Jigsaw+(1)+Motivation

=What is the role of motivation in literacy development?=

By Lisa Biasillo, Mike Dahl, Ramu and Tanya __Reading Motivation__

All three articles focused on reading and motivation. Motivated children are more likely to engage the text. There are numerous ways to foster motivation and numerous factors that need to be taken into consideration when incorporating motivation into the classroom. These factors will each be analyzed in turn below.

__Choice__ Choice was the main point that was covered in all of our articles. According to the research, students are more engaged and motivated to read when they have the choice to choose what they are interested in reading. Students were able to recall and make discussions about the texts they have chosen over the text that teachers have chosen for them. The second article discussed how students felt teachers weren’t giving them enough freedom in choosing what they want to read. When students are able to choose their own texts, they were able to relate the text to their personal interest, which increased their reading motivation. The first article also mentioned suggestions for teachers concerning choice through self-selection. Students are more passionate and interested in exploring books they have chosen. By interviewing children it was found that children could better discuss the books they had chosen on their own.

__Technology__ According to the second article technology could be used to improve reading motivation in a number of ways. Many students were shown to be more intrinsically motivated to read when technology was utilized to deliver the content. There were serious concerns raised by the authors who stated that teachers were completely disregarding the benefits the ‘technology window’ had to offer in developing literacy in struggling readers. What teachers fail to realize is that literacy does not only have to come from the subject content when using technology, but also through different aspects of mediums like the internet such as email, chat, social networking, news sites, forums etc. Teacher felt that computers would act as distracters when learning, and could not be used as a tool to help promote it. Many parents were frustrated by the lack of flexibility, and open mindedness shown by the teachers and administration when confronted about the sparing use of technology. Educators seemed seem to be unaware of the visual and kinesthetic senses that are accessed when a student uses technology, allowing for increased motivation when studying and reading.

__Active Engagement__ According to the third article active engagement is an important part of reading comprehension. In order for students to fully engage the text the teacher should design pre-reading, during reading and post-reading activities that engage the students in dynamic ways. The third article specifically gave three examples of ways to engage students. They suggested using an alphabox, a discussion web or making connections from the text to other texts, to one’s self or to the world. These activities could also include graphic organizers. The active engagement component of a lesson is important as it activates children’s thinking skills and makes them use the text in new way.

__Family and Teacher involvement Plus Peer Collaboration__ One of the common themes that came out of the three articles was the importance of social interaction and collaboration to students’ motivation. Parents generally had a clear understanding of their child’s challenges and how they could be engaged, teachers had a significant effect on their students in how they empowered the students to learn through choice, genre exposure and teaching methods and peers reinforced the positive aspects of the learning process through discussion, knowledge sharing and connection building. The three groups together were a powerful force in motivating students to read. It seems that in the research undertaken for all three articles, methods used to empower each of these three groups would significantly improve the learning and engagement of struggling readers. The second article touched on the communication problems that existed between parents of struggling readers and schools and the difficulty of stepping away from a one size fits all learning method. Disregarding parents ignores a critical element in the motivation of students. Likewise, confining teachers to one system of instruction, or unmotivated teachers restricting themselves to one, ignores the different ways in which kids learn and engage with literacy. Finally, methods that engage the power of a student’s peer group will engender a feedback cycle of learning and engagement that raises the whole group. All of the articles stressed how the social elements of reading and literacy are key to motivation.

