Others Should Know this Word Well...if so Who and Why? I certainly think my classmates as well as all teachers should have a deep understanding of what strategies are and how to distinguish them from skills... as well as how to best teach them.
Meghan, I agree: Alexander and Jetton's (2000) definition of "strategies" and "skills" is quite useful for ALL teachers -- and especially for teachers of literacy -- to understand in a principled way.
ReplyDeleteI also love that you have already demonstrated that you are looking for interesting/important/memorable words in MANY aspects of your life. This is wonderful and demonstrates that you already have the disposition of a natural word learner. :-)
I just have a few suggestions/comments regarding presentation and formatting. First, I LOVE the new fall foliage background. I definitely recommend you keep it! However, the color scheme makes it almost impossible to read the words/entries in your Blog Archive. Could you change this font color?
Also, be sure when referencing the chapters in the Handbook that you cite the work accurately according to APA formatting. You need to cite the authors (in this instance, Alexander and Jetton) and then in the full citation include the authors, the title of the article AND the names of the editors and the title of the book.