As someone who both loves to read and write and someone who
thrives to be an educator, my love for literacy is clear. Through all of high
school and still to this day reading and writing has been a way for me to
escape reality and to express myself. Reading and writing is a great way to
share information and ideas with others whether it is articles, books, poetry,
e-mails or whatever literacy is one of the biggest tools in not only
communication, but sharing information as well.
As someone who finds great joy in
words the following statistic from the Moje article was very surprising to me
that less than 50% of students read or write for pleasure more than 2 times a
month. This statistic based on the other general information of the other
articles prompted me to think; as a future educator how do you generate an
interest in students to want to read and write? “The 2000 census revealed a
population of just over 40 million adolescents ages 10-19” (Intrator & Kunzman, 30) with such a large
population of adolescents and the important role in adolescent life as an
educator the pressure to increase this interest is huge.
The first thing that I believe needs
to be done to not only promote interest in reading inside and outside of the
classroom is to include student comments and interests in what ever subject
matter you are teaching “Young people are seldom consulted about their
schooling. Typically they are seen as merely its passive beneficiaries” (Intrator
& Kunzman, 34). Students themselves are one of the biggest tools I believe
educators should use to combat this problem of lack of interest in reading and
writing. Students know their own interests and ideas and I believe as an
educator it is somewhat our responsibility to help connect areas of interest to
two things: what you are teaching and other pieces of writing. By doing this I
believe a holistic approach to generating interest is made.
Besides including students opinions
into the matter, I’m generally at a loss of how else to promote interest. The
idiom “you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink” keeps
playing in my head. As someone who sees the importance of reading a writing in
life; how do you truly make sure what you are doing is in fact making a
difference in the lives of your students.
Hello Corey!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog post. I enjoyed your picture very much; the pop culture reference is what caught my eye when scrolling on the page! I think you made great valid points. I can relate to you in the sense that I read for enjoyment a large amount of my time. I truly agree that we need to promote an interest in reading and writing outside of the classroom. The one thing I have noticed is that I only read during my summer break or breaks throughout the school year because I do not have homework and I have the time to do so. I agree with you stating that you can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink it. I have an experience that may help you in terms of helping build students interest in reading. One of my high school math teachers was an avid reader, and on occasion when she did not assign us math problems for homework, she told us our homework for the day was to pick up a book that interests us and read. She wanted us to use the time we usually spent on homework for that class to read instead. I am sure there are many more ways to promote reading outside of the classroom, but this is just one. If more students had the time to read, maybe they would do so. As teachers, we need to show how important reading and writing is not just in school, but in their everyday lives.
Hey Liz,
DeleteI like the concept of what your math teacher from high school would do. I think it's kinda nice to hear how a teacher outside of english tried to get people to read. I'm skeptical however to see if it would actually work. To me I feel like assigning recreational reading to students would equate to the idea of them thinking no homework.
Hello Corey,
ReplyDeleteSometimes I admire those who are good at reading and writing because they are doing what I am weak at. Through my high school in China, the teacher always assigned two or three books, which are called “Chinese and foreign literacy masterpieces”, to read at each semester, and then the teacher would have a quiz or test about the content of the books to exam whether students finished the readings. The reason why we had to read them, even though many of we students had no interest in those books, was that Chinese College Entrance Exams included some questions related to those masterpieces. Obviously, the force to read cannot promote adolescent literacy. Moje’s article referred that one of the factors that “should be considered when thinking about adolescent literacy” is “the role of secondary school contexts, with their changing classes and teachers, disciplinary divisions, and increasing controls” (2008). I totally agree with Moje’s opinion and your point of view that teachers should consider students’ comment and their interests. I believe that students’ interests in reading and writing will increase if teachers take the responsibility to make students find their interest in reading inside and outside of the school.
In “the Complex World of Adolescent Literacy” Moje, et al. share a great deal of information surrounding what, why and how youth read so that educators can adopt policies and practices that address the range of interests, needs and skills youths have. I was surprised to read that when asked what their favorite books were, 68% of the students they studied revealed that they were novels they had read and studied for school (Moje, et al., 127). I can absolutely relate to such a figure because some of the books I hold nearest and dearest are novels that we read in school, that not only were fascinating and interesting, but also introduced me to ideas and contexts that I probably would not have discovered on my own. One of my all-time favorite authors is Toni Morrison, who’s books center on the African American experience where we covered incredibly diverse themes and techniques. A recurring theme in our texts on literacy has been students’ inability to connect to the material that they are given. Especially in language arts and English, the list of books that are typically read in high school (i.e. The Great Gatsby, To Kill a Mockingbird, the Scarlet Letter, etc.) can lack diverse perspectives, therefore losing the students along the way or reinforcing the difficulty that minority students experience in connecting to the novels. If school is an adolescent student’s primary source for literature choices, then I think that this is a powerful influence schools have on students’ out of school reading practices.
