Guest post by Blanqui Valledor, York County School Division
In my dream classroom, my students would instantly gravitate to and acknowledge the brilliance of the piece of literature I assigned them to read. We would have in-depth discussions, and they would beg for more insightful pieces of text. That was the dream, not the reality.
It is a struggle to get students to read and get excited over texts when we are constantly competing with short synopses of text found on the web. “This is boring. Why are there so many words? Why do I need to read this?” became chanting mantras in my classroom. I quickly realized that no matter how creatively or enthusiastically I explained the importance of reading and discussion, they could not empathize with the positive power I experienced whenever I read.
Enter leisure reading. In 2014, the International Reading Association published a study on the importance of leisure reading, also known as self-selected, independent reading. According to the 2014 study, “leisure reading enhances students’ reading comprehension, language, vocabulary development, general knowledge, and empathy for others, as well as their self-confidence as readers, motivation to read throughout their lives, and positive attitudes toward reading” (International Reading Association). Out of my need to share my love of reading, I incorporated leisure reading into my curriculum. I had nothing to lose.
At first, leisure reading was met with resistance: “What if I don’t like the book, do I have to continue reading it?” “No,” was always my answer; “I don’t finish books that I don’t like, why should I force you?” I stocked my classroom with a variety of text – young adult, non-fiction, science fiction, fantasy, and best sellers. I read while they read in class. I shared what I was reading and questions I had, and soon after others began sharing their experiences with the books. From their interests, we discussed topics presented in the text which evolved into creating text sets as our mode of research. The chanting mantras I heard for years began to fade and were replaced with ‘You have to read this book!’
Incorporating leisure reading into my curriculum was the best pedagogical decision I have ever made. By allowing my students to select their text, I have been able to understand my students better. They have introduced me to new worlds outside the traditional literary canon, and I have reciprocated their enthusiasm by introducing them to “classics” based on their interests. By the end of the school year, the majority of my students have read anywhere from eight to ten different books – more than I could ever accomplish with them in class.
Student Testimonials: