I often liken the process of reading to that of driving a car. We hop in our vehicles each day with very little thought to the sophisticated and complex set of skills and strategies we use to get ourselves from Point A to Point B.
Just as drivers stay active and aware, readers must do the same to as they navigate their way to meaning. This keen awareness that their reading is "staying the course" is called comprehension monitoring.
Comprehension monitoring involves the control and management of reading and thinking. Metacognitive readers, those that are aware of and think about their thinking, are clear about what they do understand, what they don’t understand, and what they are prepared and equipped to do when comprehension breaks down.
Using the driving analogy can help readers see themselves in the "drivers seat" with text. We teach students to monitor their comprehension by helping them understand the comprehension strategies that allow them to arrive at meaning and be equipped to handle themselves when meaning breaks down.
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