When and Where I Found It: I found the word transact while I was reading an assigned text this weekend from my other class [A Case Study of a High School English-Language Learner and His Reading by James Cohen (2007)].
Meaning: Cohen (2007) uses the common word transact as an educational term. When speaking about a particular student’s growth in reading, he states “Mario was able to transact with this text. He was able to make meaning, ask questions, and form opinions about the text” (p. 172). Cohen’s use of this word transact suggests that the word is similar to interact: the student was able to not only comprehend the text, but to apply that meaning beyond what the author directly explicated in the text.
Level of Familiarity: I know that the word transact indicates an exchange has occurred, similar to a bank transaction. Some sort of business has been completed. I had never heard the word used when describing a student’s level of comprehension with text.
Do I Want to Know This Word Well? Why? Yes, I want to know this word well. The word transact has many implications when describing a student’s ability to read a particular text. I want to hold that as my standard – have my goal for all students not just be simple comprehension, but the ability to transact with the text.
Do I Want Others to Know this Word Well? Who and Why? All teachers should know this word and what it entails. When teaching reading comprehension, we should all be aware that it is more than just questions and answers.
The term transact was found in:
Cohen, J. (2007). A case study of a high school English-language learner and his reading. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 51, (2), 164-176.
If you want to gain a deeper understanding of this term, you might want to read Rosenblatt's work. I also think you might have read an article or two in LTED 600 which detailed Rosenblatt's transactional model of reading.
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