As a
reading teacher Nancie Atwell speaks to my heart with her opening statement in
her article, “The Pleasure Principle”.
Atwell says, “Throw out the test-driven comprehension questions. The way to get kids to read and love it is to
let them choose their own books.” As
teachers, our goal is not to plan well thought out, purpose-driven reading
lesson that limit our students, no matter how well-meaning we were. Our goal is to teach the students how to love
reading. This is achieved by helping
students read books that they want to read- not just books that we want them to
read. We should allow them to decide if
they do not like a particular book they do not have to read it. “Our students have shown us that opportunities
to consider, select, and reconsider books make reading attractive to children
right from the start.” We should allow
our students to impress us with the difficulty of the books that they choose
and the amount that they read when they are allowed to read what they want to
read. I have been impressed in the past
with the ability of my students to pick books out for themselves that go over
and beyond my expectations.
I find
that not giving rewards for reading extremely interesting. In the society that we live in children are
rewarded for everything that they do. I
am not saying that this is a problem or that I disagree with rewarding children,
but I want children to find value within themselves without being given a party
or an incentive. I love the idea of
helping students to find the intrinsic pleasure in reading and knowing how to
praise themselves. Having students
choose their books goes directly hand-in-hand with the idea of Kidwatching. We must talk with our students and listen to
them to know what they love and how they are learning. It is during this time we encourage and
praise our students for their hard work and dedication. I want students in my room to say that they
love reading, they feel comfortable reading, and that reading is
important. I want my students to know
that I believe in them as readers and I also want my students to know that
every book is a new experience for them and a new adventure that they will love
to experience daily.
I agree with your thoughts on intrinsic motivation. I feel like this is an underrated idea in today's society, but I believe that helping students find intrinsic motivation is important. Students need to find satisfaction in reaching a personal goal without an external reward.
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ReplyDeleteIntrinsic motivation vs. extrinsic motivation - I believe this will always be a battle. It is true that the extrinsic motivation seems to be the way society has moved because I believe it is the easy way. However, it provides false information. I applaud your perseverance in finding ways to help children have self-motivation in reading. Please share your ideas and let us know how they are working!
ReplyDeleteHi Laura,
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you wrote in your blog post about the importance of us providing our students with choice in their reading and continuous support and encouragement that doesn't require extrinsic motivation or false praise, but instead is a scaffolding tool that continually raises our expectations and our belief in our students' abilities. Thank you for believing in your students. Sincerely, Dawn