ReplyDeleteMoje et al. also bring up an excellent point when they discuss the importance of not only focusing more closely at the texts being offered to young people in school but also the way in which texts are offered, which alludes to the way texts are assigned, discussed and used in classrooms, rather than simply writing off the students as unmotivated (127). During high school, I was often times discouraged from reading assigned novels because we were required to heavily annotate every page to “prove” that we were working with the text and actually reading the book. This kind of work can have lasting effects on an adolescent reader, making reading equivalent to daunting and busy work, instead of an enjoyable or informative experience.
Corey, going back to your closing ideas on how overwhelming it can be to motivate students to want to read, I think it’s important to not get discouraged or overwhelmed, but rather to focus on developing methods for the dissection of information that we as teachers expect the students to have. Along with this, we need to practice maintaining open and respectful lines of communication in the classroom for productive use of precious time so that teachers can be sure to adjust instruction as necessary to ensure that students are properly grasping the material.
While I see your points Margaret, I do believe that unpacking the process of annotating for students can actually be a liberating experience for them-not so much as an "I gotcha" game but I'm curious about learning about what you find interesting and/or confusing in the texts we read.
DeleteHello Corey,
ReplyDeleteI am with you, i very much enjoy reading and i was shocked as well as to how little of a percentage of students read for fun. I usually read during the summer when i have the most free time and it is usually books that have peaked an interest in me. I love that you used the leading a horse to water quote because that is exactly what i thought of as well. As teachers we can only do so much and hope that students do take to it. One thing i would suggest when it comes to how to show interest in a class is to remember to focus or reteach a story in a modern twist. There have been debates about replacing old literature, like shakespear, with newer stories. I feel like combing the classics with newer stories is a better route. Maybe have students read modern twists of old stories. For a quick example there are several interpretations of the classic story cinderella, all different from the next but they share the same themes and messages. By providing different interpretations of stories to go along with older stories students might gain a better interest and understanding of the old literature.
Corey,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your post and coming from a person who is consistently reading I think it's important to see what appeals to the adolescents. Every student is different and for one I can tell you that even though reading is very important to me, I find some text "boring" in the sense that it doesn't catch my attention or loses my attention when I'm already reading. I found the statistics surprising too, and like Alvermann mentions we have to find ways to appeal to the students either from using medias or having students voice their opinions. For example, my little sister last year read two different books, To Kill a Mockingbird and The Diary of a Part-Time Indian. I really saw her interested in those books and it surprised me a lot to see a book in her hand. So in part, her teacher chose books that were interesting to her students. In my sister's classroom, they were able to perform a short play which she really loved and have a discussion about the readings. Her English teacher was able to appeal to her students and get them to read books that were interesting to them. Alvermann mentions that “through hypermedia projects, peer-led discussions and journal writing, adolescents find ways to make textbook reading and studying less dry” or boring” (Alvermann, 195). So if we can find ways to incorporate this while students are reading for classes then it may help with the appeal to students. Teachers and students have to communicate in order to find fully see what the students’ needs are.
Hi Corey,
ReplyDeleteYou bring up some excellent points. Although I would like to tell you that I read a lot unfortunately I do not. It is not that I have no desire to read but instead that there seems to be no time. For even high school students, their excuse of lack of times is the same. It seems as though society expects so much more from students. I remember that as a high school student I was so focused on getting a perfect resume for college that I rarely had time to really engage in other activities such as reading. I really think that the best way to really promote reading would be to implement it in the classroom and in schooling in general. I remember the only time I wrote, aside from school essays, was for my extra curriculars such as the school newspaper. I have always been one to really want to journal but I seem to always get side tracked. By assigning students to read a book over winter break or spring break and providing different clubs that nurture creativity, we can help adolescents view reading and writing in a different way hopefully making strides to help them develop a greater interest.
Corey,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post. Initially, It was also very shocking to me to hear that youth read as little as they do however after thinking about it, I probably do not read as much as I should. I think that one of the biggest challenges being a teacher is getting our students to want to read. As a future science teacher this is a challenge that I know I will have. One thing I think teachers can do is not only promote reading in the English discipline but in other disciples. For instance, in science I think it is important for teachers to promote science texts. Every Tuesday the New York Time publishes a section in the paper called the "Science Times." Usually this section pertains to a topic being currently talked about in the news or a new discovery. I think this is a specific way to interest students in science while getting them to read. It introduces them to scientific topics that may pertain to their current lives as well as introduces them to a media like a newspaper that they may not normally read.
In addition, as a few posters have already mentioned, I think it is important to consult the students on what their interests are to find pertinent, interesting reading material. Polling students at the beginning of the year on what specific topics within a discipline interest them can help a teacher find reading material on topics that students actually want to read.
