Validity of Reading

In "You Gotta BE the Book" Wilhem makes us think about how reading can be valid. He states how reading can "lead to self-discovery and learning." Is this what makes reading valid? I think that if students read and get something good for themselves out of it, it is very valid. Not everyone will get the same piece of information out of a reading as the student next to them.

I think the harder question is how do we get students to the point where they will do the reading for themselves? According to Hobson in THIS ARTICLE, only 70% of students in college will not do the assigned readings. If more of these students had been taught that all reading can apply to them in some way, I'm sure that percentage would be more like 50%.

If the students ARE reading but still not getting anything from it, is it valid? My thoughts on this are maybe too simple... You have to get something, just SOMETHING out of it to be considered valid. If they realize this at a younger age, they will be more likely to want to read what is assigned. Here are some of my ideas:

Take away reading quizzes; start a journal of application; talk about things important to the students; let them read on more of their own schedule- due dates have to keep a class together, but not a chapter per day; talk about how the readings make the students feel

The article I mentioned above talks about teaching in college, but has some good ideas you could apply in high school as well. One idea being that you make sure texts are being used how they were intended- this is important if you are using curriculum from another teacher. Another good point is that not every class needs a textbook- teachers need to think out of the box to engage the students. Maybe choose smaller texts instead- typically speaking, it is easier to connect to a novel or article than a huge textbook with small writing.

Encouraging students to apply reading to their own life will be the challenge I take out of this. Maybe not get so frustrated with a student who said they didn't have time to read, but encourage them to catch up and work with them so that they do not get discouraged and give up. I want to remember this especially when I am first starting a class; it starts with the first impression you make with a class.