Motivating Children Who Don’t Like to Read
By Alan Haskvitz, National Teachers Hall of Fame, national inservice presenter
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Haskvitz
For a list of other articles and free resources go to http://www.reacheverychild.com
Complete resources for article below
http://www.reacheverychild.com/feature/motivating_readers.html
In a world increasing dominated by the need to read it is very frustrating for a parent to find their child does not like to do this activity. What is worse is that the older the student becomes the more resistant they are to reading and they all too frequently fall behind in school.
The first thing that is needed is to understand the types of readers. There are three main bodies; those who use their intelligence to sort through unusual word combinations, use the dictionary to expand their vocabulary, and are essentially self-sufficient for the majority of the time. The second group is lazy or reluctant readers. They are able to read, by don’t like to be challenged and become frustrated and tired. They rub their eyes, put their hand on their head, yawn, and stare blankly at the page after a short period of time. The final group is those students who have a physical or mental problem and have become many reading grade levels behind. This group requires special attention. This article is about the latter two groups, remedial and lazy readers.
The first step for a parent is to determine if the child cannot read or chooses not to read. The best way to determine this is through a reading specialist. If the child is not motivated to read it is vital that the parent find out the reason as soon as possible. Something as simple as a pair of glasses can be at the heart of a problem.
Once it has been determined that the student is not imbedded by a physical problem there are several steps that can be attempted. The first is to determine the reading level that the child is at and again, that requires a standardized test. However, be warned that a child who reads well, but does not like to read, can deliberately sabotage these tests.
The first strategy is to offer the student a diverse range of reading topics. Don’t start with large books or small print ones. Offering alternative selections is not an end in itself, but a means to show a child a range. This small steps approach requires the most time and is the most frustrating. It is also the most vital. Students who are not at grade level usually need instruction on how to read smarter and can benefit from speed-reading practice. Every teacher and parent should be teaching speed-reading to children to increase concentration and comprehension of reading passages. There are numerous programs online, but the reading content is often too high.
Many students, after they master the basics of reading, are never told how to envision what they are reading. It is like learning how to swim by being thrown in the water. Thus, I recommend you teach how a book is structured first. What is a paragraph, what does the title mean, how is it organized, what is the main idea, and what I call the “so what” question in which the student has to change something in the book and explain what would happen if the author did this. For example, in Robinson Crusoe what would happen if there was not a Friday character? It sounds easy to understand this if you are an accomplished reader, but it is very difficult if you are a reluctant reader. Having to go through this exercise empowers the reader and he or she looks for ways to change future books to reflect their views.
Secondly, stress vocabulary in contest, not as individualized words. Don’t have spelling tests, but meaning tests where students spell out entire sentences.
Use pre-reading exercise. Make reading a game. Guess the ending by studying the clues in photos, captions, headings, and even the book cover.
If a child is having trouble reading make sure that it is not their eyesight. Sometimes using large print books stimulate reading, but other times they put a cast on the child that makes reading even more of a stigmatizing event.
Listening to a story enables a child to use different skills to learn. Sometimes a child who does not like to read may enjoy having a story read to them. As such, it is a good idea to start off a new book by reading a section to a reluctant student. This provides the foundation for their own reading and provides the head start that they need.
Another idea is to have the students make a chart of what is happening in the story so they can imagine what is happening more clearly. Teachers sometimes use graphic organizers for students to aid students in this regard. This is especially helpful with non-fiction books and textbooks.
I recommend buying Deeper Reading by Kelly Gallagher. It is filled with good ideas from someone who actually teaches students how to read.
http://www.lib.msu.edu/corby/reviews/posted/gallagher2.htm
Motivating a young person to read starts with a good example. And, that is the parent. Research has clearly shown that the most important base for a successful student is a mother who conveys a positive attitude about school to her child both. Without this role model the chances of a child becoming an avid reader diminish.
As for rewards, again, the research has repeatedly shown that giving rewards to children does not work and creates a negative impact on future work as they become accustomed to being constantly motivated by extrinsic rewards before they produce. The best students enjoy doing the work because of the satisfaction that it gives them. They learn to overcome problems by themselves for the positive feelings it gives them. So, in terms of motivating students to read, the greatest method is to persist if there are no physical or mental problems present. This persistence can be made easier by the selection of material to read, the way it is presented, and the method the student uses to show he or she has mastered the material.