Tim, Thomas, Anjana, Terrey, Moni

**__ What is the role of motivation in literacy development? __**

Research states that motivation positively correlates to permanent and lasting knowledge and higher-ordered learning. The formula for motivating young learners to read is complex and layered. One of the vital ingredients to the formula is choice. Choice is paramount in allowing students to develop the skills and desire to be independent and competent readers. Choice is critical in fostering intrinsic motivation, but it must also be a guided and modeled process. In terms of elementary reading, activities that could be effectively used in the classroom to aid in motivating students are numerous. In the article, //What Teachers Can Learn About Reading Motivation Through Conversations with Children// by Kathryn M. Edmunds and Kathryn L. Bauserman, they catalogue several strategies that can easily and effectively be implemented in the classroom. One activity is called the 3-Piece Kit. The Kit is a set of 3 or more literary pieces that are representative of your current theme or topic. It should include at least, but not limited to one narrative piece, one expository piece, a poem and or a play. This should be packaged and kept in your class library for students to pursue at their leisure. Another activity that stood out was the Librarians Unleashed activity. In this activity, students collect all of the books they have read over the period of a month and store them in a box in the class. After all books have been collected, the teacher piles all the books in the middle of the classroom and have students determine 5 categories in which they want to sort the books. Any category is acceptable as long as several books can be connected to it. Examples of categories could include:


 * Books that made me laugh
 * Books that made me sad
 * Books that I learned a true fact
 * Boring Books

Often times students choose books that are of a personal interest to them and have varying book characteristics. Personal interests plays another vital role in students’ motivation to read. Whether students were reading narratives or expository texts, having students read something that was of interest to them proved to be a highly motivating factor. Quite often children are drawn to a text because they can relate it to something in their lives. When students read texts that relate to their personal lives that text will have a deeper meaning and they will get more out of that particular reading. For example a second grade student of a teacher in our group had just returned from a trip where she had the chance to swim with dolphins. For a long while after that she would constantly be talking, drawing pictures, reading and writing about dolphins. Having texts about dolphins available for her was a great motivator for her and encouraged to read more about dolphins. As teachers, it is important to have books available for students that reflect a wide variety of their interests. A key point for teachers is to know, assess and monitor students’ interest throughout the course of the year. Another important aspect would be to have students share their interests with others in the class. This can help to make better and more meaningful choices for them.

Another integral part of motivation in literacy development is the provision of before-, during- and after-strategies that foster comprehension. Research shows that students may be able to decode text, but their comprehension levels (when tested) may not match the level of sophisication of their decoding skills. Basically, students might be able to decode what is on the page, but may not know what it means.

One such way to motivate students and make comprehension effective is to use connection strategies. Meaning has to be constructed and one of the ways in which this can be done is by activating prior knowledge, or schema. A means to do this to create text-to-text, text-to-self and text-to-world connections, which must first be modeled by the teacher as a strategy to use, and then can be used independently. The best way to do this is through the gradual release of responsibility [.

In order to boost motivation in our students, we as educators have the responsibility to provide our students with a “strategy toolbox” which, after being taught how, they can utilize independently. We also have to teach them how to use these tools continually as they progress through school so that they can comprehend increasingly difficult text.

Another point to consider is the inclusion of technology in literacy. Research shows that students spend hours each day online, reading websites and blogs, chatting and writing emails. This suggests that finding a way to incorporate technology and social media could boost literacy as students could be able to connect it more. Technology is increasingly becoming a significant part of students’ worlds and so rather than not acknowledge it, we should instead find a means to utilize it.

Social collaboration is an integral part of motivation with literacy development. When peers interact to achieve learning goals it builds confidence, expands on prior knowledge, and gives a further understanding for students. This can be done with such activities as students nominating a book to be read during class. This initiates a process where students talk about the book, its images, other books by the author, and predictions that they may have. As students read they can use questioning techniques (both answering and generating) to further generate discussion topics with students. After students read, they can work together on various activities such as Alphaboxes. Social collaboration goes beyond peer-to-peer, including parental involvement and teacher-to student with read-alouds.

Collaboration, in any social context, promotes students to share a cognitive responsibility while externalizing their thoughts as they are working through tasks. It expands knowledge by making connections, builds confidence, and gives alternate perspectives. Throughout this process, it is important for students to know that reading isn’t just extracting information from the text, but a transactional process of the reader interacting with the text.

Essentially, all of these factors pertaining to motivation can only be harnessed if there is access to a multitude of resources at home and at school.

