Removing Barriers
Erin Lenox
A negative reading
attitude isn’t limited to students with poor reading skills. In fact, students
who are popular, motivated, academically successful, or exposed to books and
learned to read at an early age express disinterest by the time they reach middle
school. What else affects a student’s
willingness to read?
· Choice. Students are forced to
read materials selected for them.
·
Opportunity. Free reading time is rarely scheduled and limited
to classroom library selections.
·
Access. Though books might be available at home, they may not be
chosen by the students and do not cater to their interests.
Quantity Over Quality
There is a need to shift from
“quality literature” to materials the students are interested in. A librarian
Worth (1996) interviewed says, “…Now I’m just delighted that they’ll read” (p.
488). There is high demand for materials considered “light reading” like Goosebumps,
and other horror books, comic books, newspaper comics, and magazines,
paralleling adults’ interest in horrors, mysteries, and romances. Librarians in
Worth’s study had ordered 50 Goosebumps books based on their knowledge
of students’ preferences and at any given time, every single one was checked
out.
Fostering Voluntary Reading and
Positive Attitudes
Is a student really a reluctant
reader when what bars them is merely access to materials they enjoy? Let
your students read for enjoyment and let them do it regularly and daily.
Let students share but not report,
let them choose their reading materials, and let them see you reading alongside
them during free reading time, modeling it. Read out loud to them and encourage
them to interact during independent reading. As a teacher, collaborate with
librarians; learn what students are checking out, give your students chances to
pursue their interests, and make sure your students are getting access.
A Democratic Classroom
“How, in a classroom that is entirely in
the teacher’s control, from where they sit, to when they can or cannot respond,
to what and how fast and how much they should learn, can children ever practice
self-control or understand tactics for social intercourse?” (Bomer & Bomer, 2001, p. 99).
Developing a democratic community
where children participate, act responsibly for the sake and good of one
another, and listen to and welcome different perspectives takes a teacher
willing to utilize a few guiding principles:
· Intention. Students
learn their choices lead to the pursual of long-term projects they desire. This
translates to students being active agents in social and political realms.
· Dialogue. Students
treat texts as one side of a dialogue and respond to each other and what they see
and read. They learn to communicate with the world and anticipate the world’s
response. Students feel part of the conversation when something happens in
their country.
· Collaboration. Students
build on each other’s ideas, strategize together, remain aware, watchful, and
sensitive to classmates’ inclusion in conversation, and plan how to improve
future collaboration.
· Inquiry. Students
constantly ask questions, learn, reassess, and ask more questions.
A democratic environment is also
formed by its community (constructing new norms/guidelines/constitutions
for living together), physical space (letting students build and
organize an empty classroom at the beginning of the year), and curriculum (including
daily life’s issues of power and justice) (Bomer & Bomer, 2001, pgs.
103-108).
Questions:
1. What has
been your experience with book choices in the classroom? Were you assigned
books or given choices? How did those experiences affect how you might view or
teach reading in your future classroom?
2. Have you
been in a classroom where the teacher holds all the power? A classroom where
the power was given to the students? How did this hinder or promote your
learning?
Sources:
Bomer, R., & Bomer, K. (2001). For a Better
World: Reading and Writing for Social Action. Heinemann, 88 Post Road West, PO
Box 5007, Westport, CT 06881. (Chapter 6)
Worthy, J. (1996). Removing Barriers to
Voluntary Reading for Reluctant Readers: The Role of School and Classroom Libraries.
National Council of Teachers of English. (pg. 483-492).
