BLOG POST 4 (Module 2 Reading Week): Is our Teaching Approach the Reason Why Students Don't Want to Read?

 

 
  





During Module 2 of our course, I came up with the following working definition of Teaching:

Teaching is the art and science of transferring knowledge, skills and experiences to others; it is a process guided by intention, designed to stimulate and foster learning. 

It is often attributed to the intellectual or academic transfer of knowledge; however, teaching can and does occur in a variety of social, cultural, emotional and physical spheres. Teaching is a process that requires the teacher to employ communication skills, active listening, the ability to direct/provide instruction and an authentic desire and intent to share new knowledge from an experienced point of view, to an inexperienced person. Depending on the situation, teaching may take the form of an art, a science, or sometimes a combination of both.

After composing these reflective thoughts and definition, I came back to my inquiry question which asks:

How can I modify my (physical and remote) instruction to increase my students' motivation and interest to study fiction and non-fiction texts - even beyond the walls of the classroom? 

Part of this question places a heavy emphasis and correlation between my actions and approach to teaching and my desired outcome of students with a heighten interest to engage in independent reading. I know that in education we often stress the importance for students to be accountable and responsible for their learning; critical thinkers - often using the metaphor, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink" to justify students waning desire to read...putting the onus on them. However, I would like to challenge the notion, and pose the question, how are we leading them to the water? 

If teaching is meant to be student-centered, than as educators, we must try to incorporate student-centered philosophies, pedagogy and instruction in how we approach reading. It's our job to teach reading and cultivate a love for reading in a way that is not:
  • threatening
  • uncomfortable
  • overwhelming
  • narrow
  • biased (to our own views)
Instead, our teaching approach should aim to:
  • create a space that celebrates diversity in reading content
  • supports struggling readers with tools, reading strategies and emotional support
  • provide opportunities for students to read anything that they want
  • provide reasons why reading is important and fun
  • model good reading habits
  • share our enjoyable reading experiences with our students


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