**__ What is the goal of motivation in literacy development? __**

by Eugene, Peter, Kristian, Kerry

Reading: **What teachers can learn about reading motivation from conversations with children** (Eugene)

In this study the authors interviewed elementary school children directly to find out what they like to read and what motivates them to read. Five basic recommendations came out of the study. The first recommendation has to do with self-selection. This is essentially the element of choice. When students have a choice of what to read, they are much more motivated and likely to engage more deeply in the reading. One technique for enhancing self-selection is to create a three-piece kit. For example, if students are studying dolphins a kit could contain a poem about dolphins, an expository piece and a narrative piece about dolphins, and the student can choose what they want to read. A second recommendation has to do with paying attention to characteristics. Characteristics of a book or reading can be things like the cover of the book, the plot, humor, whether it is funny or scary. A technique for this element is called 'Librarians Unleashed.' The teacher collects a variety of books in a large box and then students categorize them and discuss how they should be organized. This again puts control in the hands of the students to make their own categories of what to read. The third recommendation relates to personal interests and involves students reading about topics that they have an interest in. One technique here is called 'Genre Gurus' in which students participate in groups based on an interest in a particular genre, like fairytales for example. The fourth element is about access to books and suggests creating a classroom library with books that students can choose to read in conjunction with frequent trips to the library. The idea of a 'License to Look' pass is also mentioned. This is a pass that students who have finished working on class work could use to browse the library for a book of interest. The final element and recommendation is about the active involvement of others - teachers, parents and peers. Of these, peer sharing is maybe the most motivating. Parents can get more involved through 'Saturday Read-Ins' which could happen once a month and involve parents, teachers and students meeting in the library to search for books and do readings together. One nice thing about this reading is the mention of these practical things that can be done to increase motivation. Once students are really actively engaged in reading they begin to develop a habit of reading and a life-long love of books; this is why motivation is critical to literacy development.

Article: **Revisiting Read-Aloud:** Instructional Strategies That Encourage Students’ Engagement with Texts. Kerry and Peter

This article provides an overview of strategies that teachers can apply to actively engage reluctant readers in the material. The hope is that the active engagement will work as an intrinsic motivator for the students to read more regularly.The three strategies were:

1. alphaboxes: “Alphaboxes can take the form of a pre reading or a post reading activity to help stimulate students to think about and discuss key ideas in the text”. This strategy can also help to engage students during the reading. During the readings, the students can be given an alphabet chart with letters A through Z. Throughout the course of the readings, students are required to recall information from the text and generate a statement beginning with that letter. For example, for the letter “A” students can make a statement such as A - Alligators live in rivers. However, the statement has to relate to the content of the reading.

2. making connections: This method draws on and develops the use of schema. Students chart relationships between the text and themselves, within the text or even from one text to another, and finally the text to events in the world. This can be used with many genres of text. It is important to model the various acceptable ways students can make these connections.

3. Discussions web.

// Discussion allows students to revisit, question, and clarify text ideas, thus promoting higher cognitive abilities. //

This is the underlying premise of web discussions. A discussion web is a graphic organizer that enables students to examine both sides of an issue before agreeing on a conclusion. The technique calls for students to think of individual ideas based on their knowledge of the text, then work as a pair to record, discuss, and resolve their perspectives before meeting with another pair of partners to share these ideas. The foursome then nominates a speaker to present this information to the entire class. The discussion web is an excellent activity to promote students’ engagement with text because it allows for the examination of various points of view within a social setting.

All three of these strategies seem adaptable to various age and reading levels and could be modified in many ways--trial and error is really the best way to figure out what works best for each particular class. I have used some of these strategies and have found them very effective in garnering some excitement among my students about reading. I found that students took ownership of the material and of helping one another understand the material when the reading was made more social.

Kristian ** The Literacy Needs of Adolescents in Their Own Words **

In this article, a university reading program preaches change in the hope that administrators and teachers take a moment to examine the literacy instruction in their school. Through the story of 7 middle school aged children an understanding of what issues need to be addressed and possible suggestions for change are revealed.


