Our reading this week, from Reading Reasons Mothivational Mini-Lessons for Middle and High School, was extremely insightful. I learned that it is much more important to stress the reasons for reading rather than to reward my students for completeing their readings. Rewarding students for reading can actually have an adverse effect and de-motivate our students. By offering rewards we are teaching our students that reading is "chore" and without rewards it is not worth doing. Instead of rewarding our students we must stress the reasons for reading. Our reading explains 9 reading reasons that...
1. Reading is rewarding
Reading itself is rewarding; there is no need for a tangible prize/thing everytime a student completes their reading. The rewards for reading are pleasure and knowledge. Pleasure and knowledge are rewards that can carry through life, while recieving a piece of candy or a gold star last for short periods of time.
2. Reading builds a mature vocabulary
The book gives us a great example of a first time sailor. The sailor decides that she wants to go and build a boat then take her friends out for a ride. After telling her friends that she's been studying sailing for 2 months and as their skipper she will try her hardest, she is surprised that no one wants to join her on her first sailing experience. Becoming a sailor takes years of expertise. The same applies with reading. We cannot expect to just wake up our senior year of high school with a mature vocabulary; it takes years of practice through reading.
3. Reading makes you a better writer
Reading and writing have many characteristics in common. Both engage us in constructing meaning from texts, use skills automatically, interact with one another, etc. In order to improve our reading we must write and in order to improve our writing we must read. These two things cannot be seen as seperate entities, rather they must be seen as influences of one another.
4. Reading is "hard" and "hard" is necessary
"It's supposed to be hard! If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The 'hard' is what makes it great." Reading certain things in life can be difficult (i.e. directions or a government bill) but they are important in life. When we take the time to understand hard materials the end result becomes rewarding. With directions it gets you in the right place, or with a bill you understand what it is you are voting on. It is necessary to take time to read these hard materials in order to accomplish what you want.
5. Reading makes you smarter
"Reading not only makes you smart, it keeps you smart as you age." Recent studies have shown that reading correlates with Alzheimers, cognitive functioning, etc. People with low education are more likely to get Alzheimers when they are older. Also the reading habits of people as youths has a strong prediction of their cognitive function as they age.
6. Reading prepares you for the world of work
Jobs are looking for their employees to have both "hard" and "soft" skills. The "hard" skills include mathematics, problem solving, and reading abilities that are at level much higher than what most high schoolers obtain. The "soft" skills include ability to work in groups and to effectively make oral/written presentations. Both "hard" and "soft" skills require the ability to read!!!
7. Reading is financially rewarding
In 2000 the average lifetime earnings of a student without a high school degree was $936,000 and a student with a degree was 1,216,000. This made a high school diploma worth $280,000. When you calculate that $280,000 to see how much a student earned each day spent in high school, a student "made" $400 a day. Although a student may not see this as an advantage at the time, as they age that invisible money makes a difference in their lives.
8. Reading opens the door to college and beyond
When college looks at accepting a student, AP placements courses, SAT scores, and application essays are among the most important factors. All 3 of these are looking at students ability to read. AP courses require high school students to read at a much higher level, SAT scores assess students reading abiulities, and essays require reading to write. Also as students go into college they are required to read harder materials and read at a much faster pace. The ability to read well plays a huge factor for getting into college and completeing college.
9. Reading arms you against oppression
By being able to read, you are able to educate yourself much easier. A lack of reading skills can allow higher figures to take advantage of you because you are unaware of what is going on. It is important to be able to read in order to stand up for your rights.
After reading this article I learned that they 9 reasons are far more rewarding than a tangible prize. Reading is a necessity in life, it is NOT a chore. As teachers we need to stress the importance of reading so students can understand its necessity. After learning this I have come up with 2 questions...
1. How do we make this transition to teaching the importance of reading? Especially since most schools have a rewards system.
2. Will this approach work for all students or do some students gain from other incentives?
Monday, January 21, 2013
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Blog 2
Culture consists of the values, norms, and material group characteristics that make up a social group. Our culture greatly plays a role in how we associate ourselves in the world around us. My personal culture consists of many things. I have been raised in an upper-middle class, American family that is extremely conservative in their values and political views. My family is also very close and has a strong Catholic faith. These values, beliefs, etc. really help define the person I am today.
I have been raised in predominantely Caucasian areas and in suburban towns, but I believe I am a fairly cultured person. I think in order for someone to be cultured he or she must be receptive of other people's cultures. Although my high school was located in a predominantely white area, the white population at my school was the minority. Through my high school experience in high school I learned a lot about different cultures, religions, political views, and socioeconomic statuses. My involvement with Peer Mediation, in high school, also gave me a lot of insight of personal lives of people with different cultures. Through my experience I have become very accepting of other's culture and interested in learning more.
