Entry 2 of 4:

Motivation

 On the subject of motivation, specifically ways in which teachers can help students feel motivated to read, a number of recurring themes came out in the readings*.  Although each reading focused on a different aspect of literacy, there were several commonalities among them, which should provide teachers with some insights about what we can do in our teaching to encourage any student to read.

            First off, students need access to a variety of interesting texts.  Many students' experiences with textbooks and other sources are so boring or not relatable that they believe all reading must be the same.  Teachers should take responsibility for helping students find texts that are interesting and that are at the appropriate reading level.  Because students' interests are as varied as can be, it is important for them to have access to a wide range of genres and topics.

            Next, the students' sociocultural environments play huge roles in students' feelings towards reading.  Students who come from families where reading and discussion are commonplace are more likely to read more.  Students whose friends are more likely to be readers are more likely to engage in conversation about what they're reading.  When reading is a community activity, it will attract people who are not necessarily attracted to the solitary act of reading.  Students who have positive social reasons for reading will feel more motivated to find something they want to read.

 

            Finally, we should consider the recurring yet elusive issue of self-efficacy, which is related to the distinction between dependent and independent learners.  Independent learners are those who have a stronger sense self-efficacy; they are able to learn by reading, and they don't need as much guidance from their teachers although they might be more likely to interact with us more proactively.  Dependent learners, on the other hand, with feelings of low self-efficacy, tend to feel like they "just don't get it" and might despair of ever being "smart enough" to understand.  They don't feel comfortable finding information on their own, and when they read they might have trouble connecting words with ideas.  All too often dependent learners do not seek additional assistance, perhaps because they're shy or embarrassed about their abilities or perhaps because they're so accustomed to not making progress that they see no point in asking.  In my experience, the general attitude about students with low self-efficacy is that they are incapable of doing better or that they are simply unwilling to make the effort.  The former interpretation is probably not appropriate for anyone who is serious about a teaching career, whereas the latter ties in directly with motivation.

            The challenge for us as teachers is to figure out how to motivate students who are not "naturally" motivated (as our independent learners often seem to be).  Thinking about doing this might make a hard job seem even harder.  However, for those of us interested in reaching all of our students and in creating a more equitable society, coming up with ways to channel each student's sense of fun and curiosity is a difficulty worth embracing.

 

*  Or anyway, so I was told during our "jigsaw" exercise.  For non-academic readers,  "jigsaw" means that I read one article only, then I get together with four other students, each of whom had read a different article, and we all discuss the summaries with one another.  The goal is to make it easier on everyone by reducing the amount of reading any one person must do while at the same time learning the important info from all of the assigned texts.  Jigsaws work very well, assuming two conditions: 1) participants have actually read and understood their pieces, and 2) participants are actually effective at identifying and communicating the important points from their pieces.  If, however, anyone in the group decides to invent a summary (if they do this out of laziness or malice, it is neither clear nor important - the fact is that it does happen), or if anyone speaks inaccurately or incoherently, then everyone else in the group is at a disadvantage for whatever activities will follow.  I would be interested to hear if anyone has any suggestions for helping to ensure that all participants pull their weight in jigsaw activities.