What Can We Do to Create Democratic Classrooms?
The readings for this week built upon what we have discussed time and time again; students interests and experiences must be considered to meaningfully engage with texts. Bomer took this further by describing classrooms that pursue democratic practices that are student focused. Students participated in deciding how the classroom would be arranged, how they could address behavioral issues and other (radical?) practices. The students in these classrooms were able to identify social problems examining society with a critical lens. They were empowered to act for social change and many of their efforts were met with success. Culturally relevant teaching is built on the premise that we must take the time to know students as individuals to be effective educators.
The example described in Removing Barriers... by Jo Worthy tells of an assumption made by a teacher about one of her students, Sam. She claimed that, "his family probably doesn't read, [he] probably gets no modeling at home (Worthy, 1996, p. 484).” She also tries to catch him not reading, a practice that likely negatively impacts his attitude toward reading. Sam reveals that his mother read to him nightly as a child though he now lives with his father who reads mostly the paper and some magazines. Sam has also utilized the library (though the article states no child in the case study group had visited the library in the past year). These are behaviors that are associated positively with reading habits. Teacher had a negative view of him based on….? The researcher was able to learn about Sam by just asking him about his experiences. How hard would that have been for the teacher to do?
At the same school, “The librarian acknowledged that the Goosebumps books, Sam's favorite, were very popular with students but that "parents don't like them," so she does not order them for the library, although they are available for students to purchase at the annual school book fair (Worthy, 1996, p. 485).” What is she basing this on? If they are available for sale at book fairs, presumably parents that buy books from there are likely to purchase these books because that is what their children want. Student choice increases engagement as demonstrated by student success in the ocean unit and literature unit in which they were able to study topics of interest to them (Worthy, 1996).
Would you be willing to include books like Goosebumps or Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark in your classroom? Would they be just for pleasure reading or do you think they have enough academic value to be used to teach state standards?
Think of the example of the teacher that read mostly “trash” for pleasure and hated to be forced to read. Light reading is popular among children and adults. Will we need to make sure that students are not reading “trash” while still allowing choice? How will we do that?
We have discussed the importance of curating your texts to include a variety of viewpoints and perspectives different from your own. How do we make sure that what students are choosing to read achieves this end?
Will there be time set aside for pleasure reading in your classroom? Will students be able to choose texts for pleasure reading? Why or why not?We are told that students that see reading modeled in a home with many available books are likely to be readers. However, as the article by Jo Worthy points out, that is not always the case. Some students have many books they do not read because they did not choose the books. Some students that are seen as “unmotivated” readers at school read for pleasure at home. This is likely because what they are asked to read does not interest them and feels like an imposition. In the article, “The 2 "wonderful" students who have many books and positive literacy role models rarely read outside of school. Only 2 of the 11 students, Gerardo and David, have regular access to materials of their choice. Although it came as a surprise to their teachers, since they had labeled them "unmotivated" readers at school, these 2 boys are the only students of the 11 we surveyed who read regularly at home (Worthy, 1996, p. 487).”
Access interesting texts is a problem in many libraries. I have the same problem with IMPL even with electronic copies. It is not enough to order more as the example in the article demonstrates. Popular books are always checked out (even when there are multiple copies such as the 50 Goosebumps books), materials disappear, parents cannot afford to purchase books that interest their children. What can we do to try to ameliorate this issue?
Democratic classrooms are the ideal towards which I am sure we would all agree to strive for. Sam’s teacher made assumptions about reading habits in his home that did not align with his actual experience. All she had to do was ask and develop relationship with her student which seems easy enough. Allowing student choice for text selection is not enough to create a democratic classroom. What steps could we take to further develop democratic participation?
Bomer states that, “Children who have not been allowed to choose, to carry out an intention, will not know inside that people can choose how to live (Bomer, 2001, p.100)”. This resonated with me. Growing up poor it did not occur to me that there were options available to me. My world felt very small. I was much older before I realized that my mother had repeated a generational pattern/cycle of poverty by not escaping it. I realized that I would do everything that I could to break the cycle. I would want every one of my students to think that whatever it is they want to I do, they can. I want to play a part in how they get there. I sometimes feel overwhelmed by the work that lies ahead. It seems like it would be so easy to just fall into the habit of going through the motions. I just remind myself that it is a process that I will improve overtime. I will do what it takes to meet the needs of all my students. I just don’t know exactly how that will look or what that will involve at this point. I do know that I will have to allow myself to be vulnerable. I will have to relinquish power to create a student centered classroom.
