Module 3 -- Supporting Learners Through the Library: Cultivating Life-Long Reading Habits
The readings from this module really spoke to me. As a former ELL teacher working in China, one of the things that I struggled with was getting my students to read for pleasure in English. High school students in China were so used to being on their cell phones and browsing social media sites that they rarely read things outside of class. I found that few students read for pleasure, and yet Krashen argues in his lecture that "FvR, free voluntary reading, is the source of all of our literary skills" (Krashen, 2012). Sure, some students did read for pleasure outside of class, but the vast majority of this group would only read in their native language. While they have taken the first step to fostering life-long reading habits and developing 21st-century literacy skills, the challenge they have to overcome is reading in English, not Mandarin. Neil Gaiman states clear that "people who cannot understand each other cannot exchange ideas, cannot communicate, and translation programs only go so far" (Gaiman, 2013). This was something that I tried desperately to teach my ELL students in Grade 10. The ones who recognized the importance of literacy early put a lot of time and effort outside of class reading and interacting with the language, and as a result would end up successfully completing their Grade 12 English requirements with ease. The ones who didn't recognize this importance would regret too late that they didn't start trying earlier.
Krashen's lecture on the power of reading was something that I was viewing for the first time, yet it basically provides evidence for things that I have intuitively known to be correct for many years and provides research data and theories for, what I believe, is one of the easiest ways to develop literacy. As someone who went from an ELL student with very limited English knowledge to a fluent English reader and speaker within the span of a year myself just from reading, I wholly agree and support his advocacy for promoting SSR within the classroom. One of my former colleagues kept wishing to remove SSR from our daily homeroom time - I'm really tempted to link him this video to enlighten him!
For the learning curation prompt this week, I've decided to focus on the following scenario:
In this scenario, it's also important to involve the classroom teacher about themes that the teacher is wanting to incorporate into the reading syllabus and choose texts that, while they may not be a traditional book, can fit within the themes that the teacher wants to cover in class, allowing the student to be an active participant in the discussion. I think it's worth educating teachers in the value of using different forms of multimedia texts and of multi-modal approaches to their lessons in order to be inclusive of all students.
I think at some point, educating staff, students, and parents on the value of reading is also important. As Bavishi et al.'s article concludes, reading and longevity have somewhat of a positive correlation, allowing readers to enhance their cognitive processes due to engagement with the reading (i.e., being an active reader), and promoting "empathy, social perception, and emotional intelligence, which are cognitive processes that can lead to greater survival" (Bavishi et al., 2016). Reynolds also addresses the importance of "deep reading" in her article "What You Read Matters More Than You Might Think" (2016). In the article, she relates reading content and frequency to a student's writing ability. If parents and teachers alike could promote the benefits of reading and allow the child freedom in what they choose to read, then reading wouldn't be seen as "uncool" or "unpleasant" (Gaiman, 2013).
As a personal anecdote, when asked why she likes to read, my younger sister says that the single biggest influence she had was watching me, her older sister, absorb myself in various books over the years (Chang, 2018). My parents would always read bedtime stories to us, and that fostered a love of fiction stories in the both of us at a young age. It's important that the advocacy for reading starts at home, and educating parents can go a long way in improving literacy overall. I think that a scenario like this would be a good opportunity to have a conversation with the school administration and see if it would be possible to create a newsletter or workshop for parents that promote reading and literacy, just as Miller and Kelley described in the chapter "Curating a Classroom Library" of their book "Reading in the Wild" (2013).
In the framework of the inquiry that I have created for this class, I do feel as if I'm a step closer to understanding how to promote more literacy in the library. Last post, I was more focused on and worried about the physical space of the library, but it doesn't always have to be about space. The approach that the TL takes with the students and using opportunities such as the scenario above to educate and promote literacy can be a first step of many. I also mentioned that I struggled with the concept of fostering inquiry in the Chinese culture - I feel that this could be approached much like how the Chinese approached science fiction in Gaiman's article, by showing them the benefits of inquiry and how fostering a love for life-long learning will help equip 21st-century learners to be successful.
References:
Bavishi, A., Slade, M.D., & Levy, B.R. (2016). A chapter a day: Association of book reading with longevity. Social Science & Medicine (1982), 164, 44-48.
Chang, C. (2018, September 20). Personal interview.
Kelley, S., & Miller, D. (2013). Reading in the wild: The book whisper's keys to cultivating lifelong reading habits. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 88-128.
