Disheartening reading statistics continue to show a downward trend. A UK charitable organization, the National Literacy Trust, released the following statistics in 2022. (There were a total of 70,403 respondents to a National Literacy Trust’s survey.)
• 47.8% of children between the ages 8 and 18 stated that they enjoyed reading
• Only 28% of children and youth (ages 8 to 18) reported dedicating time to reading each day.
This survey is evidence of fading reading motivation in youth and children. However, teaching practices can contribute to augmenting reading motivation. In this article, I examine three practices that are smothering an enjoyment of reading. In response, I present three alternative strategies that reignite reading motivation in students, which in turn combat the disheartening trends.
Futile Practice #1: Book Talk Presentations That Require Heavy Analysis and Have Minimal Student Agency
A book talk presentation is an opportunity for students to showcase what they have read to the class. These presentations can take many forms (e.g., Press, Keynote, PowerPoint, or students creating visual representations of their book). The futility exists in over-analysis. Kelly Gallagher equates this to “chopping up novels” so much that they are destroyed by too much analysis. Book talk presentations, laden with over-analysis requirements, containing excessive “check a box” stipulations, and spanning too long a time are futile at increasing students’ reading motivation. Focusing on too many literary terms or too many learning outcomes can be overwhelmingly demotivating and even lead to killing the love of reading.
Reading Motivation Kindler #1: One-on-One Conversations and Student Designed Book Talks
Consider alternatives that are more focused on the joy of reading to inspire students. Have a book talk that involves a one-on-one conversation with you about sections of the book. Discussion can be focused on a summary, light literary analysis, and what the student thought of the book. Ask students if a peer would enjoy the book. When we ask students to think about others, we not only promote empathy but also spark discussions on reading in the classroom.
Another avenue is to implement a book talk presentation designed by students. An article in the Reading Teacher journal published by Batchelor and Cassidy (2019) shows the effects of students designing book talk criteria. Implementation of these criteria creates a space where students’ interests and voices are prioritized over book dissection. Criteria that stem from the article are:
• Criterion 1: High energy with the desire to share
• Criterion 2: Summarization that does not give away too much
• Criterion 3: Selecting an insightful passage to share
• Criterion 4: Personal connections or life lessons
• Criterion 5: Being prepared
• Criterion 6: Brief
Educators can design a book talk that mirrors the criteria by Batchelor and Cassidy. To heighten student agency and empowerment, educators can ask the class to tweak the book talk criteria above to make it more suitable to the unique needs and interests of the class. In my classes, students were eager to design their own book talk expectations, and each class designed a different task; this showed me that each class is unique, with different interests and learning needs.
After showing our students the book talk checklist above from the study, my students in grade nine designed their own book talk. Here is the task students created:
Students summarize what they have read on a single page using words or images to convey meaning. Each student meets with Mr. Kloosterman to discuss the book. Students must demonstrate the following:
• Convince Mr. Kloosterman that they have read the book.
• Be creative in the design of their summary page. Risks should be taken.
• Have clarity in the design; there should be a logical progression.
• Contain at least one personal connection to the book.
• Ask four questions that convinces Mr. Kloosterman that the book has been read and understood.
Futile Practice #2: Teaching or Reading one Novel in a Unit
Studying a single novel in a unit highly restricts genre and author exposure. Single novel studies may also pose a limit risk where students are only reading from a Caucasian, male writer.
Instead, include different genres and works of different authors in your program. Roadblocks, such as budgetary restraints, make genre diversification difficult. To combat this issue, websites such as Project Gutenberg (gutenberg.org/ebooks/) have compiled works and texts that are publicly available and do not condone copyright infringement. This repository could be used to increase genre exposure for students.
Another method to augment book supply is to encourage students to register for OneDrive, which grants free audiobooks, digital magazines, and book titles. According to OneDrive’s terms and conditions, users must be 13 years or older. OneDrive is synced to United States and Canadian libraries. Readers can explore this option further by visiting the OneDrive website (onedrive.com/) or Libby (overdrive.com/apps/libby/).
Reading Motivation Kindler #2: Diversity in Reading Choices
Increasing genre exposure for students can substantially improve reading motivation. Researchers Adler and Gingerich (2019) espouse reading diversely for student motivation. In agreement is the International Baccalaureate (IB), an organization that created the IB curriculum framework. One of the International Baccalaureate’s chief goals is to support, kindle, and instill a love for reading in students. IB educators are strongly encouraged to include different text types in every inquiry unit of study. Within a unit of study, an IB Diploma Programme educator must ensure that different countries are represented.
Concept-Orientated Reading Instruction (CORI) further supports the notion of reading a wide array of titles. CORI integrates teaching content with reading materials, which supports students in making connections. One component of CORI is offering students a variety of genres. Researchers (Guthrie, Wigfield, et al., 2000) found that students who participated in CORI experienced increased reading motivation.
