Evaluating the lack of Reading Culture in Modern High School
“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” – Frederick Douglass
As an English teacher, I am a passionate reader and a loud proponent of reading. I love all things literary and my classroom is littered with positive reading reinforcements.
-Posters call from my walls to "open a book, grow your mind"-My classroom mug of choice is an alphabet mug and I walk around with it (full of my fuel of choice - tea) daily for all to see.
-There are books on almost every surface.
-I engage students with daily vocab and reference authors, books and all things "reading" on the regular.
-I even have t-shirts with famous quotes and lines of poetry on them - for my students to stare at when they tune out my voice.
So.....
I'm doing all the things, right? I talk about books, offer books, expose reading as a life skill. But, am I really developing a reading culture? Is my school? Is my Learning Commons? In a very busy world where the cell phone reigns supreme in the fight for adolescents' attention, are we doing enough?
A quick Google search of "definition of reading culture" brings a pretty impressive return. There are loads of suggestions on what a reading culture is and how to create it. Hannah Hawthorne, in her 2021 article defines a reading culture as, "A reading culture is an environment where reading is championed, valued, respected, and encouraged. Reading lies at the heart of the curriculum, and it’s of the upmost importance to a child’s personal, social, and academic success, as well as their general wellbeing". She offers a simple 15 step process to developing a reading culture in schools. And while that sounds lovely, it's also a lot of steps and notes that it cannot be done by any one individual. She argues that, "It’s led by an enthusiastic and dedicated senior leadership team, and advocated by every pupil, parent, carer, and staff member in the school community." No small feat in my modern over crowded high school. Or most schools at the moment.
Teenagers are the least likely to pick up a book (in any form) which adds to the plight of educators to create a reading culture in high school. Scholastic Canada (2017) asserts that less than 20% of teens have read a book for pleasure "in awhile". As a lover of a good book sale, I would cheekily argue the lack of Scholastic Book Fairs in high school is a powerful message. Educators should not ignore the draw of a scented bookmark to pull students back to books. But I know this is not the true reason why reading has become less important in high school.
There are many factors in high school why a reading culture may not be front of mind, even in the LLC (yes, I said it). Honestly, there are so many moving parts that something has to give and, while losing the reinforcement of a love of reading is a death blow, it is often the first cut of many when time and energy are at all time lows. There are equations to learn, frogs to dissect, trails to run, balls to bounce, TikToks to create and complicated relationships to maneuver. And that's just the students! Teachers and other staff are a part of all those practices, games, lessons and while they're likely not in the TikTok, they may be trying to learn what TikTok is and searching it for academically connected content.
Teachers and TLs have so many demands to meet and academic goals to meet that for many, the love of reading has dropped from the priority list. When there is not enough time in a day, lofty goals often get put aside for meetable objectives and content benchmarks.
I would argue there is a pervasive idea in high school that students become "readers" or "non readers" in elementary school so the culture of reading and instilling a love of reading is an already embedded characteristic once the student hits high school. I know many, including TLs would point to the voracious readers inhabiting the LLC on a regular basis demanding the latest in a series as an example of continued reading in high school. But if the data was crunched, it's likely that would be a small percentage of the school population. I would refer back to my tongue in cheek comment about book fairs to reinforce my argument. Even a quick Google search reinforces this. All images of "students reading" were of elementary aged children. Not a surly or sporty or shy teen in the mix.
True or not, there are often many lost opportunities to foster and support reading in high school. I would venture that high school does not generally support a culture of reading. And no, I sadly do not have an answer as a classroom teacher or TL in learning. It's going to take the cohesive village to support a TL or teacher in reinvigorating a culture of reading in high school.
Since I'm focusing my inquiry in this course on AI, I have tried to keep my research to the popular areas of the digital realm. And, about the only place I could find teen targeted "pro reading" internet propaganda was YouTube. There was a lovely list of "why reading is good for teens" videos that popped up from my search inquiry. And while I'm not too sure if a TEDx talk will engage reluctant readers as much as the video creators hope, it's not the worst place to start. It's probably a bit more impactful than teacher t-shirts.
