In today’s modern age who has time to read? With TV, video games, sports, homework, the internet, and hanging with friends, where does sitting down to read for fun fit on the list? With educational demands requiring students to read, in my opinion, it often results in students not reading for fun. I know personally, between reading for 5 classes, on a Friday evening it is hard to motivate myself to pick up a good read; after staring at books all day I definitely don’t jump at the chance to read again. So what long term effect does this play on student’s development? Many educators believe that to become good readers, kids need to read often and widely. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reports that students who said they read for fun almost every day had higher average reading scores in 2004 than those who said that they never or hardly ever read for fun. But between 1984 and 2004, NAEP says the number of 17 year olds reporting they never or hardly ever read for fun rose from 9% to 19%, while the percentage who read daily dropped from 31% to 22%. Adolescents who do not read could face significant setbacks in later life. Throughout adult life a strong vocabulary and reading skills will be important for college text, healthcare forms and insurance documents, even manuals for refrigerators and dishwashers. Is making reading a academic requirement for students a turn off to read? I know I often found myself defiant or against reading simply because it was made a requirement. If a book was required to read for class I automatically had a negative attitude towards the book, however if I read the same book on my own, I enjoyed the novel. My question is how do we encourage adolescent reading? How can we motive youth to enjoy reading, and make reading for fun a daily ritual. Heck, how do I motivate myself to find time to read?
J
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You bring up a very good point here. I often find myself not reading for fun because of the amount of reading I have to do for school. However, over the summer or on vacations I always enjoy reading a good book. These are times to relax, and a book is the perfect opportunity. I like what you said about novels for school. It is so true these days, that if a book is required for school it is automatically not good. However, sometimes it is a good book, but students have this attitude towards school that nothing can be interesting. Somehow we need to change this. Maybe by throwing in a good book, already known to many. If it all of a sudden was put into the curriculum and students heard good things about it, then maybe in the future they can hope for another decent book. In my high school, I had already read a book for leisure, and then it was required for a class. I right away told everyone how good the book was, and you could see the change in attitudes for everyone in the class. Almost everybody gave an attempt at liking it, and most did end up liking it. This just answers one of your questions, however I don't know the answer as to how we can get children to read for fun everyday.
I think you need to get children to figure out what they like. We should introduce a variety of books into our classrooms so that children will see everything that is out there. We need to stop "forcing" kids to read. Reading is a good thing, but if we force people to do it, they won't want to. People don't want to be forced to do things. If you are a teacher, you need to show how much you love to read. Kids respect teachers, and if they see your love for reading, then maybe they will want to read for fun. I think we need to show kids that you can read for fun early on, because as you get older, there is less and less time to do it. I don't allow myself to read for fun during school because then I would neglect my homework. I only allow myself to read over Christmas break and summer break. The point is, there isn't a lot of time, but if kids learn to love reading early on, they will make time.
I like that you did your post on this topic. The more I think about it, I do not find myself reading for fun anymore. I feel that now the only reason I read is because it was assigned for a class. Yet, when I was younger I never had the problem with reading and actually made an effort to read part of a book everyday. As people get older I think they let their lives become consumed with all the aspects that make them busy and do not take a break to sit down relax and read, which is also becoming the problem in young children. There are to many distractions now a days that take away from reading. Kids much rather play video games or watch TV. I feel that it would be a struggle to get kids to find interest in reading everyday for fun, but I also feel that there has to be a way that can help encourage it. There are some kids that enjoy reading and still do it for fun, but it truly is a shame that not all kids find this interest. Maybe parents could take their kids a local library and have them find a book they like and encourage them to read it, i feel that you have to encourage the child to read because otherwise they will just find something else to do.
I couldn't agree with you more. As a student myself, I often feel overwhelmed with the amount of assigned readings given for even just one class alone. Not only do I have 14 credits this semester but I'm also working 20 some hours a week on top of that. I find most people I talk to have the same issue. Its hard in today's time to do one vs. the other (school or job). So when can we read for pleasure?
Then we have the elementary age student. I have found that these kids have so much on their plate at such a young age with school and the number of after school activities available (e.g. lessons, sports). Add the number of distractions like t.v., video games and the internet, they too have difficulty balancing pleasure reading with their busy lifes.
What are we teaching our youth? Is the advance of technology ultimately harming our society's future by neglecting the importance of books and reading?
I feel that reading a book for school is always looked at as some big drag. A lot of books I had to read for high school were looked at as not fun reads because we had to read the book and we had to write the paper on it afterwards.
