Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines brainstorming as “a group problem-solving technique that involves the spontaneous contribution of ideas from all members of the group”. Put simply, brainstorming is thinking quickly and creatively about a problem to come up with new ways of looking at things or new ideas about going forward.
By combining brainstorming with reading, students can learn to connect ideas they never would have thought about connecting before, engaging effortlessly in abstract thinking – a type of thinking that we define as being a higher-order way of looking at texts and the world, as opposed to more direct, lower-order thinking that is simpler and more literal.
Brainstorming can help with reading comprehension in several ways. There are no wrong answers in brainstorming, and all participants should be encouraged to contribute without a fear of criticism. Open-ended questions elicit responses from everybody, giving all present a well-rounded and open insight into often very different ways of looking at a text. Some teachers like to keep brainstorming sessions so open that they don’t even ask direct questions, instead allowing students to lead.
Other teachers may choose to use mind mapping or semantic mapping to organise ideas expressed on the board. This multisensory approach can help reluctant or less engaged readers to make new connections and better understand what they have read.
Brainstorming during class reading sessions of any type is a great tool to improve reading comprehension. As with other forms of class discussion, it can be helpful because it involves students at lower levels of comprehension interacting with and benefiting from the insights of students reading at higher levels. This is a particular benefit of a reading program like CARS & STARS Online, where students in the same classroom will be reading at different comprehension levels but engaging in textual analysis using the same twelve core reading strategies, meaning discussions benefit everybody because they’re talking about texts using the same explicit framework of understanding.
If you are interested in learning more about the CARS & STARS Online subscriptions and how they can help children to achieve better results, then sign up for a free trial to be an integral part of your child’s reading success.