Reference List
Hari, Johann. “Your Attention Didn’t Collapse. It Was Stolen.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 2 Jan. 2022, www.theguardian.com/science/2022/jan/02/attention-span-focus-screens- apps-smartphones-social-media.
Hawthorne, Hannah. “How to Promote a Reading Culture in Schools.” The Hub | High Speed Training, 12 May 2023, www.highspeedtraining.co.uk/hub/how-to-promote-a-reading-culture-in-schools/#:~:text=A%20reading%20culture%20is%20an,well%20as%20their%20general%20wellbeing.
“Kids and Family Reading Report.” Scholastic.Com, 2017, www.scholastic.ca/readingreport/the-state-of-kids-and-reading.php.
Miller, Shannon, and William L. Bass. Leading from the Library: Help Your School Community Thrive in the Digital Age. International Society for Technology in Education, 2019.
TEDx, director. Power of Reading from a Reluctant Reader. YouTube, TEDx, 2 Mar. 2016, https://youtu.be/wznroZvpVHU?si=8Q2ibA14da12CsnR. Accessed 7 Oct. 2023. The Life Formula, director. Why Reading Is Important - Ten Shocking Benefits. YouTube, The Life Formula, 18 July 2019, https://youtu.be/mbCJqdrzwcE?si=196oMgzQaTJnfNs3.
TEDx, director. Power of Reading from a Reluctant Reader. YouTube, TEDx, 2 Mar. 2016, https://youtu.be/wznroZvpVHU?si=8Q2ibA14da12CsnR.
This is a thoughtful and well-written post. I agree that creating a reading culture in secondary is “no small feat.” As you suggest, it takes a collaborative effort. Creating enthusiasm for reading through school-wide events like book fairs is a good starting point. What other practical strategies might be used to generate enthusiasm for reading? This might be an interesting question to ask your students.
ReplyDeleteVery well written and love the title haha! This is also really imformative " Scholastic Canada (2017) asserts that less than 20% of teens have read a book for pleasure "in awhile". As a student myself it is hard when there are pressing deadlines or other more "important" things that I may want to do first but reading is especially important in the earlier grades/high school because it will be a great foundation for the future. I think that the less than 20% of teens picking up a book for pleasure is really tough and I would suggest maybe having a creative way to inspire teens such as colouring or making book covers for their book of choice or to have a themed book hunt. (: Great post.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that high school doesn't promote aesthetic reading (reading for pleasure). You noted that you are an English teacher. Have you thought about taking 10-15 minutes from your block to allow students to read a book of their choice? I think it would be time well spent. You also noted that you love a good book sale. I'm not sure if you stay in the same class for each of your blocks, but if you do consider building a classroom library. A lot of research shows that students need immediate access to books, in addition to an SLLC, to have a better attitude towards reading and improve their literacy skills ((Young & Moss, 2012; Gambrell, 1996; Krashen, 2004).
ReplyDeleteReferences:
Gambrell, L. B. (1996). Creating classroom cultures that foster reading motivation. Reading Teacher, 50(1), 14-25.
Krashen, S. D. (2004). The Power of reading: Insights from the research. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.
Young, T.A., & Moss, B. (2006). Nonfiction in the classroom library: A literary necessity. Childhood Education, 82(4), 207-212.
Hi Brandi,
ReplyDeleteI can imagine that reading about (and seeing) a lack of an excited reading culture in a high school is truly daunting. I agree with your point, that elementary school is typically seen as the place were reading for the sake of reading is prioritized in order for students to learn how to read. Once students are in high school, they are expected to do a great deal of reading to access information and so reading for pleasure can fall by the wayside. I appreciate Annette's suggestion to bring the concept of silent reading into the high school -- any opportunity for free choice could be a way to engage students. Additionally, I think YA Literature is one of the most exciting areas of publishing. I could see how harnessing some some hype over new YA novels or graphic novels (perhaps even embracing BookTok along the way) could be a way to draw in new or reluctant readers. In your classroom experience, have you noticed any students referencing books they see online or sharing about popular authors?