But what if as teachers you changed that. Why aren't there literature classes where the students can pick the books they would like to read. I think that if the student picked a book out themselves they would enjoy reading more and then this could maybe lead to more reading for enjoyment later in life.
Also maybe if you are in elementary school just have about 20 mins a day were kids pick out any book they want and read it during class. Then maybe to make sure they are reading after they finish a book they come up to the teacher and tell them what the book was about.
I think the reason reading for classes puts students off from reading in the time constraints. If you need to read a 500 pages book in one week, reading becomes a major pain and you won’t have a chance to really think about what you are reading. When I am reading for fun I don’t mind rereading a page if I feel like I missed something, but if its a book I’m required to read I just want to finish the book as fast as possible. During the semester I just don’t have any time to read for fun, but over breaks I will read a few books for fun that I’ve been collecting during the semester. I bought a book last week that I really want to read, but I would rather wait to read it when I have the time to really appreciate the story rather than just racing through it. So I think the best way to motivate students to read is a more flexible schedule and to allow students to have a greater say in what they will be reading.
I think that almost everyone will agree with your comment that we live very busy lives, and that reading for pleasure is not #1 on everyone's To-Do List. I know that I am sure one of these people! I love to read, and one of the things I look forward to the most about summer is heading to my library and stocking up on girly books to read while lounging next to my pool, or on the beach.
I think that one reason I still make such an effort to read for my own personal enjoyment is the influence of my parents. Growing up, my parents always read to me and provided me with quite the collection of children's books. A trip to the bookstore to pick out a new book was often used as a reward for good grades when I was in Early Elementary. Also, I saw my mom read almost every evening, which taught me that reading can be a personal choice, and that is doesn't always have to be the result of an assignment.
My teachers in elementary school also did a wonderful job of instilling a love of reading in me. They made it such a "cool" activity by allowing us lots of freedom in regards to what type of books we checked out from the library. My 2nd grade teacher had a clawfoot bathtub in the room that was filled with oversized pillows and each week 2 students were privileged enough to receive rights to the tub during reading time. Also, we had Read-Ins throughout my elementary school experience, where we were allowed to bring in pillows, blankets, sleeping bags, and snacks, create our own little reading nooks throughout the classroom, and camp out for most of the day with our best friends and our favorite books. By allowing students to have freedom and experience the joys of reading outside of a strictly academic task, children will learn to love it. And, although eventually they will grow up and likely become overly-busy college students, they might still make time to head to the library on their summer vacations...
I love to read. I read whenever I have free time. I know that probably isn't normal for most college students, but I think it's important.
It's hard to find time to read, but think about all the time you have when you're waiting. I read when I'm riding the CATA bus out to tutoring. I read when I'm taking my lunch break during the day. It's relaxing for me.
It is hard to motivate those who aren't freaks like me and who don't enjoy reading. But I personally believe that it's good brain food to prioritize reading. Perhaps when teaching an English class, teachers could assign a certain number of hours a week for the student to read any book that they choose for fun. It may make students, as you say, rebellious against reading. But perhaps they'll come to enjoy it after awhile.
I only hated the assigned reading times when I had to read a certain book that I did not enjoy. If students can read any book they desire, maybe that will cause them to find more genres that they do enjoy and will want to read more.
I think that is is a very relevant topic and I also agree with what you have to say. It is true that with many different sources people seem to spend less time reading. Not to mention the fact that many people live extremely busy lives and cannot find the time to read as much. I too am guilty of this. I often feel overloaded with homework as well as studying for exams. It seems as though there is always something due and with that being said, this definetely limits the amount of free time available. With this being the case, I don't necessarily want to spend the little time I have reading because I have already read so much for classes that it can get quite exhausting.
This can hurt student's development. It is unfortunate but I know that the less I read, the less I could learn because by reading you are constantly learning. I believe it is true that to become a good reader it takes practice meaning students have to read frequently however, with the vast amount of work given to students it often makes this hard for students to juggle reading for school and reading in their free time.
It is important that students need to read more often for fun because it is proven that these students develop as better readers and do better on tests that involve reading scores. Another problem that seems to occur is students often do not like the books they have to read in the school curriculum which does not motivate them to read outside the classroom. There needs to be something we can do about this. We need to find books that many people can relate to and books that seem to be popular and well liked to help get students motivated to read more by reading books they like in the classroom. Educators also need to find a way to encourage students to read for fun. Whether they reward prizes for those who read for fun, or find a way to get their students to read books that they enjoy it would help get students motivated as well.
