Inquiry Blog Post #1 - Raising a Rockin' Reading Culture

 Fostering a reading culture in school requires much more intentional effort than simply setting aside a few moments after the lunch bell for silent reading or D.E.A.R. time. Enculturated reading means that the act of reading is embedded in the very nature of every classroom and activity in the school; skills and behaviours are encouraged school-wide and reading initiatives are continuous. As I researched and reflected on this topic, I considered four key actions required to foster a positive reading culture in a school:

1.      Reading habits are trained

2.      Reading forms include technologies and alternative texts

3.      Readers need authentic opportunities for response

4.      Readers need access to resources

1.      Reading habits are trained

This week’s Inquiry topic brought me back to one of my favourite inspirational teaching books, Donalyn Miller’s Reading in the Wild. Miller’s book explores what makes passionate, lifelong, committed readers – what Miller calls, “wild readers”. This book is a roadmap for teachers seeking to foster enduring and positive reading behaviours in students. Miller suggests five steps that support students in internalizing lifelong reading habits:

                                I.            Time: Wild readers intentionally plan reading times during the day and choose to read whenever they have a moment: while they wait for assemblies to start, when they finish projects early, while they are waiting for the bell.

                              II.            Selection: Miller suggests training students in how to choose ‘just right’ books and exhorts students to actively reflect on their reading selections to inform future decisions choosing books that meet their interests, needs, and reading abilities.

                            III.            Community: Miller observes that wild readers spend almost as much time talking about their reading as they do actually reading. She suggests fostering reading communities by encouraging students to share titles and experiences with others through conversations, reading groups, projects and presentations.

                            IV.            Planning: Wild readers are always up-to-date on the next iteration of the series or the new and hot graphic novel; they are always on the look-out for more titles and relish group reading challenges and the excitement of a series.

                              V.            Preferences: Wild readers may read widely, but they also have specific preferences. Miller exhorts teachers to affirm student preferences while also encouraging students to try new genres, topics, authors and styles.

Here is a brief video of Donalyn sharing her book project and her passion. 

 
In my previous teaching situation, I initiated a teacher reading group in which we read Reading in the Wild and sought to experiment with Miller’s concepts in our classrooms. As the school TL and literacy advocate, I supported teachers in their Daily 5 CAFÉ reading by inviting students into the small group discussions and book talks to build reading communities. I also used grant funds to create a hallway reading station from which students could choose books without the trouble of borrowing. Teachers encouraged students to check out the hallway reading station for read-aloud options, as a reward for fast-finishers, as a quiet space for brain breaks. It was a hugely successful in promoting additional reading time. My hope is that, as collaborative culture in the school expands and grows, teachers will be increasingly motivated to work with me as the TL in promoting reading and supporting students in their development as “wild readers”.

2.      Reading forms include technologies and alternative texts

In the past five years as an elementary school teacher librarian I have seen a drastic increase in the availability and diversity of texts available to students. For example, when I began my first position five years ago, the graphic novel collection in the library consisted of a few graphic representations of classical texts – Romeo and Juliet, Dracula and Beowulf. Since then, I have worked diligently to increase the quantity and variety of the graphic novel collection. Today, this genre represents some of the best-loved and most widely-read resources in the entire library including a variety of fiction and non-fiction texts.

Image Source: Pixabay.com

Ebooks are another important form of literature that I have endeavoured to include in our school library collection. This has required some serious conversation with teachers and parents about the fundamental importance of reading – from books on paper and in digital form. Some parents and teachers will sometimes ask for “real books”. However, students are keen to read on their devices and they appreciate the availability and immediacy of ebooks; teachers and parents can’t deny that students are reading, even if it is in ebook form. 

 I find that I am continually explaining that good readers read a variety of texts for a variety of purposes – both to educators and students. It can sometimes be a challenge to exhort readers (or teachers!) to move out of their comfort zone and choose a new genre or form or literature, but I consider these conversations highly valuable; they provide opportunities for deeper relationship and invitations to personal growth – both of which delight my reader heart! 

3.      Readers need authentic opportunities for response

William Broz’s insightful article Not Reading: The 800-Pound Mockingbird in the Room, reminds teachers of a series of helpful insights to counter student reluctance to engage in “robust” (2011, p.18) reading and interpretation, one of which is providing contextualized response activities during reading such as a small-group discussions where students can share their personal interpretations. Broz suggests giving credit to students for their reading journals and informal discussions (p.17) so that they come to value their thoughts and interpretations as they share them with others. Both of these are extensions beyond the standard vocabulary sheet and wrote questions in traditional novel studies. I especially like Broz’s suggestion to value reading journals; I feel this is a practical way to honour student process as they develop their thinking and formalized responses. 

Another way to provide authentic opportunities to engage with texts is through co-curricular 
programming such as informal reading clubs and library theme nights. I have had great success with a school-wide reading club in which students endeavoured as a body to read to our group goal number of books. Students are rewarded for all their reading – including ebooks, graphic novels, video game manuals and other texts, which was a real delight for students seeking to read for pleasure and variety, not simply the required class texts. Library theme nights such as a Harry Potter festival or a reading-themed Hunger Games activities or author presentations are other helpful ways to invite readers into deeper contextualized engagement with texts. 

Image Source: Pixabay.com

4.      Readers need access to resources

For me, this last is the most important. Library hours and scheduled library blocks are important keys to expanding student access to reading materials. I have appreciated recent library innovations that expand library borrowing hours before and after school, or open borrowing throughout the day. These allow students time to browse to find books without the constraints and limitations of once-a-week library blocks. 

In a recent situation, it took a while to change expectations about borrowing times; parents and students would creep into the library after school and meekly ask if they could exchange books. I felt like throwing open the doors and calling them all in – you are welcome! It took some time, but they did learn that they were not interruptions to my day; they were the highlight of my day! 

I can’t help but think that access leads to a sense of ownership, and ownership leads to belonging. This is a big part of creating a culture of reading – building a sense of belonging, that all abilities, preferences, forms and styles are welcome and part of the big picture. I hope to continue to cultivate this in all my future endeavours!

References

Broz, William, (2011). Retrieved from http://educ463.weebly.com/uploads/8/6/2/3/8623935/not_reading_-_broz_article.pdf

Miller, Donalyn. (2013). Reading in the Wild: The Book Whisperer’s Keys to Cultivating Lifelong Reading Habits. Jossey-Bass: New York, New York.