In response to your first question, I can recall having a lot of choice in the classroom when it came to choosing books to read. I can specifically recall my 5th grade classroom in which we had 2 large bookshelves that were filled with a variety of books, multiple copies of each so that multiple students could read at a time. It wasn’t until middle school that my choice in books became limited, I was only able to choose what book I wanted to read from the library for my AR reading points. Personally, I believe that I found a love for reading from my ability to have choice with the books I was reading at a young age. I think that when my teachers gave me choice, I was able to explore and find the material that interests me most, and that helped me to want to read. I also think that the choices I was given in elementary school helped me to become more open to reading content that was not a choice. In middle school, I think I was more open to reading what books were assigned because I had previously been given choices which had helped me to learn to love reading. The experiences I had will shape how I teach reading in my future classroom. My aim will be to have a large classroom library with a variety of texts so that my students can have that same choice that I had when I was in school. It will be important for me to allow students to find value in the books that they want and not the books that I think they should find value in. I also think that the hardest part about this will be funding for a large classroom library. While the school library could be a great resource, our reading of Worthy showcased how sometimes libraries can have a limited supply on the texts that students want to read (1996, p.448). In my 5th grade classroom, there was a variety of books with almost enough copies for each student in the classroom. I realize that to have a classroom library that extensive will take time and funding, however I think it is important to have that goal in mind when thinking about how we should go about introducing reading to our students.
ReplyDeleteCitation:
Worthy, J. (1996). Removing Barriers to Voluntary Reading for Reluctant Readers: The Role of School and Classroom Libraries. National Council of Teachers of English, 73(7),483-491.
Thank you for your response! Your idea to let the students find value in the books that speak personally to them instead of those assigned is important, especially when it impacts a student's desire to read. Regarding the possible struggles in building a classroom library, what are some ways that we can involve the school, community, and our students in filling it up with books of student choice? What are the resources we can use?
DeleteTo question 1, I remember having more choices for the books I read in elementary school more than middle school. In elementary school, I would pick books in a series. I remember reading The Narnia series in my fifth grade classroom. We had designated reading time everyday. My favorite spot to be was in the cubbies with a bing bag. I think having the option to choose my own books helped me to like reading when I was younger. As I got older, I found myself drifting away from reading all the time because they would give us certain books to read in our English or History classes in both middle and high school. I do think that this will affect with how I introduce reading in my future classroom. I want my students to have the option of choosing their own books. I think it is important for us to let the students know they can choose from the school and class library. Another thing that I will do is have a designated reading/relaxing time for the students. They did this in my fourth and fifth grade class. It was so nice because they did it after recess.
ReplyDeleteIn response to your first question, I remember having most of my choice in fifth and sixth grade (I went to "intermediate school"). During this time, class readings were almost exclusively in book clubs, so I always at least had options. I don't remember much reading from elementary school aside from Toad and Frog when I was very little. By the time I got to high school, I was reading on my own for fun, and classroom books were a bit of a chore but never a hassle. It was usually pretty easy for me to get into a book regardless of whether I picked it or not. That said, I never had any horrid books forced on me. Recently, I've found that I have trouble focusing on reading text, so I've switched to audio books. It's a little different, and it helps me focus more on the book. I wonder if that would have helped me as a student? Or if it would help students today? If students were given the choice of using audio books, would it make books assigned for class any easier or harder for them to get into?
ReplyDeleteThank you for your response. Including audio books in the classroom is a wonderful idea. Previously I worked in a daycare that allowed children to read along to certain books with an audio tape and there was always a line for who would go next. I feel audio books would certainly help students get into the books, especially if it was their choice in text. I wonder if your labeling of "not horrid" comes from the open-mindedness of being allowed to choose books you may not have chosen for yourself in fifth and sixth grade?
DeleteMy experience with book choices were that we had none. When we read a book as a class it was chosen by the teacher and then we usually had to answer questions about the reading after each section or do some sort of assignment. When we chose books ourselves it was just for the accelerated reading program and we would have to read those in our spare time. I didn't mind just reading what the teacher told us to read. I never even thought of them offering any kind of different choice for us. As far as for how this affects my future classroom, I think that there are some books that I will tell my class we will have to read, but maybe every once in awhile give them options to choose a different book as a class, so having a vote to decide. Giving a vote will allow me to still go over the theme that I want but will make the class feel like they do have some say in how we are learning, which will make them more invested in what we're going over and learning.
ReplyDelete