This last chapter is a good summary of important things to keep in mind as a teacher dedicated to helping students develop literacy skills. I want to keep this entire list as a quick reference when I am teaching to remind me what is most important about helping my students develop the skills of good readers and thinkers (and it’s good to know this stuff is backed by research). But rather than relist all of D&Z’s important points, I’ll talk about one that really stands out for me – the idea that “a sense of personal purpose is key to reading success.” Personal purpose can be extrinsically or intrinsically motivated, but as D&Z point out, “it is the intrinsic motivations that lead to greater learning in high school subject areas.” When I read this I thought how important teachers are in sparking and maintaining intrinsic motivation in students. Intrinsic motivation can develop and thrive in engaging, relevant, and rich learning environments in which students feel like a valued part of a community of learners that supports their growth and exploration. When students are encouraged to question and debate, when reading is a social activity, students can take ownership of the learning experience and find motivation in the learning itself. (I drafted this paragraph before reading D&Z’s conclusion paragraphs, but this gets at what they are saying in the last paragraph – those final two paragraphs pack a good punch in terms of getting to the big ideas of this book.)
Also just a note on the skills of good readers. As D&Z
point out, good readers visualize what they read and make deep connections with
the text. They say, “In contrast, those who don’t read well experience none of
these things, and simply do not recognize that they are possible.” Even though
we have talked many times about how the strategies we as experienced readers
use when we read do not come naturally and were at one point taught to us, when
I read this it was still surprising to me – goes to such just how much I take
my reading skills for granted. I am so grateful to be a good reader and I want
my students to experience the benefits of good reading skills as well – so I am
glad to have identified those internalized skills and been exposed to
strategies for teaching them. As D&Z point out, “bad readers” think that
“good readers” read effortlessly with natural born skill – I want to breaking
down that wall and give all students access to the power of good reading.
Jenna,
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you have to say about intrinsic motivation. His is such an important hinges to help the students to develop when helping them to become life long learners. The best example of a life longer learner that I know is my grandfather. He is always always reading about technology and math. He had not done well in school with those subjects but he was ready to put in the effort outside of school to learn about those topics. Even though he keeps telling me that he is proud of me because of what I have accomplished in school, I feel that he doesn't give himself enough credit for everything he has taught himself outside of the classroom. So I am glad that you saw how important the intrinsic motivation is.
Jenna,
ReplyDeleteI love your picture up top! I'm curious to know where you found it. I think it accurately depicts the feelings of every student (at least at some point in their schooling). Like you, I want to keep in mind the things I have learned by reading this text. I think D&Z offer a lot of strategies, tips, and examples. I liked the point you made when you said "when reading is a social activity, students can take ownership of the experience and find motivation in the learning itself." I think this is a good point.
I have never given the idea of intrinsic motivation such attention, but I think that was another good point you discussed. I can relate to Alix's comment above as well. My grandfather is the same way! I think intrinsic motivation is just as important. Some are able to find greater meaning with intrinsic motivators. We have to keep this in mind as future educators.
Hey Jenna, nice observation on how we take our reading skills for granted. It helps to get reminders that we acquired our reading skills somewhere from time to time. It’s so easy to fall into a trap of thinking something should be easy for a student, because we’ve seen the material hundreds of times. Identifying those skills is the first step to helping students develop them. I would think that’s especially important in science, were even good readers may have trouble with all of the unfamiliar vocabulary.
ReplyDeleteHello jeena, smart answer to people
ReplyDelete