I also think that sometimes educators demand too much reading for students. When you are forced to read and especially when you have to read a lot it makes you want to do this less. This is why it is important that educators make sure thier students are reading but instead of having their students read so much for class, maybe have the students concentrate on also reading for fun. If their is a better balance between reading for school and reading for fun this might also help students to read more for fun when they have the time.
Lastly, when students talk to other students about reading this also helps. If a classmate recommends a book, chances are it helps to get the student to read it especially if they are told it is a good book. This is how students and fellow classmates can have a role in reading as well. It is important that educators try to come together to help encourage their students to read more for fun but it would also be helpful for students to enjoy other things they are reading so that they are motivated and more likely to read on their own. The more educators pressure the students to read lengthy, boring texts and books the less the students are going to want to read and this can cause a problem in the students education and success in reading and reading scores. This is why we want to set good examples for reading.
I think this was a wonderful subject choice to report on, especially for a class of this manner where we analyze readers and books, It is always interesting to see other peoples opinions on simple things taken for granted, like reading.
I think its pretty sad that we live in a society where we dont emphasize the value of reading. Reading is such a powerful tool. Not to many things can take you to another world, allow you to travel to foreign countries, or submerge yourself into a completely different culture without taking a single step.
I agree, it hard to find time to leisurely read. However, it is not impossible. If one truly desires to read there is time to do so. Taking time from activities such as surfing the internet or watching TV.
I think that this is an important message to send to the younger generations of students. With technological advances, it will become even easier for children to lose the practice of reading. Which will be a shame.
It is really difficult to find time to read for fun on a daily basis. But since I've started this class, I've found the time. The key, I think, is to pick the same time of day every day and to set it aside as your reading time. I do mine while I'm on the bus, riding to campus. I realized that usually while I'm on the bus, I just sit in the seat, staring out into space anyway. It's so much more productive to read at the same time.
As far as kids go, maybe we could make sure to emphasize how reading can help them in the future. We can tell them about how our own experiences learning to read and reading for fun have helped us in school and in real life. We can tell them strategies, like the one I listed above, to work reading into their schedules even when they get busy. I also agree with what Alison said, that you should figure out the types of things that students like and help them find books which promote those items.
I also agree with what Stephanie said, that we should set aside time in the classroom for students to read. Not only that, but we should be reading with them. Modeling is one of the best ways we can emphasize the importance of reading to kids. Instead of grading papers, or doing other important work, if we would just read along with kids during their reading time, they would see that books really are important to us. I plan to use this strategy in my classroom someday.
This is so true! We are assigned so much to read as college students and honestly I feel like there is never enough time to read ALL of what I'm assigned to read. I think it is impossible to read everything I am assigned before the next class. I often find myself catching up on all of my readings over the weekend and even then everything does not get read because I get overwhelmed by the amount of things I have to read.
I always end up reading only what I find important (or what ever I think we may talk about in my classes) before the next class meeting and I put the rest of it off until the last minute. It isnt because I don't care about my reading assignments or because I don't want to do them, its because I can't possibly read all of the material that I am assigned. I try my best to do what I can but it gets to be too much sometimes. I usually enjoy my readings for class but I am frustrated with how often I get information overload. This semester is the most reading intensive semester I've had here and honestly I've gotten to the point that I read the material I have to read on my own schedule and not that of the syllabi. Its easier for me to get it done that way.
As far as encorauging adolescent reading, I think that it is best to start them out as strong readers by encoraging them to read the genres that they are most interested in and then gradually introduce them to new genres that they may have not otherwise chosen to read. For example, if an adolescent is very interested in realistic fiction they should be encoraged to read a lot of that genre and then the parent or teacher can introduce them to a new closely related genre like biography/memoir and then after that they can introduce them to a genre that is not as closely related to those first two.
I love that you brought up this point. I have to admit that I love reading, but during the school year the only reading I find myself doing is assigned readings. In fact I do so much reading that isn't fun in my mind that it makes me look forward to the time I will have to read for pleasure. During Christmas break and summer break the first thing I look forward to is reading a good book. Sure, call me a dork, but reading is one of my favorite things to do. That is why I don't understand why I can't find time to just read for during the busy school year. I feel bad when I start to read a good book and then have to stop reading when I get to the second chapter because I don't have the time. I don't know a way to incorporate reading more into our schedules but I know that a lot of people if they could would read for pleasure so much more if they had the time. I think that if maybe children start reading at a younger age and realize that there are good books out there that there will be time in the day for more reading. Instead of children using their spare time to sit and play video games they should take the time to read. There are so many activities for kids to do these days that reading books is a thing from the past. How are we able to make it something that children want to do? Not even children but adults? There needs to be more time for reading. I am even guilty of not making the time for books but I wish I could I just don't think there are enough hours in the day for me to squeeze it in, which is very unfortunate. How do we squeeze it in?
