(Pictured above: Dr. Jeff Wilhelm relates the story of Sasha and how he connected with her and encouraged her to enjoy reading while Summit Co-Chair Jim Palmer looks on.)
(Ottawa) - Boys and girls will read almost anything as long as you can show them how it’s important to their daily lives, Dr. Jeff Wilhelm told 250 delegates Friday at the 6th annual Upper Canada District School Board Small High School Summit (SHSS).
The literacy expert from Boise State University shared his secrets to getting kids to read which he discovered during a five-year intensive study of the reading habits of boys.
The 2002 study, entitled Reading Don’t Fix No Chevies, suggests students can be inspired to read various genres by teachers who care about their success and care about their subject.
Most importantly, teachers must give kids reasons to care about the books they are assigned in English by relating them to students’ experiences and showing them how reading a novel or history book will enhance their lives.
Wilhelm busted many of the common myths about boys literacy, such as boys want to read action-packed, plot-driven books and shy away from novels that explore inner thoughts and emotions.
“It’s not the story,” he explained to teachers and principals gathered for the summit at the Hampton Inn in Ottawa. “It’s whether or not there’s a point of contact. If there is, you will find that kids will do amazing things and will be engaged in intensive ways.”
“Anybody will be motivated if the situation contains the right conditions for them. And who’s in control of those conditions in the classroom – you are.”
What is needed is a different approach – thinking outside the box when it comes to teaching literacy and making the curriculum meaningful.
He related the story of Sasha, a student he once helped teach while working as a professor in Maine. Sasha was a “goth” who liked rock singer Marilyn Manson.
The grade 9 student wasn’t engaged until Wilhelm took a different approach. He cared about her and asked what her interests were. After discovering her affinity for Manson’s music, he invited her to download some Marilyn Manson tunes so the two of them could enjoy them together. It didn’t happen on the first invitation, but eventually she joined him for the download and even provided him with two Web sites from which he could gain information on the controversial singer.
It was when Sasha railed against an assignment to compare Tom Sawyer with Huck Finn that he put his theories to the test. Instead of the standard assignment, he invited her to write an essay comparing Marilyn Manson to Sawyer – an assignment she gleefully took on.
Her reaction to the new teaching approach was amazing, said Wilhelm. She still read Tom Sawyer, but did it with enthusiasm. Her scores on standardized testing also jumped – by 18 per cent.
He suggested teachers inspire an interest in reading by offering different types of reading materials that kids can relate to. This doesn’t mean that the standard novels that are part of the curriculum are abandoned.
The trick, he says, is to create a bridge to the books you want them to read and understand. You can do this either by providing them with specific questions or inquiries that make reading the books relevant to them, or by using books, music or even videos they can relate to as a launching pad to engage them in standard novels mandated under the curriculum.
“It’s only in school that we say you have to read these long, boring books by a bunch of dead white people,” he joked.
For instance, when teaching the concept of “satire” he has discovered it may be a struggle to have students understand it by reading the works of the great writer Jonathan Swift. However, using The Simpsons episodes to introduce them to the concept will teach them to understand it and open them to discussions about satire using the works of Swift.
Satire is when you make fun of something that is a cultural convention for the purpose of changing it – something The Simpsons do quite eloquently. For instance in The Simpsons Movie, because of the irresponsible actions of Homer Simpson in polluting the town, the whole town must move. Yet when the Simpsons are moving, you see people throwing trash from the moving van – something that is ironic and funny but will make kids think about the need to change their actions.
After studying the Simpsons, Wilhelm said students were more open to studying the works of Swift such as A Modest Proposal.
And teachers don’t necessarily have to have students study pop culture books or videos to lead into the classics called for in the curriculum. His study showed the benefits of inquiry based learning – challenging students to read by proposing a problem that adds context to the study of a book making it meaningful to the reader.
As an example, Wilhelm has had success teaching Romeo and Juliet by asking students to study it in the context of a question such as “What Makes or Breaks a Relationship.” Students can then look at Romeo and Juliet and discuss it in the context of the pressures faced by young people in love – something teenagers can relate to – and learn from it to benefit their daily lives.
Teachers at the conference were impressed by Wilhelm’s presentation because it showed them ways they can make their lessons more relevant and engaging.
“Once you have students engaged, the learning becomes more meaningful to them and they can apply it to their daily lives,” said Heather Van de Glind, a learning resource teacher at General Vanier Intermediate School. “It’s no longer something they memorize and learn. It is something they will remember and take with them for the rest of their lives.”
The summit attracted teachers and principals from across eastern Ontario offering topics on ways to transform their schools by making their lessons more relevant to the students they teach. Topics included: SMART Inclusion, a seminar on using SMART boards to include students of all intellectual levels in classroom lessons; Shakespeare for All Kids?, a seminar on ways to use the Arts to engage students and improve their academic performance; and Meditation and Stress Management for Students.
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For more information, please visit the Small High School Summit Web site at www.ucdsb.on.ca/Programs+and+Initiatives/Team+Sites/Sites/Small+High+School+Summit/homepage.htm or call:
Jim Palmer
Co-Chair
2009 Small High School Summit
Upper Canada District School Board
613-213-4568