There is plenty to choose from as far as social issues go to engage students in democratic processes. What are some ways that you plan to develop democracy in your classroom? Were there practices in the reading that you plan to incorporate into your teaching?
Click here for a link to a Cult of Pedagogy podcast about reluctant readers.
Bomer, R., & Bomer, K. (2001). For a Better World: Reading and Writing for Social Action. Heinemann, 88 Post Road West, PO Box 5007, Westport, CT 06881.
Worthy, J. O. (1996). Removing barriers to voluntary reading for reluctant readers: The role of school and classroom libraries. Language Arts, 73(7), 483-492.
Click here for a link to a Cult of Pedagogy podcast about reluctant readers.
References
Bomer, R., & Bomer, K. (2001). For a Better World: Reading and Writing for Social Action. Heinemann, 88 Post Road West, PO Box 5007, Westport, CT 06881.
Worthy, J. O. (1996). Removing barriers to voluntary reading for reluctant readers: The role of school and classroom libraries. Language Arts, 73(7), 483-492.
Amber, you proposed a lot of great questions along the way in your blog. Yes, I would include Goosebumps or Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark in my classroom and would be willing to use them to meet state standards. I would set them up as a book club, so, that students had a choice for reading. As a teacher, you can teach fluency and Key Ideas and Textual Support along with many other state standards such as 3.rf.5, 3.rl.1, 3.rl.2, 3.rl.3 and 3.rl.4 with these books. The struggle for teachers becomes that many schools have grade level teachers work together on lesson plans. In this case, grade level teachers are deciding in July/August on what books will be in the book club readings they will be offering in January/February. Students interest change from year to year and the teachers might not select the “Hot” book series in July/August. This will cause the teachers to develop other reading times to incorporate "Hot" books.
ReplyDelete“These areas can be addressed in the context of a well-rounded reading program that includes teachers read-alouds, guided reading instruction, and free choice, independent reading: choice in instructional reading, opportunities to read for enjoyment and access to high-interest materials.” (Worthy, p. 489)
An organized teacher will be able to incorporate several of these tactics throughout each week to help support their students. As a substitute teacher, I have noticed that teachers use transition times for silent reading such as coming in after recess or returning from “specials.” These silent reading time are about 15 minutes long. Sometimes they are structured such as the students would read their book club books; other times are free reading.
You had so many good questions & great content, it's hard to narrow down what I would like to answer! I would like to set aside time in my classroom for free reading. It would be cool to do an every other day thing, with MWF being a read aloud as a class, and TTh being independent reading time. And I would like to structure it around student choice, by choosing through a vote what book will be the read aloud, as well as having them choose what they want to read during independent reading.
ReplyDeleteHowever, this brings up the issue of engagement. Just as the teacher in Worthy's article stated that she didn't like to read when she was pressured, I wonder how we can engage our students in reading some of the required texts for curriculum. Perhaps this could be where the hacking begins, adding in some lighter reads to accompany the heavy required texts on similar content.
I also felt for the issue of supplying books that have higher demands, like the Goosebumps series. I would love to provide these type of light reads in my classroom so we wouldn't have to rely on the school or public library. I'm thinking of doing a poll at the beginning of the year or just paying attention to what is popular, and then asking parents for donations for our classroom library. Maybe the parents won't be on board for Goosebumps-like books, but if I told them that getting them to read "trash" is better than no reading at all, maybe they would get on board!
Great post Amber! I also found it concerning that the researchers in Removing Barriers felt it was appropriate for them to pass judgment on students’ families, particularly since they’d never met them. Rather than critiquing the father for only reading the newspaper or magazines, they could have encouraged Sam to find things to read at the same time as his father. This way, reading could be seen as something he has in common with his father as opposed to just being for homework. Maybe if teachers spent less time trying to change students' home lives or habits, and more time adjusting their personal worldview/curriculum to better serve their students, all students would be better off.
ReplyDeleteI will definitely include books like Goosebumps or Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. Students are more likely to become lifelong readers if they understand that reading can be fun. There’s a place for books that are academically rich and ripe for analyzing in the classroom. However, it is equally important for there to be a place for books that children can escape within. We should celebrate children who chose to pick up the latest Goosebumps versus watching television at night. Condemning books they find interesting will only result in them resenting reading. Once we get them hooked on lighter reading, it will be easier to get them to read books with more value. The important thing is that teachers remain knowledgable on current reading trends so that they can continuously recommend new books that students will like. In working with the third graders, I've many of them mention Diary of a Wimpy Kid. If I were their teacher, I'd read one of the books, and compile a list of recommendations based on that. This could also be a way of stealthily including books that have greater academic value.
