Fostering skills that support deep reading and thinking in adolescents

Abstract

The world is changing, and with increasing reliance on technology, many young readers are losing the ability to focus on reading and are not thinking deeply about what they are reading. Just as they skim and hop through digital media, moving from one page to the next, they are rushing through print media and not fully connecting to what they are reading. Teachers need strategies to support their students and help them to engage with books; think critically about what they read, see and hear around them; and apply those literacy skills elsewhere. It is possible to learn or re-learn reading skills and engage more deeply as a critical thinker. It is necessary that reading instruction continue through all levels of education, to help guide students through increasingly complex texts and ideas. The purpose of this thesis is to outline the importance of developing skills in deep reading and deep thinking in adolescents, and present a handbook that includes lessons for teachers on reading and thinking skills, explicit information and lessons that will help them support literacy in their classrooms. The handbook synthesizes my research and includes resources that have been most useful to me and my colleagues.