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Eric Morrison
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Motivating people with low literacy to embrace reading/writing.
October 22, 2009 - 07:43 PM
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I am a teacher of reading at a large community college in Tucson, Arizona. I'm interested in people's ideas about helping low literacy individuals embrace literacy, and to motivate them.
I think, in general, I'm looked upon as being fairly strong in motivating students to learn and embrace literacy. But it is always a challenge. Most students with low literacy also tend to be from minority and poorer backgrounds who need the 'power' of literacy the most to achieve equality, but are often the most resistant through a variety of behavioral patterns and attitudes.
Ray Bradbury, the author of the famous "Farenheit 451," has said, "You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them."
It seems a variety of forces in the U.S. are coming together to accomplish just that, perhaps with the outcome of destroying both opportunity and culture. Various studies show reading declines in youth that are pretty substantial.
What thoughts do you all have?
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Reggie
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Re: Motivating people with low literacy to embrace reading/writing.
December 13, 2009 - 10:00 PM
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Hi. It's me a guy in your class. Good question. I don't know how to reply your concerning comment.
When I was 10th grade my reading level hits 6th grade. I spent first semester at community college in Orlando, Florida, then transferred to a seminary in North Carolina for next three semesters. I did not well in many classes. As the result I dropped out college and started working career.
I became interested more in reading after real world experience influence on me. Business books, mostly,changed my way of thinking on how life does work in real world. As you wrote, "are often the most resistant through a variety of behavioral patterns and attitudes." I agreed with a statment but to improve an condition/situation depends on every individual's attitude. That what happened to me. I searched something different outside "circle" after fed up with so-called advice or old way of thinking. That kind of "different" that I found through books. My reading skill is better than five years ago. Of course, I always expand an reading skills.
I hope you can find some helpful tips here.
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Reggie
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Re: Motivating people with low literacy to embrace reading/writing.
December 13, 2009 - 10:04 PM
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One more issue. As Robert T. Kioysaki, a Rich Dad author, stated "You can't understand or see new world with eyes. You have to see it with mind." If they want to improve an reading skills then will have to explore a lesson with mind instead "eye".
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Casey
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Re: Motivating people with low literacy to embrace reading/writing.
January 3, 2010 - 03:28 PM
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This is a very interesting topic! Finding the reasons behind people's motivations/interests often means tracing their familial, cultural, and societal roots, and then having to motivate the next generation to make the necessary changes.
I'd say the biggest issue to tackle with kids in a class such as yours would be to convince them, at an early age, that school is a window of opportunity for them to make their lives better, rather than just a place that the government forces them to attend until they're old enough to drop out. Many people from minority backgrounds might be discouraged from doing well in school because that would entail "acting white," thus subjecting them to harassment from their peers. The answer really lies in convincing kids (and their parents) that learning is fun, and that it can get them places in life. They'd have to be introduced to the possibilities of going to college and getting a good job. Any kid is naturally curious and motivated to learn; whether or not they demonstrate those traits depends on the preconceived ideas that they have about school.
The first step in motivating young people to embrace literacy is to convince them to strive to be doctors or engineers rather than gangsters or rappers, or whatever the case may be. A supportive home environment would also be necessary. Good luck!
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Eric Morrison
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Re: Motivating people with low literacy to embrace reading/writing.
January 4, 2010 - 03:52 PM
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Thanks for your thoughts, Casey!
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Mary Ruth Ramos
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Re: Motivating people with low literacy to embrace reading/writing.
January 30, 2010 - 08:22 AM
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I guess one of the ways to motivate them to read books is to try and let them read books that has illustrations. Illustrations capture interest. Another is to expose them to books. I love books because i was surrounded by books since i was a kid. What usually attracts most kids to books is when the book is about a thing that interests them. like my brother who loves cars, he's drawn to read books that has anything to do with cars. What's wrong to some teachers sometimes is that the choice of story is somewhat not interesting to the children that is why they tend to think that books are boring.
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Anna
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Re: Motivating people with low literacy to embrace reading/writing.
January 31, 2010 - 07:13 AM
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I think it all comes down to how a student of lower literacy (perhaps you're referring to students who generally achieve lower grades also?) perceives literature. I agree with casey that students who hold the idea that being good at reading or being a book worm is stereotypically "geeky" and so undesirable.
While this may be far from true, I think it would help by changing the thoughts of how literature is seen. I think it would also help by introducing, surrounding and capturing the imagination and dreams of children at a younger age (possibly when they don't hold as much negative views against reading) through literature and to inspire them. Perhaps lending them reading resources such as unlimited access to libraries will also help to show there's no barrier they need to overcome, in order to break the cycle and achieve higher. They should know they will increase their chances of success if their literacy levels increase as well.
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DAWA
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Re: Motivating people with low literacy to embrace reading/writing.
February 2, 2010 - 05:07 AM
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to motivate the people with low literacy to embrace reading and writing i think following things should be kept in mind :
1>first we have to explains clearly what will be the benefit of doing these activities instead of any other .assuming they r from deprived section of community with acute shortage of financial and real resources, it will be very costly (in terms of forgone earnings)for them to devote their time in these kind of activities!! so we have to make them sure that even in short term they will lose some earning but in the long run the benefit will outweigh the cost!!
2>second we have to eliminate "nothing will happen" type of attitude widely prevalent in these groups.
3>we have to inform them about the necessary information about the various govt. schemes which are meant for them.thus we also have to eliminate the "information asymetry"
only when goals and benefits will be clearly outlined to them ,they will be motivated to learn more!!!
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Kate23
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Re: Motivating people with low literacy to embrace reading/writing.
February 9, 2010 - 02:06 AM
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Finding out the interests of the students and letting them read books related to it will help. It also pays to start at a level where they are comfortable with. What is important is to get them into a reading habit.
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Sheroze Sheriffdeen
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Re: Motivating people with low literacy to embrace reading/writing.
February 11, 2010 - 09:57 AM
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Being a teenager I read a lot of books. I do because I started reading them since I was small. If the younger generation gets an interest in reading they will stick to it as they get older. But a strong guiding hand is essential.
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Uvin
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Re: Motivating people with low literacy to embrace reading/writing.
February 14, 2010 - 06:01 AM
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I agree with you.....when you read when you are small you get the habit of reading a book everyday.....we should encourage children to read books...they will not like it but if they do they'll continue it forever......
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John Peterr
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Re: Motivating people with low literacy to embrace reading/writing.
February 22, 2010 - 06:30 AM
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Hi,
its an interesting topic i had came across, these are some of my suggestion i had came across.I hope it would be very useful to you.
1. The environment can be used to focus the student's attention on what needs to be learned.
2. Incentives motivate learning.
3. Internal motivation is longer lasting and more self-directive than is external motivation, which must be repeatedly reinforced by praise or concrete rewards.
4. Learning is most effective when an individual is ready to learn, that is, when one wants to know something.
5. Motivation is enhanced by the way in which the instructional material is organized.
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