Post #5 - Sallie
Beam's article seemed to highlight issues with close and critical reading that felt pretty well-trodden, especially to those who have already been teaching. The distinction between surface, rote learning (quizzes, multiple choice, etc) and deep "powerful" reading (the kind one may need in writing a paper) makes the clear case for the latter, and I think is unsurprising given recent pedagogical theory. The course design for Rhetoric seems developed to "reward deep reading," at least in theory. However, in reality it quickly erodes as students begin to find the limits of their time-on-task requirements. It is difficult to combat the inherent structure of grade-based learning with an approach that centers around unresolved questions, nuanced argument, and time-intensive analysis.
I find that reading comprehension can be almost immediately assessed based on the quality of a thesis. Thesis writing is something that I find almost universally to be at issue in Rhetoric classrooms (and from what I can see, in the Writing Center as well). I have been testing the idea that spending extra time and emphasis on thesis development, something that is concrete and recognizable to students but also requires deep thought, will lead to greater reading comprehension overall. They can see the immediate gain of a "good thesis," which will dictate the outcome of their paper (and grade), and know that creating this kind of thesis will implicitly require something beyond surface reading and cannot be achieved by way of shortcuts.
I find that reading comprehension can be almost immediately assessed based on the quality of a thesis. Thesis writing is something that I find almost universally to be at issue in Rhetoric classrooms (and from what I can see, in the Writing Center as well). I have been testing the idea that spending extra time and emphasis on thesis development, something that is concrete and recognizable to students but also requires deep thought, will lead to greater reading comprehension overall. They can see the immediate gain of a "good thesis," which will dictate the outcome of their paper (and grade), and know that creating this kind of thesis will implicitly require something beyond surface reading and cannot be achieved by way of shortcuts.
Sallie, I appreciate the connection you've made between a student's inability to engage deeply with a text and thesis development. Like you, most of my Rhetoric students struggle with writing a thesis, often ignoring them completely, or producing a statement that is too vague. Because of this I have also been spending more time in my class hammering out what makes a "good thesis." This is a very intriguing theory. I will now be on the look out for a correlation between students who understand the mechanics of thesis development and deep reading skills.
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