ENLISTING STUDENTS TO PROMOTE IN

Young adolescents are actually quite good at solving problems. Why not involve them in presenting ideas to promote independent reading in middle schools? Even though students have access to the school library, public library, and other sources of current, appealing, high-interest, and useful books and other reading materials, far too many of them are simply not reading. It makes sense to directly involve students to seek relevant solutions. When we give students opportunities to assume important responsibilities, it teaches them to be independent learners. At the same time, they practice leadership skills and discover a great deal about working cooperatively with others to solve a real problem.

A starting point is to form a group from either one class or several and then provide consistent administrative support to guide the progress. Be sure to establish an attainable goal and a timeline to enable students to chart the progress of their efforts.

The ideas generated by today’s students may amaze their teachers. It’s important to provide an atmosphere that will foster creativity and unleash new solutions to an old problem. In the past and even to date, efforts to foster independent reading have focused on posters, public address announcements, video tapes, displays, contests, the school Web site, prizes, an assembly, book fair, author visit, public library and newspaper visits, and reading aloud to younger students. Perhaps entrusting the problem to today’s computer and techno savvy students holds another key to the problem of finding ways to foster independent reading. It’s certainly worth a try.