Thanks, Addy. Diary of a Wimpy Kid is everywhere. It just makes sense to build on that enthusiasm. I agree that educators should support most any type of reading that holds student interest. It is better to read anything than nothing at all. As a kid, I read many types of books. I devoured Fear Street by R.L. Stine and anything by John Grisham or Stephen King. Even though this was light reading, I still created worlds in my imagination as I read along. I also felt compelled to read from the 'canon'. As we have discussed before, we need to broaden our range of books that are valued in the classroom. I also agree with your point that too often educators want to mold students into who they want them to be rather than accept them for who they are and build from there. I think that has to do with deficient thinking as well as pressure placed on teachers to teach to the standards.
DeleteThanks for your insightful post, Amber! I am absolutely going to have time for pleasure reading in my classroom. My 2nd and 3rd grade teacher, Mrs. Johnson loved reading and passed on that love to her students in the classroom by encouraging us to read. My favorite part of every day was DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) time. We had at least 30 minutes, if not more, every day to read. I don't recall being forced to read specific books or books at my reading level. We were allowed to bring books from home, choose a book from the classroom library, or (towards the end of the year) go to the school library alone and choose a book. During DEAR time, we were allowed to sit anywhere we wanted--at our desk, in bean bag chairs, anywhere on the floor--but were encouraged to make wise choices about where we sat or who we sat by. This same teacher incorporated different activities into reading time as well. One of my favorites was what we called 'reading walks.' Everyone would take whatever book they were reading at the time and walk around the classroom while reading. Mrs. J provided actions for every kind of punctuation--pause 1 second for a comma, pause 2 seconds for a period, jump up for an exclamation point. At the time I just thought it was great fun, but I realize now that she was teaching us to pay attention to more than just the words in a book. Looking back, this activity was probably also good for the students who had trouble sitting still and just needed to move around. We got to move around, but we were also reading.
ReplyDeleteBecause I plan to have time set aside for pleasure reading, I would also like to have a classroom library that has the books kids like to read--"Goosebumps," "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark," and comic-style books. I don't think kids should read only these books, but if that is what jump-starts a love for reading, I'm all for it!
Thanks, Rachel. I love the example of DEAR. I think it is a great way to do free reading time and a good model to emulate.
DeleteGreat post Amber! You had so many great points and valid questions regarding reading at school and how it connects to reading outside of school. You asked the question of whether I would add texts like Goosebumps in my classroom. I believe I would because student choice is very important for me.
ReplyDelete“Student choice increases engagement as demonstrated by student success in the ocean unit and literature unit in which they were able to study topics of interest to them.” (Worthy, 1996)
I know from past experience, that I was the student who didn’t mind reading other things away from school. Those readings interested me, and I wasn’t forced to read texts that I couldn’t connect. It will be my job as a professional to help provide a list of texts that will supplement the core texts required by the school. I believe it is also up to the teachers to go find those texts that interest our students. It begins with getting to know our students and what they like to do.
Great post! I think I will include those books others seems as 'trash' into my classroom because I grew up reading them and I think those books are the ones I have the fondest memories of. I find it harder for me to remember the plot of books I was forced to read, but always have remembered books I read in my spare time. I also found that as I grew up, the less I read for pleasure. I found that on-top of the school required reading, I did not have the energy to read something for fun. I want to encourage my students that reading is such a wonderful hobby. They can gain so much from reading those 'trashy' books, and I think it is so important to use their input about what books they like/dislike in the classroom. Even if a book, to me, is the perfect book for the curriculum, but the students feel no connection to it, is it worth teaching?
ReplyDeleteAmber, I loved your critical analysis of the Worthy article and the questions you posed throughout the blog! While I was reading the Worthy article, I couldn’t help but think why are these teachers/librarians not realizing that even the “light reads” are beneficial for students. I’m sure all of us have experienced a situation where we were forced to read something that didn’t interest us and we didn’t give it our 100% devotion. This is the same for our students! While we may provide opportunities for students to read “if the reading materials are not chosen by the students, they may languish on the shelf” (Worthy 487). This goes hand-in-hand with the Bomer & Bomer chapter as we must understand if we want our students to be active in social action we must create a space that embodies the mindset and encourages student driven classrooms/curriculum. If we only provide books that we feel are critical with little voice from students regarding selection, how would we expect them to feel as if their voice or opinions matter about larger social matters? We are not creating a democratic environment that encourages critical consciousness if we are not allowing for conversation, collaboration, and questioning. Finally, I related this week’s readings with my own field experience as I have seen a gradual increase of participation when I allow Dylan to lead the lesson and choose what kind of books he wants to read. He loves Diary of a Wimpy Kid books but says that they don’t get to read them in school. This connected with my initial reading interest survey as he says he doesn’t like reading at school but sometimes reads at home and hopes to read more. He has the drive and interest in reading but is not being given the opportunity to read based off his interests. Has anyone else had any experience with this kind of contrast between your student being interested in reading but not being able to read the books they want in school?
