Motivating Low Performing Adolescent Readers.
In my continuing curiosity on students lacking motivation in reading. I discovered through reading several articles that use of a wide variety of teaching materials and teaching techniques help provide for differences in students' ability to learn. Supplementary materials like newspapers, magazines, games, films, and audio and video tapes offer additional ways for students to acquire information. Any medium which stimulates students' interests and involvement is worthy of consideration.
By asking students to complete projects at the end of their reading assignments may enable students to derive a purpose for reading. This is particularly successful when students are exploring subjects that are of interest to them. It is suggested that projects or oral presentations may also provide a chance for students to collaborate with others. Group work may reduce the apprehension poor readers frequently experience and motivate them to use language socially and purposefully(Collins and Decker 2010).
Some students have developed an indifferent attitude towards learning. By the time they get to the secondary school, that negativism or indifference is pretty well embedded (Kos, 1991). It is important for us educators to work on these behaviors that surround the act of reading. I am almost 99.9 percent certain(qualitatively speaking of course) that all teachers want students to achieve in the classroom. In order to achieve this shouldn't we create contexts which promote success. It takes patience and forbearance to establish an atmosphere of trust that will encourage risk-taking on the part of the low performing student.
In summing up my thoughts today I'll leave you readers with this one last strategy. The only way to improve reading skills is to read! Yes people it will work.....
Collins,. Decker, N. (2010) Motivating Low Performing Adolescent Readers. ERIC Digest.
Hi Sheldon,
ReplyDeleteAs teachers we need also to consider learning styles and capabilities when planning for instruction. Since our interest is in getting all our students to succeed, then collaboration is the key. This can mean between students but more important among educators. What is the purpose of the cumulative record card that indicates students' abilities if the information is treated with scant courtesy. Nonetheless, on we travel on the road to victory.
Sheldon, for the adolescent teen , educators have to renew their efforts continously to make reading more appealing. Whilst I agree with much of your content ,what about the feeder preschools and elementary schools ? Are they initiating programs to bridge the desparity between the male female? Do these traits that they embeded from early address low-performing adolescents later on ? I propose that this is one way to prevent the apathy that "is embedded" by the time they reach secondary school.
ReplyDeleteA strategy I found to work is read aloud. Read books or text that are above the students level and provide text (students' level) that they would be able to read in the class library. It does not make sense to read text that students can read for themselves. Some would be motivated and adventuous to ask to burrow the read aloud text that is not a problem.
ReplyDeleteHi Sheldon,
ReplyDeleteI too agree with a lot of what you said.While reading aloud as Jogie said has its merits, what about introducing Web 2.0 tools into the classroom to motivate the disinterested or struggling reader?
I know that not all students have computers but most schools have computer labs. Blogs can be effectively integrated into the curriculum to motivate students to read and also to write.
Another strategy that is research-based and has been proven to motivate adolescent readers to read is that of the use of picture book read-alouds. Albright (2002) in her article "Bringing the Ice Maiden to Life: Engaging adolescents in learning through picture book read alouds" states that this strategy was useful for adolescents because picture books treated with a wide range of topic, they dealt with mature issues, were short and the pictures, illustrations and content appealed to both the efferential and aesthetic part of the reader. This piqued their curiosity and encouraged them to become more engaged in the reading process. This strategy also elicits discussion and collaboration. I thought this was worth noting because the use of picture books is something that many of us teachers relegate to the lower levels or Primary School. We tend to think that text books, with their heavy material is the only way in which we can disseminate the necessary information to our students but these really act as deterrents. Picture books and read alouds I believe need to be incorporated into the adolescent classroom.
ReplyDeleteIt's important that we strive to develop self regulated learners as these are the students who are motivated. We, as teachers, can teach all the strategies in the world but it will only be of value if students are motivated to apply them to their learning.Self regulated learners are the ones to persist when tasks become a bit difficult.
ReplyDeletePearson and Pearson(1995) described a powerful method for motivating students. In her experiments she found that when given the opportunity to determine how they learn best, student were more motivated to use the learning strategy that suited them more across the board in other areas and so their performance improved. Food for thought?
All the comments are very much on target in regards to our teachers and their methodology in the classroom. This ICT course has certainly opened my eyes to the wonderful opportunities that technology offers struggling and demotivated students. Research literature has shown that effective computer activities have been linked to increased motivation among students in the areas of reading and writing. Embedding technology in literacy activities has become a viable alternative that is making education more responsive to today's learners (Hobbs, 2006).
ReplyDeleteHowever, caution must be observed when using blended technology for differentiated learning. The focus should not be the skills involved in using ICT, but the way in which the pedagogical strategy can be used to develop a particular skill. Unfortunately, Turbill & Murray, 2006 have observed that many teachers who are skilled in using technology in their own personal and professional lives, seem reluctant to integrate technology into their instructional practice.
Hi Sheldon,
ReplyDeleteI feel that most adolescent readers are being shortchanged. Most teachers believe that once you have attained a certain age that you should be able to read. Most teachers focus on teaching reading and reading skills to early or beginning readers in the primary grades. The mistake that teachers of adolescent readers make is to assume that all reading skills were taught in the primary schools. They believe that having completed primary school children should now be able to read. Some of them refuse to continue to teach the skills necessary for reading development forgetting that reading is a developmental process.This misconception about students ability to read once they attain a certain age contributes to the continued failure of so many adolescents in our secondary schools. These students experience daily difficulties learning from text materials in the various content areas. We are well aware of the numerous problems associated with reading failure chief of which manifests itself in the increasing violence in schools nowadays. I believe like Renuka and Lyn that we are now equipped with the tools to motivate these adolescents. We can use the Web2.0 tools to inspire these same students and make learning meaningful for them. We need also to pass on the skills we learned to our colleagues when we return to school in the new term.
Heather Palmer-Ovid
While reading plays an integral aspect in our daily lives it is also important for us to develop the discipline by becoming "active reflective practitioners," so that we can fulfill the needs of our millennial students in making learning more enjoyable across the curriculum.
ReplyDelete