I do think we have to be careful about how much reading we assign outside of school however. I think a good approach is to introduce reading in school and hope that it will promote reading outside school.
I was also disheartened to hear that less than 50% of students read or write for pleasure more than 2 times a month. Even during the school year, I try to be reading one book recreationally. Anyway, I think that the lack of readng and writing for pleasure is a result of the fact that most students perceive reading and writing to be chores that benefit them minimally. To combat this perception, there are some generally agreed-upon strategies that we, as educators, can use. For one, striving to draw connections from content to the lives of students is important, as this helps them to attach some value to what they are studying. However, at least in regard to the humanities, I also believe that more world literature ought to be studied. More often than not, students aren't interested in reading because it's hard for them to draw a parallel from the works being studied to their own lives, and I believe that this is due to the lack of diversity within the collection of literary works most students are exposed to. As such, making our standard approach to literature, for example, more global than purely Western might also do us well in the way of minimizing the disinclination of students to reading, be it recreational or in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteCorey,
ReplyDeleteI was very interested while reading your post and the comments, because most of the posts start with the fact that you are all interested in reading and writing. And I agree that it is very difficult to make students interested in what they are learning but as a student who was never interested in reading and who got through all of high school without reading a single book, I feel like I see their point of view. Reading was never something I liked but it wasn't until I started at UIC that I would read for my classes and like discussing it and writing about it. I believe that part of that reason was because professors assigned certain readings but allowed us to pick any main topic to write about and expand about. It gave us a chance to pick something we find interesting about the readings and do more research about it which essentially allows us to take control of our own learning. The power of autonomy when it comes to your own learning, I found, is very important to develop interest.
Christopher's comment:
ReplyDeleteGreat use of the pop culture icon of Darth Vader! Like you, I am a voracious reader, and even dabble in several creative writing projects when I have the time for it. Growing up, reading had always proven as an escape for me, and it still is to this day from the daily pressures of life. But many of today’s adolescents, with all of the common distractions and problems faced today, do not see it as a pleasurable escape. Unfortunately, looking at the statistics of today’s adults, not many adults actively engage in reading, especially pleasurable reading. Even my own friends, who are in their thirties and forties and are college graduates, do not read, being busy with family life, career, and other responsibilities.
As I stated in response to Kevin Ryan’s blog, we as educators face many challenges to get more students to read and write. Lack of choice and not giving students a range of creativity and free latitude in reading and writing choices is certainly a factor that contributes to student disinterest. Also, constant pressure to perform well on standardized tests like the S.A.T. hurts our cause. Your quote, “Young people are seldom consulted about their schooling. Typically they are seen as merely its passive beneficiaries” (Intrator & Kunzman, 34) resounded with me. Why are our students not given an opportunity to have a voice in their schooling? This seems illogical since they (within reasonable limits) can offer suggestions about what may appeal to them and learn to incorporate their concerns and ideas into our lessons. Too many educators take the paternalistic and patronizing stance that we as adults know what is good for them and thus waste a valuable resource not listening more to our students.
I have some suggestions on how I try to encourage my world history students to become more engaging readers:
1) Find readings that appeal to them and written in a language and tone that would keep them interested. I have found several excellent resources written by high school teachers containing stories that I use in my lessons that my students like.
2) I discuss books that may have nothing to do world history that students may wish to check out and read for pleasure.
3) I ask students that I see reading for pleasure the books they are reading and engage the classroom’s attention on what they are reading and if students have read this book or something similar.
4) Focus on reading topics for lessons that may appeal to student interest, even if students disagree with the topic or find it too “alien.” Surprisingly, it engages them and leads to great discussions.
5) I pass around graphic novels and books that cover topics on what we are learning (like the graphic novel of Gilgamesh when we study Mesopotamia).
6) I vary the type of readings, such as using selections of poetry (like excerpts of Gilgamesh) or select passages of Machiavelli’s The Prince), letters, or reading songs in class (like Bob Dylan’s “Along the Watchtower”). Varying the type of reading format helps and gives students someone different to examine and discuss from time to time.
7) I try to sound like a salesman when I assign a reading to entice students to become interested. This worked particularly well when my senior class Development of Western Thought read Medea. I discussed love, and if anyone ever got jilted by someone for another person, and try to drum it up like a soap opera gone terribly wrong with horrible consequences. Most (but not all) read the play with enthusiasm and their discussions were quite lively.
8) Finding film or multimedia clips or songs reflecting the readings gives students another perspective and may “awaken” student interest.
To those who responded to this thread, I'm interested in what you think counts as valid content for recreational reading...many of us are taken that recreational reading = novels. What other forms of recreational reading are valid? For example, what if a student is an avid reader of internet celebrity gossip? The sports page? Fan fiction? Etc....
ReplyDeleteI think you have a great point to me anything with words is recreational reading, social media, blogs, sports articles basically anything that is a formulation of words.
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