Reading Matters Winter 2019

using Socratic seminar,“…the teacher helps the students to develop tools to question the text and think critically about the issues”(Coke, 2008, p. 30). Students in PST 14’s class spent 43% of the time in higher order thinking. The other conversations where students spent a good amount of time in higher order thinking are: PST 16 with 48 %, PST 17 with 31%, PST 18 with 42%, and PST 19 with 40% of student conversation using higher order thinking. Only PST 15’s students spent a low amount of time in higher order thinking during their conversation with only 18% of the discussion using higher order thinking. The amount of teacher discussion spent in higher- order questioning or thinking did not influence students’ percentage of student conversation in higher-order thinking. No matter the thinking level of teacher questions, students responded to each other with higher-order thinking. Question Types The transcripts were evaluated for the types of questions that the preservice teacher asked about the literature they read. The questions were labeled as text-to-self, text-to-text, or text-to-world (Keene & Zimmerman, 1997). The researchers used Zygouris-Coe & Glass, (2004) definitions of relationships as the way to operationalize the terms in the study. They explain that text-to-self connections are highly personal connections made between the reader and the text. These connections relate to their own personal experiences in life. Text-to-text connections are relationships that students make to other items that they have read either in the class or out of school. Lastly, text-to-world connections are experiences the student brings to the reading that influences their perspective. This could be something they watched on television, saw on a class trip, or experienced in their own lives (Zygouris-Coe & Glass, 2004). TABLE 4 shows the types of questions preservice teachers asked to elicit discussion about the texts that students were reading in class. Questions were coded if they had any text relationships as defined by Zygouris-Coe & Glass (2004). Clarifying questions or questions that did not have a relationship to text were not recorded on this chart. As an example, some questions were asked to help students understand what the plot or events of the story were. These questions had no relationship to the world (TW), other texts (TT), or the students themselves (TS), they were questions that were asked so the preservice teacher could confirm that

So, y’all had that link to the Prezi. About the Code of Honor. Um, so where has the Anglo-Saxon value of honor gone into today’s society? Or has it not gone? And um, if y’all want a refresher, I took notes on it. Um, so the honor is a respect that people give you because of the decisions and actions that you make. If you’ve done bad things, then you’ll have no honor. In Beowulf, he became a leader of the people because of the respect and honor that he has. Honor is important so that you have a good reputation (PST 14). The questions focused on having students think about what they had seen on television, movies, books, etc. about heroes. “What did y’all to say to that our society still has a good idea of honor? Do you think that our, that people in our society, that they think about their actions before they do it?” (PST 14). There was one text-to-self and text-to-text question in the discussion. The focus of this PST was getting students to relate the key motivations for Beowulf’s actions. They focused on honor, understanding what honor was, and why, to some people, it is an important character trait. Examining honor in the students’ world gave them opportunities to relate it to the story they read. The transcript for PST 15 started with why studying English was important. The discussion moved to specific motivations about the characters in The Most Dangerous Game . The PST was interested if students understood the characters’motivations. “Do you agree or disagree with Rainsford’s statement about the hunted and the hunters? Why or why not? Remember when Rainsford andWhitney were on the boat and Rainsford said there’s only two types in the world: the hunters and the hunted” (PST 15). The conversation then moved to what students would do if they were in the main character’s shoes. What choices would they make? What would be their biggest fears? What are their predictions for what will happen next? In this transcript, a majority of the questions were text-to- self questions. Questions focused on what students thought they would do if they were thrown in the sea or were hunted like the main character. Would they swim to an island where gunshots were heard? “If you were in the situation that Rainsford was in, would you go towards the sounds? Honestly! How many people would be panicking?” (PST 15). The questions raised excitement and had students make connections to the story and the main character. Many of the questions this PST asked were to help them understand the type of desperation that the main character must have felt. That is an important concept for them to understand in order to complete the reading with full understanding of the text.

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students understood the story under discussion.

TABLE 4: Preservice teacher’s questions and their relationship to text. Type of Question PST 14 PST 15 PST 16 PST 17 PST 18 PST 19 TW 4 1 7 2 8 8 TS 1 12 1 0 2 0 TT 1 0 0 7 0 0

In the transcript for PST 16, the discussion centered on multiple British love poems. Students were asked to analyze what type of love was represented in each

In reviewing the transcripts, PST 14 had questions that revolved around heroism. The

students were reading Beowulf . Students were asked about heroes and courageousness. The preservice teacher asked students what they thought were the qualities of heroism and who were good exemplars of heroes. The PST also asked students to evaluate the role of heroism in today’s society and we define it. The majority of the questions were text-to-world questions.

poem and their thoughts about the type of love represented. “[B]ut what about, how about somebody talk about ‘My Dear and Loving Husband.’ Does she see it that way? Does the speaker of the poem, does she feel that way about her husband?” (PST 16). The discussion moved to the types of love people can experience in their lives. “Alright, what about: are there different types of love?” (PST 16). The majority of the questions were text to world. “So, do y’all think

Reading Matters | Volume 19 Winter 2019 | scira.org | 33

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