I have been involved in researching the topic of inference with Dr. Bintz, Petra, Julie, and Liz for the past year. Our studies have enlightened me to the various definitions of inference and perspectives on this reading topic. Through our interviews with forty-two K-8 reading teachers, we have concluded that several teachers feel that "inference is life" and therefore, spend a considerable amount of time implementing the concept into their daily literacy and content area classes. However, we have also interviewed teachers who were uncomfortable with the topic, or chose not to teach inferential thinking due to limited time and concentration on standardized testing.
Petra's inquiry paper and presentation for our class, takes our research one step further, to an area that has been unexplored so far in our research group. Her research on inference and implications for writing is an area that warrants further discussion and research. Perhaps, this will even become Petra's dissertation topic!
One of the components that I found the most interesting in Petra's presentation was her linkage of inference and reader response theory. As you know, this theory was my assigned topic for the Wiki and continues to be of great interest to me. I do believe that when a student infers from a text, he/she is making a connection and creating a personal response based on the written word. It is truly an interaction between the reader and the text. As Rosenblatt (1978) stated, reader response does not prescribe to an "anything goes attitude". Although there is not a traditional right or wrong answer, the responses and inferences generated are based on the material being read and the background knowledge or "suitcase" that is carried by the reader. "Reader response theorists share two beliefs: (1) that the role of the reader cannot be omitted from our understanding of literature and (2) that readers do not passively consume the meaning presented to them by an objective literary text; rather they actively make the meaning they find in literature" (Tyson, 2006, p. 170).
I had the opportunity to interview Lois, a reading teacher and media specialist, for the inference project and gained further perspective into her literacy work with first grade students. Lois takes the time to allow her students to make predictions, use picture cues to support inferences, and discusses books in detail. Through the dedication of teachers and staff members, students are given the opportunity to identify their voice and make connections with a text.
As I continue to research my topic for the inquiry paper, I am becoming more and more convinced by the need for preservice teachers to bridge theory and pedagogy in order to become effective reading and writing teachers. Only by strong role models will students begin to move beyond literal, contrived responses and structured writing assignments to explore their world with greater depth and inquiry.
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I am glad to hear that you saw these connections as well. To me, the work of reading response theorists is replete with connections to inferential thinking. The interesting thing was that I found much of it also connected to writing instruction - it simple depended on the lens through which you looked.
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