Today we were in the computer lab, and the task at hand was for students to read and comment on the topic “What makes a movie sell?” Trying to model good blogging – at least insofar as linking goes – I had included a hyperlink in the text of the post that outlined their task. I noticed that many students repeated the same reading behaviour: they quickly scanned the text up to the hyperlink and immediately clicked the link without understanding why it was there, why they were clicking it, and what they were supposed to do when they got there.

This led to some frustration, but not necessarily to any lessons learned for the future. Therefore, I want to be more intentional about teaching online reading skills, but where to start? I found some tips for retaining what you read online that will do for now. The ones that seem most pertinent to me and my students include:

• Reflect: Pause periodically to let information sink in and reflect on it.
• Review: Take the time to go back and re-read parts that didn’t make sense, or to read parts that were missed.
• Read at a time when you can focus: The implications of this for the classroom are huge. How to create an environment where readers can focus?
• Be aware of visual cues: This needs to be fleshed out more for my students. That is, I think I need to take some time to talk about how a blog is typically set up vs. how a website is, and how that might change the requirements for effective reading.
• Map out what you are reading: Interesting, but is it realistic for students to adopt this as an everyday practice? Or would they simply benefit from using mapping occasionally in my classes so that it is a tool they can pull out when they need it?
• Outline the article: As above — would this be a good tool for me to introduce them to in the classroom?
• Use a bookmarks manager: I agree with this, but haven’t sorted out yet which bookmark managers are accessible through the school filtering service.

I think I’d add three more for my students:

• Think before you click: Particularly in a world of phishing and spam, I’d like students to be selective in their clicking habits.
• Think before you read: Ask why you’re reading an article. Why are you here? That should guide some of what and how you read.
• Drink less Red Bull before arriving in the computer lab

Doug’s thinking about reading skills and strategies has got me, well, thinking. As I approach this, am I trying to teach online reading strategies, skills, or both? What’s a good way to integrate this seamlessly into an already very full course?

And is anybody else already doing this with lots of advice to share?

Books are one of my lifelong passions. I enjoy the heft of them in my hand. I like turning pages and scanning the black-on-white text. I like flipping forwards and backwards quickly through a book, anticipating and revising my reading.

I love the experiences that I have with books. Sitting outside on a fall day, a worn copy of The Lord of the Rings propped on my knee. Reading Dracula aloud by flashlight on a night near the end of October. Tucking my daughter in at night and watching her eyes grow huge as we read about Winnie-the-Pooh’s attempt to capture a Woozle.

I am so sad when I encounter a young person who cannot read. I am sorry for the experiences that they have missed and will continue to miss. I can accept that some people will not have the same love of books that I do; I can’t accept that they haven’t had the chance to make a choice.

It has been one of the most surprising things about this career: regularly meeting high school students who cannot functionally read an article or a story. And then when I watch those same students march across the stage to get their diploma, despite their continued illiteracy, I am disappointed and frustrated. Somewhere we have decided that ’student success’ equals ‘getting a credit or diploma’, and we’ve glorified that version of success to the extent that we are willing to graduate someone who is illiterate.

Susan’s reflection on the qualities and practices of excellent reading teachers has inspired me to consider my own teaching practice in light of those. My goal: high school graduates who can decide for themselves whether or not Barney’s Version is a great Canadian novel.