Motivating Reluctant Readers a Girl

Motivating Reluctant Readers

A girl who is focused on basketball and says she has no time to read beyond what's absolutely required to pass.

This student requires a reality check in terms of her priorities. Simply giving her reading assignment about basketball will not address the underlying problem of her failure to appreciate that basketball is not an appropriate long-term focus, particularly to the extent it prevents her from devoting herself to her studies. I might recruit a college basketball player or a college coach to meet with her to explain that for every person who becomes a professional basketball player there are hundreds or even thousands who ruin their lives by putting all their eggs into one basket, so to speak. In all likelihood, this student will not listen to that type of advice from a teacher or a parent; however, if a person she respects in the basketball world gives her that advice, she is much more likely to accept it and change her perspective.

A 15-year-old boy who reads at the 5th grade level and is embarrassed by it.

This student needs the opportunity to work on his reading skills in circumstances more private than normally allowed in the educational environment. First, I would provide counseling intended to reassure this student that he is not "stupid" and that he can have the opportunity to work on his reading skills without the embarrassment of doing it publicly in front of his classmates. Second, I would reassure this student that his condition is easily reversible as long as he is willing to put in the necessary effort on his part. At the same time, I would try to motivate this student by outlining for him how difficult his life will be as an adult if he does not succeed in overcoming his reading disability.

3. What do you do about the kid who seems disinterested in individual choice books, apparently because of the loss of a family member?

For this student I would provide texts specifically dealing with the process of loss. One example is Life after Loss: A Practical Guide to Renewing Your Life after Experiencing Major Loss by Bob Deits (2004), but there are many suitable books of this nature. I would expect this student to read this book very eagerly because of the subject matter and the practical significance to his life. I might also recommend counseling for this student to address possible issues related to depression based on his obvious circumstantial risk factors. I would consult with his family as well to better understand the student and also to impress on them the importance of being sensitive to his feelings but not to the extent that they allow him to escape his academic responsibilities on a long-term basis.

4. What about the kid who seems disinterested in anything except NASCAR or rock music?