When and where did I find the word: Mental Disposition came up in weeks 3 reading in our course text. (Billmeyer and Barton 1998). Chapter 1 On page 10.
Billmeyer, R. & Barton, M.L. (1998). Teaching reading in the content areas: If not me, then who? (2nd ed.). Aurora , CO
What it means: According to Billmeyer and Barton (1998) Mental Disposition is an affective response toward reading. (eg. How motivated he is to do what is required. How confident he feels about his ability to succeed at reading. How interested he is in actively pursuing meaning while reading. How he feels about what he is reading. and How much new learning he wants to integrate into his current schema.)
Level of Familiarity: The word is very new to me. I have never heard it before this reading. I encountered it while reading. I was able to understand what the word meant using context cues.
Do I want to know this word well and tell why? Yes I feel this affects my students when reading content area text daily.
Do I think others should know this word well....if so who and why? Yes, I believe others should know this word because no matter what grade or subject you are teaching. Mental Disposition determines how well a student will grasp the information and relate it to their background knowledge.
