Chapter 6: The Importance of Context

The reading for this week recalled two methods for processing text that we often talk about in the context of second language learning: bottom-up or top-down processing. 

When using bottom-up processing, students will attend to each word, constructing meaning through sentence structure and often stopping to check in a dictionary if they reach an unknown concept. Students, in theory, piece comprehension together sentence by sentence, building meaning from the bottom-up.

Many teachers use a bottom-up approach when instructing readers in a second language, making sure students know vocabulary and grammatical structures to ensure comprehension. They assume that students must know each word in order to understand, so students are given texts that match their reading level. However, as Nancy L. Commins (2002) states in "Meaning is Everything" that “For a second language learner, the levels are not reliable indicators of their ability to read and comprehend text - knowing the context makes all the difference” (p. 207).

Successful readers, on the other hand, use a top-down approach. With this method, students begin by activating prior knowledge about the content and text structure. By knowing the context, students can often "fill in" unknown vocabulary and confusing sentence. For instance, when reading a set of instructions on how to construct furniture, students will know that vocabulary will relate to furniture or building materials, and they can anticipate that verbs will be in the form of commands. In our everyday lives, we rarely encounter writing whose context is absolutely unclear and if it is, we would fail to make sense of it - despite the fact it is in our native language! Context can provide the clues to unknown vocabulary or even grammar patterns that can bring about comprehension. Knowing the context also allows the student to make connections to other subjects or areas of his/her life.

The strategies in this chapter will help students to develop a context for reading before they encounter a text. A particular favorite of mine to use with English Language Learners is creating story impressions (p. 173). Before assigning a reading, teachers can present a picture taken from the book or one that shows the setting. Students can then start to develop vocabulary words that relate to what they see. Using these vocabulary words and what they know about the context, students can write their predictions about the story. Now, as they read, students have a purpose to check their predictions against what actually happens.