Today in class the subject of having a parent clip articles or short stories for a child to read was touched on. While some, or maybe even most, people might think back about this time with fond remembrance, that is certainly not the case for me. I can vividly remember being a kid and my dad sharing articles with me, and it felt like homework. I hated when he would bring me things to read, and then expected us to talk about it. It was always so frustrating, I couldn’t understand why on earth my dad wanted me to take MORE time on (what felt like) assigned reading when I already had homework to do. I think even if he had sat there and read it with me it would have felt like a punishment of some kind. That’s not to say all the reading we did felt like punishment because when it came to bed time stories The Hobbit was something I looked forward to every night. So, is the problem with the article the expectation of conversation? The anticipation of reading something which was probably going to be really boring? I guess in my point of view, because it was such a negative experience, it is hard for me to see how any child could appreciate these instances of knowledge dispersal.
Now, that I am older my dad still sends me articles, and while I do read them on occasion and they do have value, I still have enough assigned reading to keep me plenty occupied. Quite frankly, I still don’t want to read random articles in my free time unless they are of my choosing. It could be that just the memory of having to do this extra work disinclines me to read what he sends. So, as parents and I suppose even teachers, how do we make reading feel like less of an assignment? Is it possible to appease students when it comes to reading? Is there a formula to add an element of fun which can make these little tid-bits of knowledge more bearable? I know, as a parent myself, I will one day want to impose knowledge on my child that he may not necessarily want to participate in. However, I think in order for him to have a more positive outlook on these extra nuggets of knowledge I throw his way I will try to do it in a more approachable way. What that way might be is still a mystery, but maybe some of you have suggestions!
I am not a parent, but in my experience as a kid I feel just about the same as you. I was never big on reading, but my parents would try to push it. They did succeed when they took me to the library and I could choose something that interested me. I think if the kid likes what they are reading they will be more inclined to pick up a book again. I hated reading the majority of the books assigned in school, but somehow got through them. In college I barely have enough time to read the assigned readings, and my friends are always sending articles. I don't know why they are looking for them, how they found them or why they are sending them to me. I have enough to read for classes. I take the time to read some of the articles though because my friends insist and they are interesting most of the time. Usually they are about the news so in a way it is good so I stay caught up with current events, but I never take the time to look articles up myself.
ReplyDeleteAs for teaching your kid to like reading I think incentives could be a good idea, at least when they are starting out (after the picture book stage). Giving them a sticker every time they finish a book and saying you can pick something out at the store when you get so many stickers would be ideal. Leading by example is a good way too. The child will see the parent reading which could make them wonder what the fuss is all about. Parents just need to be enthusiastic about reading and make it fun for the child. Just a couple ideas from a kid, not a parent.
I think the idea of some extrinsic motivation is good for young readers. This will give them something to work towards even if they are not enjoying reading just for the sake of reading. But to give kids the idea that they will be rewarded with a toy or prize every time they read is not something you want to instill in kids at a young age. When they get a little older and realize there are no more prizes every time they finish a book, their motivation to read might significantly drop. If you want to give kids some sort of incentive when reading, it would be a good idea to give them something like a choice of any book at a book store. This way they are reading for a prize that will also get them to read more. Even if it is a picture book with very little words that they want, it is still a book and it will still keep them engaged.
ReplyDeleteI totally think the extrinsic motivation is a good but as you said once the prize is taken away then there will probably be a significant drop in reading. My thought isn't necessarily so much about books because I feel like books, as long as they are the right ones, will grow on people over time. It is the articles, and informative texts which I find it hard to understand why parents feel the need to force you read them. I guess I just wonder if the whole thing is necessary? To me it seems like the whole premise would just enforce a hate for reading articles which could actually backfire for things in school. In my experience when I didn't do something my dad had asked me to do I felt really bad about it and it actually made me feel like I would just fail at everything because I didn't want to read boring texts.
ReplyDeleteThe best way I can think of to remedy this problem is to use a combination of reading the articles with the child and extrinsic motivation when you can't. Eventually I think if you stop the extrinsic motivation you can just wean them off and say well this time I want you to read two articles, three, etc. and eventually down the line they will just expect it randomly. I'm not sure there is a real science to it either because every child is different, so, what works for one likely wont work for another. Thanks for the ideas guys! I really helped me think this through a lot more.
Reading for me was something fun I loved to do with my mom and sister but my mom wasn’t always so in to it. We would read frequently at night for about 15 minutes but I think I would always want to read more. My parents never asked me to read certain articles and then talk about it though. My mom always wanted us to read Encyclopedia Brown mystery books, which we definitely didn’t want to read. I always wanted to read fiction humorous chapter books and my mom wanted me to read something that took more thought and engagement. I think it would be great to see more books that parents like as well as kids. There are some chapter books for kids that are just so silly my mom couldn’t get into them.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about the reluctance to read because of the expectation of a follow up conversation. I still feel that way to read even interesting books for classes. For instance I have been putting off reading The Book Thief, not because I’m not interested but because I don’t want to pick at it after reading it. I feel so bogged down by reading for school that I haven’t had a chance to read so many books I want to read for myself, educational and fiction. I have a huge list of books but I just don’t feel like reading after I’ve spent the week reading for classes.