Competing in an Age of Technology

Adolescents live in a world where they are bombarded with technology. They want information as soon as possible. Everything is available to them in a minute's time. If they want to know the capital of Hawaii, they can instantly google it on a computer and the answer will immediately appear. Some students even have the ability to access this information on their cell phone. They are used to having information given to them in an instant. One of the problems teachers will face when they assign students to read a text or a chapter from a book, will be that they are not interested in it. Many students will not care about Jane Eyre or about World War II. There are so many things that compete for their attention, like the Internet, Facebook, their friends, and after school activities. How do teachers motivate students to read? If teachers give their students a 200 page novel, what do they do to actually get the student to read it, instead of just reading the Spark Notes for the novel? I fear that it is common for students to seek instant gratification and if they do not understand the first ten pages of a book, they might give up and find the basic plot information about the book online.

One of the strategies for getting students interested and passionate about reading is to relate the characters or a central theme in the book to their own lives. I know the humanist part of me is coming out, but I personally think this is an appropriate tool to use, at least in an English Language Arts classroom. I think another strategy that can be used is the Vote with your Feet activity that we used in class. Students start to think, "What would I do if I were in that situation?" Using pre-reading activities can enhance a student's motivation to read the text.

Reading needs to be an active activity for students. Beers writes, "Reading is a social process, an interactive activity" (38). Students should be able to talk about the novel and learn from their peers when they are confused about a passage. Teachers need to make time to read in the classroom and have a diverse set of literature. It is important for teachers to include various literary texts, such as poems, short stories, novels, etc. and have literature from a wide variety of authors who have different demographics. Giving students options about which text they read also gives the students some power and they can choose a text that appeals more to their own personal taste. Beers states,

"Teachers who encourage a wide range of reading, who give their students plenty of opportunity for sustained, silent reading, who read aloud to their students on a regular basis, who provide ongoing opportunities for students to discuss- in small and large-group settings- their understanding of a text, who encourage extensive rather than intensive reading, who encourage self-selection of some texts...increase students' opportunity for developing a positive attitude toward reading, for improving fluency, for improving vocabulary, and for improving comprehension" (38).

This was a lengthy quote, but it states vital information. Teachers need to include students interections and discussions of critical thinking in class. They need to provide reading time for the students to read individually and the teacher should also read aloud occassionally. Teachers should use active activities for all three stages of reading (pre-reading, during reading, and after reading). When the text is finished, that does not mean that the learning process is over. After reading activities should be used like Likert Scales and my personal favorite, Somebody Wanted But So (Beers, 140-147). Using these techniques and activities will peek students' interests and improve their comprehension, which is the ultimate goal of reading. Of course, these strategies will not be successful for everyone. There will, unfortunately, be one student who refuses to read the text or engage in the activities. When this occurs, teachers should try to understand why they do not do the work. The student might not be able to read or their comprehension skills could be extremely low. If this is the case, then at least teachers know there are techniques and tools that they can utilize to teach the student how to read and to understand the material.

Technology is prevalent throughout the United States. I am typing this on a computer, for heaven's sake! Adolescents have many other things competing for their time, but if teachers show students that reading is fun and engaging, I think these strategies will at least encourage them to read. They might not enjoy everything they read, but at least they are motivated enough to pick up the actual book and not go on the computer to find the summary plot.