Satisfaction
in experiences results in the desire to further an individual’s desire to
explore a given task, assignment, etc.
In reading “The Pleasure Principle” I found myself revisiting this
theme. Atwell states “…our primary goal
as reading teachers is to eliminate – or at least reduce – frustration.” A
student who is frustrated is not satisfied with their ability and unfortunately,
I experience this emotion through my students daily during their special
education services.
After
contemplating the information from this particular article I find myself
evaluating ways to implement Reading Workshop into my space and time with
students. The idea of empowering my
students ties in with the self-advocacy lessons I am currently doing with my
special education students. Having brief
instructional lessons plays into my students’ current desires and attention
spans. My goal is to provide a literacy
rich environment that promotes my students’ ability to view themselves as
readers holding a key which provides them access to many different worlds and
experiences. They need to experience the
ownership of this key and what they could possibly unlock. I would like my students no longer view
reading as a chore or required task in which they find no pleasure or success
but, rather as a tool that allows them to explore information of their
choosing.
The self-advocacy you work on with your students is a perfect match with reading choice. I am amazed by the progress many of your students make over time because of the input they have in evaluating themselves and what they can do.
ReplyDeleteHi Stephanie,
ReplyDeleteI love how you figured out a way to provide students with choice and ownership over their reading through the self-advocacy lessons that you are doing with them. Teaching our students how to choose a book that they are interested in and one that they can and want to read is a huge self-advocacy tool. Also being able to provide them with strategies that are targeted to their specific needs and interests can really help to promote growth and to motivate students to transfer the lessons taught to their own independent reading. Thanks, Dawn