Leitura: Como Construímos Significados E Usamos Estratégias

Hey guys! Let's dive deep into the fascinating world of reading today. Ever wondered what actually happens in your brain when you're trying to understand a text? It's not just about passively absorbing words, you know. According to Goodman, a big shot in reading research back in 1990, reading is an active process where we, as readers, are constantly trying to build meaning from the words on the page. Think of it like being a detective, piecing together clues to solve a mystery. This process is heavily influenced by what we call 'reading strategies,' and these strategies are built upon something called 'schemata.'

Understanding Schemata: Your Mental Toolkit

So, what exactly are these schemata? Imagine your brain has a massive library filled with different folders, each representing a topic, an experience, or a concept you've encountered. These folders are your schemata, guys. They are the pre-existing knowledge, beliefs, and experiences that you bring to the reading process. When you read a text, your brain automatically accesses relevant schemata to help you make sense of the new information. For instance, if you're reading a story about a birthday party, your 'birthday party' schema would kick in, bringing up images of cake, presents, friends, and maybe even that slightly awkward singing of 'Happy Birthday.' This mental toolkit allows you to connect what you're reading with what you already know, making comprehension much smoother and faster. Without effective schemata, encountering new information would be like trying to navigate a foreign city without a map – confusing and overwhelming!

The Role of Prior Knowledge

A reader's prior knowledge is absolutely crucial in this whole meaning-making business. The more you know about a topic, the easier it will be to understand a text related to it. This is because your existing schemata provide a framework for organizing and interpreting the new information. If you're an avid gardener and you pick up an article about soil composition, you'll likely grasp it much faster than someone who has never planted a seed. Why? Because you already have a rich set of schemata related to gardening – you know about different types of soil, fertilizers, and plant needs. Goodman's argument highlights that comprehension isn't just about decoding words; it's about activating and integrating your existing knowledge with the new text. This connection between the known and the unknown is the engine that drives meaningful reading.

Reading Strategies: The Reader's Active Choices

Now, let's talk about reading strategies. These are the conscious and deliberate actions readers take to improve their comprehension. Goodman identified several key strategies, and they can be broadly categorized. We're going to focus on the first category he discussed: strategies where the reader actively selects and uses specific approaches to engage with the text. This is where you, as the reader, are in the driver's seat, making choices about how you're going to tackle the material.

Predictive Strategies: Guessing What's Next

One of the most powerful strategies is prediction. Goodman argued that proficient readers are constantly making predictions about what will happen next in the text. This isn't just random guessing, mind you. It's informed guessing, based on the context, the vocabulary, and your own background knowledge. Think about it: when you're reading a mystery novel, you're not just reading the words; you're actively trying to figure out 'whodunit' before the author reveals it. You're using clues from earlier chapters, character behaviors, and plot developments to form hypotheses. Even when you're reading a textbook, you might predict what the next section will cover based on the heading or the introduction. This predictive strategy keeps your brain engaged and actively searching for confirmation or revision of your guesses. It turns reading from a passive activity into an exciting mental game.

Using Context Clues

Closely linked to prediction is the strategy of using context clues. When you encounter an unfamiliar word, instead of immediately reaching for a dictionary, you often use the surrounding words and sentences to infer its meaning. This is a fantastic strategy that skilled readers employ all the time. The context provides clues – hints that help you unlock the meaning of the unknown word. For example, if you read, "The chef prepared a sumptuous meal, filling the dining room with delicious aromas," you might not know what 'sumptuous' means, but the words 'meal' and 'delicious aromas' suggest it means something grand, luxurious, or very pleasing to the senses. This ability to decipher meaning from context is a cornerstone of fluent reading and is heavily reliant on your established schemata.

Inferential Strategies: Reading Between the Lines

Beyond prediction, there are inferential strategies. This is where you're not just figuring out what's on the page, but what the author implies but doesn't explicitly state. Inferring means reading between the lines, drawing conclusions based on the evidence presented in the text combined with your own background knowledge. For example, if a story describes a character always wearing a heavy coat, even on warm days, and looking nervously over their shoulder, you might infer that they are hiding something or are in danger. The text doesn't say they are scared, but the details imply it. This skill is crucial for understanding complex themes, character motivations, and the author's underlying message. It requires a higher level of cognitive processing and a strong connection between your schemata and the textual information.

Making Connections

Making connections is a powerful inferential strategy. Readers often connect what they are reading to:

• Text-to-Self (T-S): Relating the content of the text to your own personal experiences, memories, and feelings. If a book talks about the first day of school, you might recall your own nervous excitement and connect it to the character's feelings.
• Text-to-Text (T-T): Connecting the current text to other books, articles, movies, or even songs you've encountered. You might notice a similar theme or character arc to something you read last week.
• Text-to-World (T-W): Linking the information in the text to broader societal issues, historical events, or current affairs. Reading about climate change in a novel might connect to news reports you've seen about extreme weather.

These connections deepen your understanding and make the reading experience more meaningful and memorable. They show that you're not just processing isolated pieces of information but integrating them into your broader understanding of the world.

Strategies of Selection: Choosing Your Approach

Goodman's emphasis on strategies where the reader elects certain approaches is key. This means you're not just passively following a prescribed method; you're actively choosing how to engage.

Skimming and Scanning

Sometimes, you don't need to read every single word. Skimming involves quickly reading through a text to get the general idea or main points. You might skim a newspaper article to see if it's relevant to your interests or skim a chapter to get an overview before diving into the details. Scanning, on the other hand, is about looking for specific information. Need to find a date, a name, or a particular fact? You scan the text, letting your eyes move rapidly over the words until you spot what you're looking for. These are incredibly useful strategies for navigating the vast amount of information we encounter daily.

Rereading and Reviewing

For more complex or important texts, rereading is an indispensable strategy. Often, the first read is just to get a general sense. Subsequent readings allow you to pick up on nuances, understand more complex arguments, and solidify your comprehension. Reviewing, especially after reading, helps consolidate what you've learned. This could involve summarizing the main points in your own words, creating study notes, or discussing the text with others. These metacognitive strategies – thinking about your own thinking and learning – are vital for deep comprehension and long-term retention.

The Interplay of Schemata and Strategies

It's crucial to understand that schemata and reading strategies don't operate in isolation. They work together in a dynamic interplay to facilitate meaning construction. Your schemata provide the foundation, the background knowledge that makes strategies effective. And your strategies are the tools you use to access, activate, and build upon those schemata as you interact with the text. If you encounter a text that doesn't easily connect with your existing schemata, you'll need to employ more sophisticated strategies – perhaps actively seeking out new information or making broader connections – to bridge the gap. Conversely, strong schemata can make reading easier, allowing you to employ simpler, more efficient strategies.

Goodman's work really drives home the point that reading is a skill, and like any skill, it can be developed and improved. By understanding the role of schemata and consciously employing effective reading strategies, you can become a more confident, capable, and engaged reader. So, next time you pick up a book, a magazine, or even just an article online, remember that you're not just reading words – you're actively constructing meaning, and you've got a whole arsenal of strategies at your disposal! Keep practicing, keep exploring, and happy reading, guys!