The term comprehension skills refers to an array of capabilities as it pertains to a particular subject area. The key aspect of comprehension skills involves the ability to grasp, or understand, the study material. Additionally, the ability to communicate the nature of the study material back to others such as an instructor plays a role in comprehension skills. The act of communicating the material contains within it a form of review of the material. Additionally, communicating lesson materials also allows an instructor or parent to make determinations of how effectively a student does comprehend the material and to structure upcoming lessons according to any inadequacies in the student’s comprehension.
As school children progress in their learning, they also need to apply comprehension skills to such activities as mathematical problems and hands-on scientific experiments. In terms of progression of an individual’s learning activities, later lesson material may rely on comprehension of earlier lessons. Inadequate comprehension skills, therefore, hinder a student’s progression in learning more advanced principles in any particular subject area.
All children need to comprehend the fundamentals of all standardized school subjects. In particular, however, the degree to which comprehension skills have greater or lesser importance will depend on a combination of to what degree other essential subjects rely on comprehension skills in an earlier subject and the application to professional field of endeavor in later life. For example, everyone will need to know simple math to balance a checkbook. However, someone in a profession such as professional photographer or professional actor will not need to comprehend mathematical principles at the same level as someone with the profession of engineer, physicist or even physician.
Comprehension skills also have importance in terms of the educator. Specifically, comprehension skills factor into determining best teaching methodologies for individual learners. Educators recognize that different individuals acquire knowledge through a variety of different preferred learning styles. Some individuals learn best through visual means, such as reading or seeing a filmed presentation. Other students learn better when they hear material described out loud such as in a lecture or listening to an audio book. Other learners learn best when they can engage physically with the lesson material, such as by modeling or drawing activities. By supporting the learner’s acquisition of knowledge through use of the preferred learning style to as great a degree as possible, the educator increases the probability of helping the learner to achieve enhanced comprehension skills. To make individual assessments, the educator needs to understand how to assess each learner’s existing level of comprehension skills within the context of the learner’s preferred learning style.