Loving Literacy: Supporting Student Interests and Skills in Reading and Writing

 Hello all!

Welcome to September! This is one of my very favorite parts of the school year, and I hope teaching is going well for everyone so far! This time of year is my favorite not only because we can finally expect some nicer weather soon (hopefully), but because I love getting to know new students and getting into the swing of things as school routines settle.

This year, as the first time I have been with a new group of students since the first day of school, has shown me already that September will likely always be one of my favorite teaching months because of how fun and exciting I have found it to get to know individual students as the people they are but also as young readers and writers. I am already looking forward to a year of speaking to my students about their emerging interests in new authors, texts, and mediums of writing as well as about the ways they are able to see their current interests, skills, and hobbies intertwine with the reading and writing we do in class.

 

How does effective ELA instruction differ from (or compare to) what I experienced in my own schooling?  How will I apply unit concepts in my own teaching, including an appreciation for students’ existing literacies?

 

My Schooling Experiences

Contemplating this question and reflecting on my own experiences in ELA classes as a student makes me realize just how many self-sponsored literary activities I participated in as a child and preteen (Bomer, 2011, p. 25). When I think back and reflect on my favorite and most valued experiences in ELA classrooms and on the teachers who most impacted me, I realize that all of them offered me support in the reading and writing habits and practices I took part in outside of school.

As early as second grade I remember pouring through books and asking my teachers multiple times a week to go to the library to check out new books. I remember having elementary school teachers who encouraged me to set ambitious reading goals, increasing them each semester to challenge myself, when they saw how much I was choosing to read in my free time. In this way, I think that most of my elementary teachers supported my self-sponsored literary activities.

I think that this support is a major component of effective ELA instruction. In his book, Building Adolescent Literacy in Today’s English Classroom, author Randy Bomer describes the importance of supporting students in their own personal reading and writing lives (pp. 45-50). I think that part of the reason I felt so supported in my own schooling experiences when it came to my self-sponsored literary activities was that many of my teachers encouraged me to keep reading the types of books I liked to read at home during reading time at school. My second-grade teacher, in particular, I recall, kept note of what types of books my peers and I all liked and always allowed us to choose what we wanted to read, giving us recommendations for new titles we might enjoy whenever she could and checking in with us on what we thought about each new book. I think she helped me build a personal reading life from a young age, and that much of what she taught me and the ways she supported me kept me reading consistently through middle and high school.

In fourth grade, and again in ninth grade coincidentally, I had teachers who encouraged us to write our own poems and perform them for a poetry slam-type assignment and presentation. Neither of these teachers required us to write an original poem, and most students opted to perform a poem from a favorite author instead, but I remember feeling very supported by both of these teachers and ended up deciding to write original works to perform both times. Both teachers knew that I liked writing outside of school during my free time and offered me feedback as I went through many drafts of my poems. I remember these two instances as some of the first times I felt my writing was validated and actually worthy of being heard or shared. Although these two situations took place at very different times in my life, the teachers’ encouragement affected me greatly and made me feel confident in my writing for the first time. This made me feel even more motivated than I had been before to continue writing in my personal life.

Largely because of these positive experiences I had with ELA teachers and classes, I felt motivated to continue learning new information in these classes and to practice the reading and writing skills and strategies I learned. I wanted to keep building my reading and writing life outside of school. I think this makes ELA instruction effective in that the instruction I received turned me into a life-long reader, writer, and learner and made me more perceptive to and eager for new information in every ELA class I took.

 

My Own Teaching Practice

In my current and future teaching, I plan to do much of what my own ELA teachers did for me. I will encourage my students to read books and other types of literature that they enjoy and that they can relate to. Besides this, I also think it’s beneficial for me to talk to my students about their interests and skills as they enter my classroom. This will allow me to help them build reading and writing lives around the lives and skills they already have. This will also allow me to appreciate my students’ existing literacies (Bomer, 2011, p. 45).

I think it is incredibly important to help students picture reading and writing lives that seem possible and reasonable for them to keep up with and enjoy. In my professional experience so far, students often seem intimidated by the idea of trying to prioritize reading and writing in their daily lives. It seems like a daunting task, and many students believe they are too busy and that reading or writing is more of a chore than an enjoyable activity or healthy habit. My goal is to show individual students that they can read and write regularly in ways that are right for them, and in ways that feel natural and fulfilling. To do this, I will ask students about what kinds of reading and writing they enjoy and what kinds of environments and times of day they could see themselves doing these activities. I think that helping them see themselves as readers and writers and showing them that these practices can fit into their lives comfortably will help them develop their own reading and writing lives.

I will also encourage them to read and write in places that are natural and comfortable for them. I want my students to feel supported and safe in their reading and writing efforts and creating a natural and positive environment for them to do so is something I will strive to do (Bomer, 2011, p. 52). Depending on the group of students I am working with, this could have to do with alternative seating options in the classroom, different levels of lighting and brightness in the room, and options for background music.

I believe that effective ELA instruction is based more than anything on genuine support for students and appreciation for their existing skills and interests. By operating from an appreciation mindset, taking interest in my students’ lives and existing literacies, and truly supporting them and encouraging them to build personal reading and writing lives, I believe that I can create a positive ELA classroom environment and offer effective instruction that students will hopefully take with them after they have left my classroom.

 Goodbye for now!

References:

Bomer, R. (2011). Building Adolescent Literacy in Today’s English Classrooms. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.