 * Objectives of Research **
 * What types of reading instruction are adolescent students receiving?
 * According to the article; none
 * Are the adolescents in this study receiving the type of instruction that they need?
 * Apparently not
 * Do parents understand what kind of reading instruction their children need and what role to play in their adolescents’ reading education?
 * Yes & No; Depends on the parents. The parents of these students cannot be considered representative of all parents of adolescents because they actively sought their child’s participation in the reading clinic.
 * Suggestions for Reading Comprehension Improvements **
 * Instruction needs to be focused on comprehension strategies.
 * Focus on individual needs instead of encompassing programs.

In Conclusion: The message from all three readings is that --many readers need extra motivation to engage in reading. As educators it is our responsibility to explore which strategies work best with our students.



Michael Laurent

Kim DeRudder

Sridevi Gopalakrishnarao (Rekha)

Jesse Serrano

Faene Ng

Motivation is a key element to developing literacy. There are two types of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic. The most effective way to engage students and enhance learning is by raising intrinsic motivation. We can increase intrinsic motivation in reading by modeling good reading, letting children choose the books they want to read and increasing access to books, and increasing technology in our literacy lessons.

The way we can effectively raise literacy is by reading out loud and by bringing meaning to text. Meaning can be brought to text through explicitly teaching what reading strategies, and modeling how to apply them. By reading out loud, we encourage students to learn how to read properly as it is modeled how to use voice, tone, pace etc., it builds and supports speaking abilities, enhances overall language development, and offers a low-risk environment where students can focus on the content and delivery rather than just reading without understanding. Additionally, we can raise literacy by bringing meaning to the text. In other words, by connecting the text to the student’s experiences or lives, we create meaning and add purpose to what we read. These methods include connecting the text to other text, such as other readings, and connecting the text to the world in general. For example, when reading a novel on the Second World War and connecting what is happening to current wars around the world.

Utilizing several methods and strategies can raise intrinsic motivation. For example, students should be able to select books themselves. Once a child has been directed to read a book, it becomes a job and ceases being a hobby. This makes children read the book, but not comprehend it. If a student has an intrinsic interest in a self-chosen book, he or she will be more likely to have the interest to understand the material. In order to accomplish this, attention should be paid to certain characteristics of the book. For example, children enjoy books that are scary, funny, and have interesting illustrations. Non-fiction books are also useful because they teach students facts. By allowing students to choose books, they will have control over the content they read, and will choose a topic that they are interested in. In school, students who have access to books are more likely to read them. This can be facilitated by time in the school library, as well as an extensive classroom book collection. Librarians can be used as assets by reading to the children. One strategy such as reading out loud takes the risk factor out of reading in front of the class and lowers the affective filter (lowers the stress and anxiety levels for the student) which enhances the learning experience. Teachers should teach parents about reading comprehension strategies, encourage classmates to talk to each other about their reading, facilitate discussion about the students’ reading, and provide opportunities to reflect on their reading with in-class activities.

Interestingly, even students and parents recognize the effectiveness of intrinsic motivation. In the reading //Literacy Needs of Adolescents in their Own Words,// many adolescent students and their parents express candidly how guided learning through textbooks with too much content in it had negatively affected them. Most of the students disclosed that they get motivated to learn when they are offered options of resources from which they can choose. Also they wanted learning to be more engaging by the use of visual kinesthetic learning approach through computer interaction in their classroom. Parents expect that text books should not be the only source of reference instead students should be allowed to explore all the other options starting from libraries to online resources to improve their critical learning**.**

By modeling good reading, letting children choose the books they want to read and increasing access to books, and increasing technology in our literacy lessons, we increase intrinsic motivation in our students. This is key if we want our students to develop their comprehension. We should concentrate on raising their comprehension, however, an important compoent to do this is to increase motivation. Therefore, motivation to read should be our primary goal.