In today's society it is very difficult to find time to read with everything else there is going on. The options are endless, watching TV, movies, playing video games, and countless others. However, I feel like it is very important to find time to read. Not only is reading enjoyable, it makes your mind active and helps you to become a better learner and a better person, as novels help you to see the world from other points of view. Growing up, my mom and dad always made sure that I made a special place in my day for reading, and i grew into this habit and still do it today. It can be a little overwhelming with school work and never ending reading that is required for classes, but setting time aside for enjoyable reading is really important to me and so i make time for it. If more people would spend quality time reading, I feel that the world would be a much better place, because reading and books are so important, and we should all set aside some quality time to just sit and read.
This post brings up a great point. When I was younger I used to read all the time, I loved to read. My 6 year old is just like I used to be, she reads all the time and doesn't want to do anything else. Its frustrating for me that she will probably lose her passion for reading once she starts reading for school. I think it is inevitable that children start losing their passion for reading when they start reading for school. Textbooks are the worst. They are dry, boring, and you have to keep rereading them in order to absorb all of the information you need. You get so sick of reading your textbooks, you don't want to pick up a book. I think a great way of encouraging students to read novels is to let them choose what novels they want to read. Instead of saying that everyone should read little women, teachers should give students a list of 10-20 books they could choose from. This way students have some freedom on what to read, and they might actually enjoy one of the books on the list. I also think teachers should make a deal with their students a couple times a week that they won't have homework, as long as they read for pleasure for like 30 min. They could have a parent signature to prove that they read. As for how to get students our age to read more for pleasure? I don't really think there is a solution, we are all far too busy. Maybe we could spend 20 minutes before bed reading for pleasure, or spend 20 minutes less on facebook, or read while waiting for class to start. Hopefully everyone will read more when we graduate from MSU and have more time on our hands. = )
I know I'm a little behind on the reading of this post, but I immediately connected with what you were saying about reading as a requirement. I have never been an avid reader, especially when it came to school reading. I think you put it best when you said that if you were forced to read any selected book your feelings were immediately judgement prior to even reading, however if that same book was picked up by choice the reading would go an entirely different way.
I think that in school there needs to be required non-fiction reading, but the amount needs to remain at an appropriate level. If all six classes are requiring each student to read 20 pages a night, that is 120 pages per night, which for me would take me a good three-four hours. Insane. Also when I reach over an hour of required reading, my level of comprehension diminishes, literally my brain shuts down. It is important for teachers to collaborate with all the teachers their students see to set an average amount of reading throughout the school. I worked in a day care, and I had to instruct my students to read, and I hated assigning them reading, therefore I decided that twice a week I would assign free read. This was were I allowed my students, first grade, to select their own book and read it. There would be no formative or summative assessment, it was a pleasure read for their own benefit. It worked. They were more responsive to the required reading that I assigned.
I hope this helps some :-)
Liz
This is a very interesting topic. This year I began reading for fun. I am currently reading "The Wolf of Wall Street" and the "Yankee Years," simultaneously. I began reading these in late summer and was reading a lot in the beginning of the semester. I am probably a little over half way through with each book and have been for a while. Reading is something we simply have to make time for. I interned at an Investor Realations firm, in New York City, this past summer. I wanted to learn more about investment banking and wanted to enjoy reading, so I chose the "Wolf of Wall Street." I have been swamped with school work, but, at the same time, haven't made the time to read. This is a mentality we have to change in our society, where we watch movies on books as opposed to reading the books themselves.
I hate Reading!! There is nothing in this world that has given me more trouble in my college career than keeping up with the reading for classes, and to be honest, I can recall the FEW books I have actually read from cover to cover. All because I do not have time, or better yet, I make priority of other things like, watching TV and hang out with friends over reading. All honesty, I consider reading to be overrated, and I know it is a bad bad bad attitude to have, I have not had an experience that is truly enjoyable with reading. I just think I could do so many other things rather than just sit in a chair and read. In conclusion, I don’t think it is about making time to read, it is more of prioritizing what is important and attractive to people. Obviously I consider watching TV, surfing the web, or even hanging out with friends a bigger priority than reading a book, even if it is for class. What’s funny, is that it has actually has catch up to me, and I have found myself forcing me to read, think that is not very easy, since now it takes me a longer period of time to read a couple of pages.
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