[CALIBK12] More on reading

[Mary Ann Harlan]

I was going to merely respond to Mary's last post directly to her but I had
some other things to comment on so if the first paragraph is confusing go
back to her response to me.
I've been thinking about this quite a bit, and I agree that it is semantics,
and that semantics are important.  I find this type of conversation
frustrating on a list serv because I am quite interested in it, but it lacks
fluidity however that is beside the point.  So here is the question - if
there is pleasure in the information, does there have to be pleasure in the
medium?  And how much do we approach the concept of people not finding
reading pleasurable because of how we define reading early on?  For instance
- as someone mentioned previously they enjoy audio books which is
technically listening, but which *may* cause the same affective reaction
that reading does.  I think one of my earlier points was that in my
anecdotal experiences students who say they hate reading often do so because
of their semantic interpretation of reading, which is not mine. That being
said, reading for pleasure in any form is not for everyone. (Gasp!  I know)
I have never had a 100% success rate in turning reluctant, aliterate teens
into avid readers.  Although I have success stories that warm my heart, and
that surprise me, and that keep me active in trying to find that one right
book that will turn that reader on.
Which brings me to another point - which is to second Joy's recommendation
of Quick Picks.  As a former committee member what struck me most about
promoting QPs to my students is that I would begin the year with a cadre of
strong reluctant readers who would say - I haven't finished a book since
elementary school, I hate reading, etc.  By the end of the school year I
would have to find new reluctant readers because the majority of the
students I worked with were now "actually reading" - their term.  They were
more avid readers, reading on their own nor for class, and searching for
books for me to nominate for QPs.  It was a transformational experience in
my understanding of teen's reading habits. QPs is constantly searching out
high interest non-fiction, and not all of it is narrative.  We talked a lot
about caption literacy, visual elements, and gateway books.

-- 
Mary Ann Harlan
maryann.harlan at gmail.com
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