Motivation and Comprehension

Regardless of the subject matter, teachers have found over and over that their students struggle with literacy. Teachers must come up with creative ways to mentor these students to encourage them in their endeavors. Even if a student’s progress in literacy does not improve, their expectations do. As kids move from grade to grade, the literary content gets more complex and advanced. Unfortunately there are so many students who have not been prepared for these big advances. So the question is; how do teachers get their students to the reading level that they need to be at in order to succeed in their classroom?

In his book, Beuhl discusses literature in the classroom and the ways teachers can make improvements for their students. From ideas discussed in his book, I think that the first step is to try to demonstrate an appreciation of literature for your students. So often we associate the word “reading” with large novels and confusing textbooks, and we forget that there are many simpler forms of literature that we use everyday. While discussing the need for disciplinary literature instruction, Beuhl describes different types of readers in an attempt to show its universality. According to Beuhl, what someone reads is going to depend upon their interests and their “identity.” “Coping with obligation texts is no different for our students than it has been for us. Consider the various identities that our students might bring to the classroom and how these identities could affect their personal reading profiles (Beuhl, p. 6).” In other words, teachers need to know their students to help them academically.

Once you have your students’ interest, it is easier to show them the importance of comprehending higher-level reading passages. There are many different strategies that can be used to do this, many of which Beuhl addresses in the second chapter of his book, but some are more relevant than others in certain subject areas. This is because each subject area relies on literacy in a slightly different way. Math, for example, is based on numbers and equations. Reading passages are usually limited in math textbooks, so students need to be prepared to understand them. One tool that particularly relates to math texts is to “make connections to prior knowledge (Beuhl, p. 35).” Math often uses step-by-step approaches to solving problems, so it’s important that you understand each step before moving on. Also, it is rare that you would find a problem that doesn’t utilize previously learned math topics.

Teachers need to promote enthusiastic students who are motivated to read. When this happens, teachers need to transform these readers into intellectuals that comprehend the content and grow in their knowledge.