Motivation & Engagement Of Striving Readers

MOTIVATION & ENGAGEMENT OF STRIVING READERS

Dr. Jen McCarty & Jessica CrookerEastview High School

Reading Teacher Winter SymposiumFeb. 20th, 2010

READINGsome motivation required

Opening Questions

What does “engagement in reading” mean to you?

What does “engagement in reading” look like?

In your opinion, what contributes to lack of engagement for students in your classes?

Collaborative Team Goal

Professional learning community goal English, Social Studies, Special

Education Guthrie, J. Engaging Adolescents in

Reading (2008) Professor of Literacy Educational psychology of reading Research director—IRA

Our dilemma as educators

Majority of students do not read for pleasure Students are demotivated, apathetic,

resistant to reading school content 2003 study shows 93% of 12th graders did

not read every day for school 69% did not read for enjoyment-a signal for

intrinsic motivation 2000 international survey-U.S. ranked 20th

out of 28 developed countries in reading engagement

Importance of reading engagement

Engagement & motivation contribute to achievement in reading

Interest in reading correlates to reading comprehension

Reading engagement connects more strongly to achievement than home environment

Reading engagement & reading achievement interact in a spiral

Reading engagement correlates to reading achievement

reading

less

reading

morehigher

achievement

What is motivating our students?

Show good behavior Complete an

assignment Extrinsic rewards

get a good grade Outperform others Look smarter Understanding text—

not important

Understanding is most important

Argue, analyze, debate, explain, organize, connect, defend, conclude…

Not isolated, connected to “big picture”

Short or long-term

Performance Goals Mastery Goals

Students’ Reading Motivations

1. Meaning is Motivating2. Control and Choice3. Reading is Social4. Self-Efficacy5. Interest in Reading

Meaning is Motivating

Students must be motivated to be literate

We must move them from performance-minded to mastery-minded

Focus of our teaching must be mastery goals

Discourage obsession with grades

Meaning is Motivating

7 practices of mastery motivation Provide mastery goals Make tasks relevant Use hands-on activities Transform text to meaning Scaffold mastery motivation Provide re-teach opportunities Reward effort over performance

Control and Choice

Seek to balance teacher vs. student centeredness

6 practices that cultivate motivation:1. Ownership of text2. Options for how to learn3. Input into curriculum4. Self-selection of knowledge displays5. Voice in standards for evaluation6. Inquiry projects

Reading is Social

6 practices that invite expression of students’ social tendencies

1. Open discussions2. Student-led discussion groups3. Collaborative reasoning4. Arranging partnerships5. Socially constructing the management6. Scaffolding social motivations over time

Self-Efficacy

Recognize the gap Match the text to the reading levels of

students Establish initial confidence Set realistic goals Assure the enabling skills

Interest in Reading

1. Making real-world connections2. Personalizing with questioning3. Extending intrinsic interests4. Self-expressing5. Puzzling (working through

inconsistencies in text)

A Vision of K-12 Students Today

Another link for back-up

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A-ZVCjfWf8