The bottom line for motivating students to read is three-fold. First, be a good example. If the child sees you reading they are more likely to want to join you. Secondly, don’t relegate reading to just books. The child should be reading signs, magazines, and even the ingredients in packages. Asking them for help empowers them. Finally, make reading interesting by having a variety of materials available and don’t forget to help them make connections with events in today’s world. If they show an interest in a horse rescue a book on animals and careers in the industry can help that interest blossoms. Trips to book stores should be a constant activity. I am not talking about WalMart type of book sections, but stores that specialize in books. And, keep track of what they have read by placing a recipe card with the title, author, and a little review on file. Over the years this file can grow to thousands of books and be a great motivator.
Below are links that can provide more depth in motivating readers and finding free resources.
Always start here with the Read Across America links at Reach Every Child.
http://www.reacheverychild.com/reading.html
This is a nice collection of links and articles from an organization heavily involved in getting students to read and enjoy a lifetime of it.
Here are some excellent sites to motivate young readers
Using mysteries to learn how to investigate and problem solve.
http://www.mysterynet.com/learn/
Book It Reading Program
Sponsored by Pizza Hut, readers get food and certificates for their efforts. Very worthwhile for elementary aged students.
Motivating Young Readers
Kathryn L. Stout, B.S.Ed., M.Ed.
Commonsense ideas such as reading to your child daily make this a good starting place for inexperienced parents and educators
http://www.designastudy.com/teaching/tips-0900.html
Government link site to ways for educators to motivate students to read.
America Reads
Title One information, where to find government work-study tutors, Early Child Literacy and more.
http://www.ed.gov/inits/americareads/educators_cando.html
Grants for reading improvement
http://www.ed.gov/inits/americareads/educators.html
Searchable database to teaching ideas and resources found on the Internet. This is an excellent place to begin a search for resources for various book titles and authors.
http://www.educ.ucalgary.ca/litindex/default.html
How to use picture books
http://www.imaginarylands.org/
Online downloadable ebooks for children.
An inexpensive way to get students who are poor readers a chance to take part.
http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/ebooks/subjects/subjects-young.html
Research
Literacy Movements
http://guweb2.gonzaga.edu/faculty/campbell/enl311/litfram.html
The NRP has completed the research assessment of reading instruction approaches. You can watch clips of the data, order free copies, or order a video. A must visit site and don’t forget to go the frequently asked question section.
http://www.nationalreadingpanel.org/
Using the engagement model of instruction is one strong framework for teachers to motivate middle school readers.
The focus of this Digest will be on motivating the low performing adolescent in a remedial reading or subject area classroom. The premise is that students who are disengaged from their own learning processes are not likely to perform well in school.
http://www.ericdigests.org/1997-1/low.html
Motivating reluctant adolescent readers
http://www.nwrel.org/learns/tutor/win2000/index.html
Research on Instruction
No new breakthroughs, but some points that you might want to check. Summary has it all.
http://epaa.asu.edu/barak/barak.html
Strategies for motivating students
http://teaching.berkeley.edu/bgd/motivate.html
Using taped book chapters to get students motivated
http://www.d21.k12.il.us/dept_instr/langarts/parentinfo/tapedbooks.html
Article on best ways to reach a goal
http://www.stikky.com/sub/motivatingreaders.html
Motivating Young Students: What Do They Really Want?
http://www.middleweb.com/StdntMotv.html
General Principles of Motivation
http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/motivate.htm
Ideas for Motivating Young Readers
http://www.rif.org/educators/rifexchange/programdescriptions/QA_show306.mspx
Great article on Motivating Readers
Types listed
http://www.glencoe.com/sec/teachingtoday/educationupclose.phtml/29
Ideas for Parents
http://www.indiana.edu/~reading/ieo/digests/d89.html
When Students Do Not Feel Motivated for Literacy Learning: How a Responsive Classroom Culture Helps
http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/go/clic/nrrc/rspon_r8.html
Motivating Low Performing Adolescent Readers
http://reading.indiana.edu/ieo/digests/d112.html
Inspiring Young Readers
http://www.rif.org/educators/rifexchange/programdescriptions/404_index.mspx
Reading Associations
International Reading Association
National Council of Teachers of English
American Authors on the Web
http://lang.nagoya-u.ac.jp/~matsuoka/AmeLit.html
http://www.reacheverychild.com/language/authors/index.html
Alan Haskvitz has been selected as one of the best teachers in the United States by six different educational organizations. He has earned over 30 awards for his innovative teaching and has been featured on national radio and television numerous times as well as featured in books on improving education. His students have done extremely well winning major competitions in nearly every curriculum area. Haskvitz has taught at every grade level and every core subject in his nearly 30 years as an educator. He is a working classroom teacher, does in-services, and can be contacted through his website, ReachEveryChild.com.