Krashen, S. (2012, April 5). The power of reading. The COE lecture series. University of Georgia. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSW7gmvDLag
Gaiman, N. (2013, October 15). Why our future depends on libraries, reading and daydreaming. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/oct/15/neil-gaiman-future-libraries-reading-daydreaming
Reynolds, S. (2016, June 7). What you read matters more than you might think. Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/prime-your-gray-cells/201606/what-you-read-matters-more-you-might-think
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Krashen's lecture on the power of reading was something that I was viewing for the first time, yet it basically provides evidence for things that I have intuitively known to be correct for many years and provides research data and theories for, what I believe, is one of the easiest ways to develop literacy. As someone who went from an ELL student with very limited English knowledge to a fluent English reader and speaker within the span of a year myself just from reading, I wholly agree and support his advocacy for promoting SSR within the classroom. One of my former colleagues kept wishing to remove SSR from our daily homeroom time - I'm really tempted to link him this video to enlighten him!
For the learning curation prompt this week, I've decided to focus on the following scenario:
A grade 10 student comes into the library weary because he has to submit an intended reading list and goals for the year. The teacher is excited about his/her new syllabus and is making attempts to slowly integrate more choice in reading in combination with the required novels assigned. The only novels he has ever finished, reluctantly, have been the ones that were required reading in class. He dislikes reading and the idea of finishing one novel let alone a list for the year is overwhelming. He is thinking of dropping the class.
What do you do/say? How do you help this student? Who do you involve? How do you turn this dilemma into an opportunity?This is a scenario that I can wholeheartedly relate to as it was the predicament that many of my previous ELL students found themselves in. In this case, I would try to tap in to the student's reading potential by offering shorter titles that might fit his interest. Graphic novels, as discussed in the week's discussion thread on Canvas, would also be an excellent way to ease the student into reading, as pictures would help with engagement. Another method might be to suggest the student read a book that has an accompanying audiobook, as having someone reading the book with/to the student might also improve engagement. The important thing to remember is to not restrict the student in what they want to read. Even with a secondary school student, I would be okay with them taking out a picture book to read, because picture books can also have depth and themes that an older student can explore and critique. I think Gaiman words it the best: "Well-meaning adults can easily destroy a child's love of reading: stop them reading what they enjoy, or give them worthy-but-dull books that you like, the 21st-century equivalents of Victorian 'improving' literature" (Gaiman, 2013).
In this scenario, it's also important to involve the classroom teacher about themes that the teacher is wanting to incorporate into the reading syllabus and choose texts that, while they may not be a traditional book, can fit within the themes that the teacher wants to cover in class, allowing the student to be an active participant in the discussion. I think it's worth educating teachers in the value of using different forms of multimedia texts and of multi-modal approaches to their lessons in order to be inclusive of all students.
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As a personal anecdote, when asked why she likes to read, my younger sister says that the single biggest influence she had was watching me, her older sister, absorb myself in various books over the years (Chang, 2018). My parents would always read bedtime stories to us, and that fostered a love of fiction stories in the both of us at a young age. It's important that the advocacy for reading starts at home, and educating parents can go a long way in improving literacy overall. I think that a scenario like this would be a good opportunity to have a conversation with the school administration and see if it would be possible to create a newsletter or workshop for parents that promote reading and literacy, just as Miller and Kelley described in the chapter "Curating a Classroom Library" of their book "Reading in the Wild" (2013).
In the framework of the inquiry that I have created for this class, I do feel as if I'm a step closer to understanding how to promote more literacy in the library. Last post, I was more focused on and worried about the physical space of the library, but it doesn't always have to be about space. The approach that the TL takes with the students and using opportunities such as the scenario above to educate and promote literacy can be a first step of many. I also mentioned that I struggled with the concept of fostering inquiry in the Chinese culture - I feel that this could be approached much like how the Chinese approached science fiction in Gaiman's article, by showing them the benefits of inquiry and how fostering a love for life-long learning will help equip 21st-century learners to be successful.
References:
Bavishi, A., Slade, M.D., & Levy, B.R. (2016). A chapter a day: Association of book reading with longevity. Social Science & Medicine (1982), 164, 44-48.
Chang, C. (2018, September 20). Personal interview.
Kelley, S., & Miller, D. (2013). Reading in the wild: The book whisper's keys to cultivating lifelong reading habits. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 88-128.
Krashen, S. (2012, April 5). The power of reading. The COE lecture series. University of Georgia. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSW7gmvDLag
Gaiman, N. (2013, October 15). Why our future depends on libraries, reading and daydreaming. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/oct/15/neil-gaiman-future-libraries-reading-daydreaming
Reynolds, S. (2016, June 7). What you read matters more than you might think. Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/prime-your-gray-cells/201606/what-you-read-matters-more-you-might-think
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