SITUATIONS THAT PROMOTE LITERACY
The boys in the study were asked to keep a complete daily log of everything that took place in their lives. The authors were trying to make a connection of literacy activities both inside the school as well as outside of the school. It was clear to them that many students were not even recording their literacy practices that took place at home. Smith and Wilhelm went over the logs with the boys every four to six weeks to discuss their findings.
The boys were not enthusiastic about reading and considered it more of a chore. One student was grounded for his whole sixth grade school year for not doing homework. He told them that he would rather sit and stare at the wall than read, while waiting out his punishment in his room. The authors established a set of four themes associated with how these boys addressed literacy and reading. Only three of the themes were mentioned in this chapter and the fourth one was mentioned in the next chapter.
COMPETENCE- Competence includes having an identity about something specific. This includes knowing the social language that surrounds an activity and having a community of practice to go with it. Some boys in the study made a connection to competence when speaking about their favorite singer or athlete. They understand what being competent in an area is and they recognize when someone lacks competence. The boys also recognized their feelings of a lack of competence in literacy and reading and this contributed to their lack of interest and reluctance to try something new. The boys said that they would like to form relationships with teachers to help them feel more confident in these subjects. They went on to talk about how they want a teacher to know them personally, care about them individually, and be passionate about what they are teaching. These suggestions that were made by the boys has been proven to increase success in students.
Control- The boys in the study wanted to feel a sense of control when it came to reading. They wanted a sense of freedom to have a choice of what reading materials they read. They also wanted the ability to pursue their own interests in reading. They boys did not like being forced to read something and said that they would like to be encouraged to read things that are of interest to them. Many of the schools that these boys attended did not do this.
Appropriate Level of Skill- Being challenged was something that boys wanted. They did not want to be underestimated yet and the same time the boys would avoid situations if they thought that they were too challenging and didn’t have the self-confidence that they could do it. The boys wanted to be challenged but only if they thought that they could complete the task and they liked being able to monitor their success in that task. The length of the reading was intimidating to some students and they were immediately turned off before even beginning the reading. The same rang true for the style of reading they encountered and the unfamiliarity. These all played a major part in how motivated the students were.
This chapter also covers topics that are important for setting long-term goals for students so the students are aware of why they are doing something. Offering constant feedback also helps with this. Many of the boys liked the idea of reading things that could actually happen and things that help them learn something specific. They also liked readings that taught them how to help others and things that involved information about gaming.
The experience of reading in school must be connected to the reading out of school in order for the boys to develop a sense of competence and security in their reading abilities. This will help them become comfortable with reading and gain confidence.
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