2. Sacrifice
DLSU ENG616M: Methods of Teaching Reading and Writing

3. Langer, 1981

4. Prep Procedure
• assesses students’ background knowledge
on a topic prior to starting a new text/
topic
• helps teacher assess students' prior
knowledge/ schema

5. • generates interest in a topic
• fosters group discussion and an
awareness of the material to be covered
Prep Procedure

6. Phases of PReP
Procedure
• Phase 1: The initial Associations with the
Concept
• Phase 2: Reflections on Initial
Associations
• Phase 3: Reformulation of Knowledge

7. Phase 1: The initial Associations
with the Concept
• brainstorm what students know
about the topic or the stimulus

8. Phase 2: Reflections on Initial
Associations
• reflect on initial associations
• "What made you think this way?"
• "Why did this response come to mind?"

9. Phase 3: Reformulation of Knowledge
• verbalize associations that have been
elaborated or changed
• reformulate prior knowledge in the
light of the new information

10. Steps in using PReP Procedure
1. Select a Stimulus
2. Initial Association
3. Reflection
4. Reformation of Knowledge
5. Evaluation of Response

11. 5. Evaluation of Response
• determines whether or not further concept
building is needed prior to reading or teaching
a text/ unit/chapter

12. 5. Evaluation of Response
Much Knowledge
-responses reflecting super-ordinate concepts
about the topic or related
topic, definitions, analogies
(type of geographical region:: desert)

13. 5. Evaluation of Response
Some Knowledge
-responses concerning examples and
characteristics
***comprehension may be adequate but should
be supported with activities that strengthen
the association of prior and new knowledge

14. 5. Evaluation of Response
Little Knowledge
-responses are based on 'word associations'
rather than "concept associations"
-responses are unrelated experiences
***instructional activities are required to enrich
students' knowledge

15. Why is it essential to
assess students' prior
knowledge/ schema?

16. • Prior knowledge affects how one
understands what he reads, and may
be what is most important in
understanding what he reads.

17. • Dialogue between the prior knowledge
and new information greatly increases
the students' ability to comprehend a
text and to retain new information.

18. • Reading process involves identification of
genre, formal structure and topic:
activate schemata and allows the reader
to comprehend the text (Swales, 1990).

19. • Text on a familiar topic is better recalled
than a similar text on an unfamiliar topic.
(Johnson, 1983)

20. What may happen if students
lack schema about the text?

21. • Where relevant schemata are not
activated, some disruption in
comprehension may occur.
(Stott, 2001)

22. • If the topic is outside
the students' base
knowledge or
experience, they are
adrift to an unknown
sea. (Aebersold, and
Field, 1997)

23. • Some students may
overcompensate by reading in a
slow, text-bound manner or by
wild guessing.
(Carell, 1988a: 101)

24. • One of the most obvious reasons why a
particular content schema may fail to exist
for a reader is that the schema is culturally
specific and is not part of a particular
reader's cultural background. (Carell and
Eisterhold, 1983:1980)

25. • Does this mean that if students lack
the schema about the topic of the
text, one should not use the text
anymore?

26. No. Not really…
• Schema Deficiencies could be useful
to provide texts which are developed
from reader's own experiences.

27. No. Not really…
• Help students build their background
knowledge on the topic prior to
reading, through appropriate pre-reading
activities. (Carell, 1988)

28. No. Not really…
• "Prereading activities must accomplish both
goals: building new background knowledge as
well as activating existing background
knowledge" (Carrell 1988b:248)

29. Prep Procedure

30. Finally,
• These theories not only affect the way
information is interpreted, thus affecting
comprehension, but also continue to
change as new information is received.
(Stott, 2001)

32. Let’s Review!
• What are the three phases of Prep Procedure?
• How does one choose the stimuli for Phase 1?
• What happens to the ideas of the students in
the third phase?

33. Let’s Review!
• How important is it to activate the students’
schema before reading the text?
• What can a teacher do when the students’
schema is not enough for the text?

34. Thank you!!!!

35. References:
• Langer, J. A. (1981). From theory to practice: A prereading plan.
Journal of Reading, 25, 152-156.
• Langer, J. A. (1984). Examining background knowledge and text
comprehension. Reading Research Quarterly, 19, 468-481.
• Mather, N., & Jaffe, L. (2002). Woodcock-Johnson III:
Reports, Recommendations, and Strategies. New York: John Wiley
& Sons.
• Porter, Karla, M.Ed., Pre-reading strategies, funded by the State
Board of Education from Federal Funds, Weber State University.
• Stott, N. (2001). Helping ESL Students Become Better Readers:
Schema Theory Applications and Limitations. The Internet TESL
Journal. Retrieved from http://iteslj.org/Articles/Stott-Schema.html
• Temple, C. & Gillet, J. (1996). Language and literacy: A lively
approach. New York: Harper Collins College Publishers.