I believe it is important for teachers to be cultured. In our textbook we learned that student's cultures and experiences play a huge role in their reading. People's outside knowledge often affects their perspective on the reading at hand. If a teacher is culture, he or she is able to associate activities with the readings to people's cultures, thus making it more understandable and entertaining.
After speaking in class today I came up with a couple of questions related to culture and how it plays a part in people's reading...
How do we promote both cultural diversities (including dialect) and professionalism?
If "Practice makes perfect," then has the practice of social literacy affected professional literacy?
Is professionalism based on "White male/people principles?" Or is it that what is considered socially professional carried out more oftenly by white people?
I have been raised in predominantely Caucasian areas and in suburban towns, but I believe I am a fairly cultured person. I think in order for someone to be cultured he or she must be receptive of other people's cultures. Although my high school was located in a predominantely white area, the white population at my school was the minority. Through my high school experience in high school I learned a lot about different cultures, religions, political views, and socioeconomic statuses. My involvement with Peer Mediation, in high school, also gave me a lot of insight of personal lives of people with different cultures. Through my experience I have become very accepting of other's culture and interested in learning more.
I believe it is important for teachers to be cultured. In our textbook we learned that student's cultures and experiences play a huge role in their reading. People's outside knowledge often affects their perspective on the reading at hand. If a teacher is culture, he or she is able to associate activities with the readings to people's cultures, thus making it more understandable and entertaining.
After speaking in class today I came up with a couple of questions related to culture and how it plays a part in people's reading...
How do we promote both cultural diversities (including dialect) and professionalism?
If "Practice makes perfect," then has the practice of social literacy affected professional literacy?
Is professionalism based on "White male/people principles?" Or is it that what is considered socially professional carried out more oftenly by white people?
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Blog 1
In the past people saw literacy as the ability to write your name or read a passage that you were already familiar with. Today, literacy is much more important, in fact people believe it will increase our future. I see literacy as the ability to develop strategies for comprehending written materials. Literacy is very important because it is needed to function in society and to develop knowledge. Without the ability to attain literacy, a person will struggle to become successful in any other subject. Literacy is truely the foundation for all things in life.
With a greater role of literacy in today's society, I believe there is a need for higher standards in reading. I remember when I was a senior in high school and the incoming class of freshmen had 53% of its population reading below grade level. I also knew many people who had to take introductory reading courses in college because of placing low on standardized reading tests. I think the book takes current critisms, in regards to the United States reading levels, too lightly. Although reading performance has slightly increased, I think we are still far away from where we need to be. I personally believe that we should not settle for being ranked 14th out of 40 countries (in the recent IEA study). Being in the 35th percentile of the countries is respectable, but as a country that leads a lot of the world our scores should be higher. Like I said before literacy is the foundation for all things in life, and for our country to continue to be successful we must not settle for the growth we've made. Having an incoming class of freshman with such a high percentage of students reading below grade level is completely unexceptable. And having people enter college without the necessary reading skills is a failure by the schools. There is always room for growth, and I have a hard time agreeing with the book that our students are holding their own when we see so many students struggling.
How do we as educators continue the growth of our students literacy? What strategies can we use to get students to attain literacy before high school, college, and jobs...especially if they're behind? And how can we get our country a higher rank?
With a greater role of literacy in today's society, I believe there is a need for higher standards in reading. I remember when I was a senior in high school and the incoming class of freshmen had 53% of its population reading below grade level. I also knew many people who had to take introductory reading courses in college because of placing low on standardized reading tests. I think the book takes current critisms, in regards to the United States reading levels, too lightly. Although reading performance has slightly increased, I think we are still far away from where we need to be. I personally believe that we should not settle for being ranked 14th out of 40 countries (in the recent IEA study). Being in the 35th percentile of the countries is respectable, but as a country that leads a lot of the world our scores should be higher. Like I said before literacy is the foundation for all things in life, and for our country to continue to be successful we must not settle for the growth we've made. Having an incoming class of freshman with such a high percentage of students reading below grade level is completely unexceptable. And having people enter college without the necessary reading skills is a failure by the schools. There is always room for growth, and I have a hard time agreeing with the book that our students are holding their own when we see so many students struggling.
How do we as educators continue the growth of our students literacy? What strategies can we use to get students to attain literacy before high school, college, and jobs...especially if they're behind? And how can we get our country a higher rank?
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