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sam. I am reading a Captain Underpants with my buddy. She liked it so much that she borrowed it from a friend and finished it before our third session. (which explained why her predictions about what would happen next in the story were so accurate!) She said they don't get to read them at school, but clearly the kids read them as they have personal copies. I think this demonstrates perfectly the disconnect between student interests and texts teachers value in the classroom.
DeleteGreat post Amber! You brought up a lot of great questions. I would absolutely include pleasure reading books into my classroom. Books like Goosebumps and Scary Stories can have some academic value, you just have to be willing to put in the effort to find it. I really enjoyed reading in elementary school, but the older I got, the less I cared about reading because the assigned books didn't interest me. I believe that all reading, no matter the medium, is important. Being able to find academic value in student chosen texts is so important because many people enjoy reading, or have less time for reading, the older they get. If we want to make students stronger readers for the future, we must value the "trash" books that children enjoy and create academic value or at least criticality in all student chosen texts.
ReplyDeleteThanks Will. It seems we can all agree that books we chose to read were much more enjoyable/memorable than those we were forced to read. At this point, any reading is worthwhile if it means the kids are engaged and want to read more. Student choice is crucial!
DeleteAmber, this was a great post! When I was reading the Worthy (1996) article, I was shocked how similar my experiences and thoughts were to the students in the study and the LA teacher. Your questions really made me think and reflect on my own experiences, as well as how I might approach this in my own classroom (with reluctant readers): “Would you be willing to include books like Goosebumps or Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark in your classroom? Would they be just for pleasure reading or do you think they have enough academic value to be used to teach state standards? Think of the example of the teacher that read mostly “trash” for pleasure and hated to be forced to read. Light reading is popular among children and adults. Will we need to make sure that students are not reading “trash” while still allowing choice? How will we do that?”
ReplyDeleteMy experience: There was always a belief during my schooling, particularly as I moved into middle school and high school, that some reading, reading materials (texts, books, magazines, comics, etc.), were just not good enough. Some reading materials were looked down upon, devalued to the point that reading these seemingly didn’t count as real reading and certainly didn’t count as much as a critically acclaimed novel, if counted at all – Worthy touches on this. I have never understood the notion that some reading, the type of text/material, was good and some was bad, and… some worthless?
For me, the worst possible thing that can be done is to degrade some reading materials. The student engaging in reading is more important than the reading material itself…right? You pose the question regarding reading “trash”. Depending on the definition of trash, the answer is yes and no. If by trash we are meaning smut/obscenity, something for adults, then yes – we must have/draw a line and make that line clear to our students, material must be relatively age appropriate – but “trash”, if reflecting literature such as Goosebumps, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, graphic novels, comics, etc. , I don’t believe we would need to filter these, I would definitely allow these in my classroom.
The act of reading, even if the material isn’t necessarily difficult (crucially acclaimed, deep,…books), actually reading something and being engaged in the reading process regardless of the level/worth of the material is much more preferable than the alternative – losing the child entirely or turning a child off of reading, by frequently/continuously giving negative perception of reading in school, of reading in general, and thus developing reading reluctance. Reading light reading material, like you said is very popular, Worthy(1996) suggests that “Such reading leads to better attitudes toward reading and also helps develop the linguistic competencies necessary for reading more difficult materials,” (p. 488)
I was and in many ways continue to be a reluctant reader. Like many of the students in the Worthy (1996) article, my interests in reading, the material/things I enjoyed and was willing to read did not necessarily, or really didn’t at all, follow along with school reading. I was not a Great Gatsby, To Kill a Mocking Bird, or … Harry Potter {{note to self: duck to avoid rocks}} type of reader… but you give me a Sports Illustrated and I was into it, I would read and actually enjoy reading. The thing was, however, my teachers saw reading a magazine as disruptive in class, a cause of students not paying attention, and put no value to reading SI magazine. In fact, they actually trashed the magazine and the choice to read a magazine. They actually trashed my choice for reading about sports so frequently that I stopped reading it (Sports Illustrated)… THEN I just stopped reading (avoiding reading at all cost). I only read out of necessity for a grade – to keep my grades up in order to….. Play sports! I have never really fully recovered, I don’t enjoy sitting and reading (anything). I read articles as I run across on Social Media when I am in the mood (occasionally) and read blogs/articles/recaps/etc. that are cover my sports teams (from my Sports Apps.. IUBB, the Colts, Cubs, Pacers, and Fantasy Football News/update alerts/etc.). A book – no thank you.
