For students who are having difficulty getting invested in reading, would you agree that teachers can serve as a model of what engaged reading might look like? At what point, if there is one, is it appropriate to share with students what you are reading? At what point is it appropriate to share with students what books are on your nightstand? Do you think that it is encouraging for students to see and understand that their teacher reads materials outside of class and that much of that material is relatable to the context of the lesson or to what you are discussing in class? Do you think that this approach might encourage non-readers to begin looking at some fiction and/or non-fiction? Have you ever had a teacher or an adult who encouraged you to read by sharing his/her favorite readings with you? Did it work? Do you think that it is necessary for us to be a role model who reads as we teach our content at the middle and high school levels?
What a wonderful post! Yes, I do think that teachers should share what they read - and hopefully the teachers are reading quality materials themselves! For me personally, I grew up around people who read all the time. TV was not a thing, and reading was valued and simply a part of our lives. Everyone discussed the books they were reading, consequently, we heard about the books that theologians, architects, engineers, philosophers, scientists, artists and so on read. It was hard to understand that this was NOT the norm for a long time - and I recall meeting the first student I had who had no interest in books. It took my breath away - books were valued and treasured in the impoverished regions of the world I had visited. To have no interest at all was such a strange concept for me.
ReplyDeleteI have a list of books that I encourage for my high school students - here is the link for this year's class. https://docs.google.com/document/d/146Wkfnc7fIFDasrZ4IzeEvjADK8vadzkI9D8TEJDyx8/edit?usp=sharing Please note that this is a private Christian program - but we discuss and talk about our reading all the time. Reluctant readers are more likely to listen to an audiobook if the outcome is being able to join in a lively discussion about a book, describing and explaining what they liked best about the story, or what thoughts they had about more serious topics as they read. My students know what I am reading, and will often ask what has happened so far, or what the concept is (since I rarely have the time for fiction now), and in turn, I ask them to share where they are. The whole class knows what everyone is reading.
As a PS, books on the nightstand should hopefully also be quality books, and if my students know me, they should not be surprised that I usually have at least one religious text, a history book, a biography and a philosophy text on my night stand. If I had anything that was not appropriate to share, I would probably not want to be a teacher, and I am actually serious about that...I know that may seem odd, but there you have it.
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