[MOSAIC] Question for the group

[bonitadee61 at comcast.net]

Hey Bill, and others following this thread,
Have your read "Why We Do What We Do" by Deci? It is an older book and probably much has been learned since its writing, but Deci would certainly argue the lack of student interest in reading that you describe may be directly related to the increase in extrinsic motivation as a tool to increase reading. He would say interest gets lost if motivation depends upon any sort of external control system (like, for example, AR does). Even if you do not use points and rewards he would probably still advise against such a system.  So much of what we do in "test-reaction" tends to go in similar directions--setting the students on path that we determine for them.  I wonder if you are not feeling the motivation outcome of a system that focuses so much upon students inching up a scale rather than on student affect. All the time, I find myself wondering about the same thing you discuss, student love of reading. 

--
Bonita DeAmicis 
California Grade 5

-------------- Original message -------------- 
From: "William Roberts" <Krober15 at tampabay.rr.com> 

> Everyone seems to have misunderstood the purpose of my question. I know how 
> to motivate my kids to read. I know to expose them to quality books and 
> stories. I've read all the books from Chris Tovani's to Kylene Beers. I 
> just wanted to know if everyone was noticing what I was noticing....we are 
> getting better readers, but they aren't becoming life long readers. 
> 
> Most of my kids had to do homework logs last year in 7th grade and they hate 
> to read. They got all their AR points last year, and they hate to read. 
> They did fluency practice every day last year, and they hate to read. They 
> read leveled stories out of the reading text (high interest, low reading 
> level and intelligence level), and they hate to read. We are forcing the 
> act of reading on them, and they are hating to read. I understand the need 
> to practice, and I stress it with my kids, but are we practicing them to 
> death? I hated practicing piano, but I loved to pick out tunes and figure 
> out songs. Are we neglecting the joy of reading? 
> 
> They may be able to pass the state test, but if they hate to read, they 
> won't teach their children to read. If that happens, we are going to have a 
> nation of non-readers who hate to read and their children who will learn to 
> hate to read and then what's the point of all our work? We need to make 
> them better readers, but we have forgotten the emotional appeal of learning. 
> I have loved reading since I was a baby, and I am an excellent reader....not 
> because I practiced every day, but because I loved reading. If we instill a 
> love for reading, the better readers will develop. 
> 
> Bill 
> 
> 
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