Finding #2: Why Reading Reluctantly?
There are some reasons that students read reluctantly:
- The reading materials are irrelevant to their lives. There is no authentic link between the reading and their experiences. This kind of reading materials can hardly inspire students' interest to read.
- The reading materials are selected and determined by the school committee or the teachers, and students have no chance to get involved in the process of decision making. This makes students feel that they are reading for the teachers and the schools, not for themselves.
- The level of the reading materials does not match the level of the students, which makes the reading way too hard for them.
- Select reading materials that are relevant with their lives and the world around them to make them feel the relationship between their reading and the reality as the propelling force.
- Invite students to get involved in the process of selecting reading materials except for the required textbooks to provide them the feeling of decision making, the responsibility and the opportunities of making choices.
- There are always more than just one level of readers in one class. As educators, we need to make sure that we know the reading levels of our students and provide differentiated instructions, differentiated reading materials, or incorporate other activities to keep students in progress. Even though CCSS emphasizes that students should be able to read complex texts, we should always be careful about the extent and not to go too far.