ReplyDeleteThe thing is… I want to care about reading, I want to be a reader, I want to be a see a book, get excited, then can’t and won’t put it down (I wish that was me)… but it’s still a struggle to break my reluctance. How / Why did I get to that point/level of reluctance? I was not a huge reader, but I had a few interests, enjoyed reading when I did it (it wasn’t something that I just had to do), but all in all, I didn’t mind reading – I loved being read to.
I was obviously on the fence, at a fork in the road, if you will … SO, what decisions could have driven me towards becoming a reader (avid or even average frequency reader)? What lead me down the path of reluctance?
The reason I mention this and bring up these questions about myself is that my experiences with reading are very similar to those of the students in Worthy (1996) – my parents read to me frequently at bedtime, my family is full of avid readers (my dad, my mom was, my oldest brother… and that was just in the house I grew up in), we had so many books (selves full of them), I enjoyed early literacy, I enjoyed hearing books aloud in class, and so on. It’s a cautionary tale… I was and still am a reluctant reader largely because what I actually did enjoy reading when I was younger was considered to have no merit…no value in literacy… worthless – they (teachers, would tell me “that’s not real reading, read something like this. Something with actual value”. So, I essentially responded with (through actions not words) … yeah, okay, screw that and screw reading. They did nothing to help me become a reader, in fact, they accomplished the opposite!
DeleteSo, what if my teachers would have valued my choice in reading material – my Choice/Interests > Coercion? Maybe I would have still become reluctant, due to laziness, but I would not have become bitter! … But in all seriousness, what is the purpose of forcing kids to read (or rather, always forcing them to read specific materials with minimal choice), when it is obviously turning many off of reading? “Choice and interest in reading materials played an important role in these students’ involvement with and enjoyment of reading at school,” (Worthy, p. 486) – Worthy continues on discussing one of the teachers, “She drew an enlightening parallel to her own reading habits and attitudes and the importance of choice in reading. She explained that, although she typically reads “12, 13, 14, novels, usually trash,” during the summer, she hated to be forced to read something during her own time: . . . This teacher, an avid reader of materials of her choice, admitted that she hated to read what someone else told her to read,” (Worthy, p.486).
We have talked about this a lot, that as teachers there are obviously times when and materials we must teach, texts we must use, and so on – it cannot be a free-for-all, all day every day, do/read whatever you want – not every kid is going to enjoy the class readings/materials and, unless some rare exception, no one student is going to enjoy every single thing he/she reads. But, at what point are we too focused on … forced material … at some point we must shift and place value and make ample time for students’ choice/interest. So to your question, Will there be time set aside for pleasure reading in your classroom? Will students be able to choose texts for pleasure reading? Why or why not? Providing free time to read is absolutely essential in my opinion, and something I will use in my classroom.
I guess it comes down to:
What do we see as our purpose as educators? As language arts/literacy teachers? What are our responsibilities? What do we/should we strive for (our goal)?
Are we working to get kids to read stuff, stuff we want and tell them to read OR are we working to get the kids to read (period, full stop)? Do we value all reading as reading? Should we?
Amber I loved your post and thought you posed so many great questions. I particularly like your question “will we need to make sure that students are not reading “trash” while still allowing choice?” I think the term “trash” is so incredibly subjective. With an abundance of reluctant readers in schools I think we should encourage reading of any sort for our students. As you said we have heard over and over again the importance of getting to know our students and bringing their interests into the classroom helps engage students in the curriculum. It reminds me of the discussion we had in class earlier in the semester about how some teachers don’t feel like graphic novels and books like Captain Underpants are legitimate reading options. Throughout our lessons I believe that we’ve proved that wrong and many of us have had success with getting our buddies engaged in academic content with these texts. I think we should celebrate any interest in reading our students show.
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