Futile Practice #3: Requiring Reading Logs
Reading logs give even motivated students a sense of ennui towards reading. One study, titled “The Effect of Mandatory Reading Logs on Children’s Motivation to Read,” found that students’ motivation to read declined due to reading log use. The study concludes with a call to action for educators to explore alternative methods to motivate students’ reading. Although well-intended, reading logs yield diminishing returns on reading motivation.
Reading Motivation Kindler #3: Book Clubs
Implement book clubs to support collaborative reading and afford students an opportunity to participate in an authentic experience. Numerous benefits surface from book clubs, including student agency, intertextuality, collaborative reading, and diversified genre exposure. This idea is espoused by Kelly Gallagher and Penny Kittle, authors and educators.
To establish a book club, offer a list of five book options for students to select from. Each option should connect to the unit in some way. Students can read each book’s blurb, research on the Internet, and make a choice. Students who select the same book will form a book club. Each book club could consist of four to five students.
When a group of students read the same book together, discussion and enthusiasm ensue. Educators can provide prompts or discussion questions for the book club group to read collaboratively. Here are some reflection questions that can be posed to a student book club:
• What parts of the reading connected most to you personally? What makes you say that?
• Why do you think the author did ________?
• Which parts of the book, if any, did you reread? Why?
• Why did you not reread?
• Which character stands out to you most so far? What makes you say that?
Some questions that could be posed for students to dig into the author’s intent, stylistic choices, or intertextuality are the following:
• How does a theme from a text we have read this school year connect to an idea or theme in this text?
• What stylistic choices did the creator make to impact readers?
• What message or idea is the creator communicating through (literary device inserted here)?
• How does this work or text compare and contrast to another reading we have completed this year?
You can also ask students to connect what they are reading to a general prompt. Students then meet in their groups to discuss a prompt or idea that you present. Students may be given a poem from the unit to see how it connects. A spiderweb discussion (http://alexiswiggins.pbworks.com/w/page/57830797/Alexis Wiggins’s Wiki) can also be implemented to encourage book club interconnections and discussions. Flexibility exists with book clubs; the chief objective is to kindle collaborative reading on a book that relates to the unit’s focus. This collaborative experience will augment reading motivation as it positions students to discuss books.
Bonus Reading Motivation Kindler: Famous Readers Bulletin Board
Many students are influenced by celebrities, politicians, or technological innovators. Creating an interactive bulletin board with some of the world’s most prominent influencers shows students why certain individuals choose to read regularly.
The bulletin board can be set up by downloading this attached file: http://canva.com/design/DAFArnIDETA/fwwJ7llNF85nLhTYL2nLdw/edit?utm_content=DAFArnIDETA&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton
Within the document are celebrities that some of our students follow, and each contains a quotation from the individual on reading. Educators can try to leverage students’ interests in order to encourage more reading.
Consider hanging these cards on a public bulletin board with maximum exposure. Sharing the reading habits of famous individuals can also influence students that educators may not directly teach.
Conclusion
Reading logs, teaching one novel in a unit, and heavy analysis book talk presentations will result in demotivating students. Although the statistics on reading enjoyment and motivation are disheartening, hope remains—educators can implement some of these ideas in an attempt to inspire students to read.
Related Links
Adler, M., & Gingerich, J. (2019). The Importance of Reading Across Genres. Reading Improvement, 56(2), 15-23.
Guthrie, J. T., Wigfield, A., & VonSecker, C. (2000). Effects of integrated instruction on motivation and strategy use in reading. Journal of educational psychology, 92(2), 331.
Batchelor, K. E., & Cassidy, R. (2019). The Lost Art of the Book Talk: What Students Want. The Reading Teacher, 73(2), 230-234.
International Baccalaureate. (2021). English A: Language and Literature, Prescribed Literature in Translation Reading List. Retrieved July 21, 2023, from [www.ibo.org/contentassets/b7c7d24c 70a2418ebf035c4c389c6c88/6.-language-a-literature-guide-prescribed-lists-2021-en.pdf (https://www.ibo.org/contentassets/b7c7d24c70a2418ebf035c4c389c6c88/6.-language-a-literature-guide- prescribed-lists-2021-en.pdf)
Gallagher, K., & Kittle, P. (2021). 4 Essential Studies. Stenhouse Publishers.
Reading log study: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1098404.pdf
National Literacy Trust https://literacytrust.org.uk/research-services/research-reports/children-and-young-peoples-
reading-engagement-in-2022/
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Matthew Kloosterman
Matthew Kloosterman is a Canadian expatriate currently living in Shenzhen, China. He is a Middle Years Program English language and literature teacher at an International Baccalaureate (IB) school.
This article is featured in Canadian Teacher Magazine’s Spring 2024 issue.
