It is important as a teacher of reading to stimulate students' interest in books and reading. One sure way is by getting students to take charge of their reading. The more autonomy the student has in being able to select reading level appropriate material, the more likely that student will develop good reading habits.
Wistrom (2010) stated that one such way was by getting students to understand their reading abilities. The students can then be guided to choose material based on a colour chart describing the content of each book contained in the class library. She also stated that time must be taken to familiarize students with the meaning of the colours represented on the books. This strategy is very similar to the "Goldilocks Strategy" which was highlighted in Tompkins (1995) as an ideal tool to help students to select books. Both authors emphasized the need for students to select books that they would be able to read to encourage them to become engaged readers.
Students selecting preferred reading material would be interested in performing the act of reading. I must also point out that students of all ages can participate in this exercise. I have engaged my students in the First Year Primary class in this activity which allowed me to track their progress over time. I observed that by getting students to report on what they have read made them select books they can actually read. Students were also able to implement the reading process.
This strategy is an exceptional way to make students responsible for their learning. It fosters healthy reading habits and removes the responsibility of choosing books for the student from the teacher. This makes the activity more meaningful to the student. Individual selection of the appropriate reading material moves struggling readers to engaged readers.
Supporting Article
Helping Students to Choose Books
Learning strategies and implementing them with the use of technology is now one of our many roles as reading specialists. Your article reminded me of the fact that we must possess the theoretical foundations of literacy in order to plan and implement a research-based reading/literacy curriculum for all students. We must pursue knowledge and use local data so that we can identify and prioritize the professional development needs of the average classroom teacher. He/She must be able to choose strategies and be as versed as you in identifying the students' needs. So, as reading specialists, we must be able to effectively monitor and coach our fellow educators.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that it is important to motivate students to read by developing a love for books and reading. The idea of the learner taking responsibility for his or her learning is a great one, and allows for the student to be accountable for his educational development. I strongly believe that it is a collaborative effort of all the stakeholders involved to produce a literate individual that would enhance society. Too often students complain that reading is boring so the strategy of allowing them to choose their own books would eliminate that problem, and so set the stage for meaningful learning to take place. In addition, choosing books that they can read is a boost to their self esteem. Helping students to choose books is an excellent idea that is sure to bear many fruits. Thanks for the information Eve.
ReplyDeleteI have found the information in your blog to be quite interesting. I too believe that the first step to a child becoming an independent reader is for the child to take ownership of his learning. Giving the child the opportunity to choose the books that he is capable of reading and on topics that he is interested in, is certainly a key to success.
ReplyDeleteToo often I have seen teachers choose books for struggling readers to read that they are not interested in and which are not at their level. What are the results? They get turned off! We must cater to our students’ needs if we want them to improve in reading. I once had a struggling reader who liked vehicles, I always made sure that there were several books in the class library on vehicles. He showed great improvement in his reading.
That brings me to the basal readers at our schools couldn’t there be a variety of reading texts that the children can choose from also?
I like the idea of the colour coding, it is a plus for the visual learners. I am certainly going to make a note of this.