What I'm Reading: Audiobook Reviews Round-Up
10 hours ago
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
How to Get Boys to Read
Marc Aronson
How to get boys to read
Deerfield Public Library
March 10, 2008
Marc Aronson has clear ideas about why boys today are considered nonreaders and how we can change that perception as well as help boys improve their reading skills. Aronson, an award-winning YA writer and lecturer, spoke entertainingly on Monday, March 10 to a packed room of parents, librarians and educators at Deerfield Public Library.
According to the recent study by the NEA, fewer people are reading today than ever before. Aronson argues, however, that the NEA defines reading as the reading of fiction and this study didn’t measure other types of reading activities, noticeably the sort of reading most often done by men and preferred by boys---nonfiction. He told us that his flight that morning from New Jersey was full of mostly men who were all reading newspapers, magazines and work-related papers. He said, that according to the narrow definition of reading by the NEA, all those men would be considered non-readers.
He then turned his attention toward the public school system in which most reading involves ‘story.’ Stories, by definition, are usually narrative fiction which allows the reader to identify with a character and learn something about him or herself as they enter that character’s world. Aronson claims that many boys are not engaged by stories and would prefer to read facts and information about topics of interest to them. He gave the example of his five year old son who struggled with basic sight words in his reading book because he just didn’t care about Bob and Tom and their simple stories. But when Aronson gave him, a Yu-Gi-Oh trading card of his favorite character, that same five year old was able to sound out multi-syllabic words describing this character and his actions. Boys want a schematic, not a romance. For boys, reading is about knowing more facts that someone else. Reading is done in order for them to win or dominate—so they know more about their teams for the NCAA office pool. Boys want to learn how to live the story himself, not to find himself in literature. Yet, our public school system is designed to teach reading through stories which doesn’t work for about half the student body. Then when boys don’t respond or when they act out, they become the problem. The problem becomes the boys and not the way we’re teaching them. We, in fact, end up blaming the victim.
Those of us who want to help boys become better readers must recognize that reading can be logical and linear such as reading about how to do something, like build or repair something. Some boys want mastery of a subject they care about or the tools to master his field. Aronson suggested that boys want to learn to BE an electrician, not to read about one.
Aronson believes that video games should or could have a place in the classroom. He cited one successful social studies teacher who had his students place the simulation game Civilization which then motivated them to read the history of great rulers, in order to win at the game. He mentioned one surgeon who believes that playing an hour of the video game Marble Madness before an operation enhances his surgical precision and attention to detail.
Boys’ competitiveness is a double-edged sword, however, said Aronson. Boys’ egos can be fragile and they can be easily frustrated. The trick is to harness their competitiveness to help them read more, but not raise the bar so high that they become frustrated and likely to give up too easily. To increase boys’ vocabulary, give them new words about topics they want to know about. If they are a football fan, he suggested getting them books, magazines and newspaper articles about their favorite team.
Aronson concluded his talk by going back to his problems with the NEA’s conclusions that boys don’t read. He suggested renaming the non-fiction section of libraries the Knowledge section. He said that non-fiction is the only category in our lives defined by something it isn’t. That demeans boys’ interests because the term non-fiction doesn’t have the same cachet as fiction.
If we give boys things to read that match their interests, he said boys will read. He said it is going to take a paradigm shift in public schools and libraries to recognize and validate boys’ reading preferences. Going back to the airplane filled with men reading non-fiction, he suggested that if we allow boys to expand their reading to include non-fiction and let them follow their interests, we would go a long way toward helping boys become better readers.
Throughout his talk, Aronson recommended twol books for those who are interested in thinking more about the subject of boys and reading:
Reading Don’t Fix No Chevys; Literacy in the Lives of Young Men by Michael W. Smith and Jeffrey Wilhelm
How Computer Games Help Children Learn by David Williamson Shaffer
">Link
How to get boys to read
Deerfield Public Library
March 10, 2008
Marc Aronson has clear ideas about why boys today are considered nonreaders and how we can change that perception as well as help boys improve their reading skills. Aronson, an award-winning YA writer and lecturer, spoke entertainingly on Monday, March 10 to a packed room of parents, librarians and educators at Deerfield Public Library.
According to the recent study by the NEA, fewer people are reading today than ever before. Aronson argues, however, that the NEA defines reading as the reading of fiction and this study didn’t measure other types of reading activities, noticeably the sort of reading most often done by men and preferred by boys---nonfiction. He told us that his flight that morning from New Jersey was full of mostly men who were all reading newspapers, magazines and work-related papers. He said, that according to the narrow definition of reading by the NEA, all those men would be considered non-readers.
He then turned his attention toward the public school system in which most reading involves ‘story.’ Stories, by definition, are usually narrative fiction which allows the reader to identify with a character and learn something about him or herself as they enter that character’s world. Aronson claims that many boys are not engaged by stories and would prefer to read facts and information about topics of interest to them. He gave the example of his five year old son who struggled with basic sight words in his reading book because he just didn’t care about Bob and Tom and their simple stories. But when Aronson gave him, a Yu-Gi-Oh trading card of his favorite character, that same five year old was able to sound out multi-syllabic words describing this character and his actions. Boys want a schematic, not a romance. For boys, reading is about knowing more facts that someone else. Reading is done in order for them to win or dominate—so they know more about their teams for the NCAA office pool. Boys want to learn how to live the story himself, not to find himself in literature. Yet, our public school system is designed to teach reading through stories which doesn’t work for about half the student body. Then when boys don’t respond or when they act out, they become the problem. The problem becomes the boys and not the way we’re teaching them. We, in fact, end up blaming the victim.
Those of us who want to help boys become better readers must recognize that reading can be logical and linear such as reading about how to do something, like build or repair something. Some boys want mastery of a subject they care about or the tools to master his field. Aronson suggested that boys want to learn to BE an electrician, not to read about one.
Aronson believes that video games should or could have a place in the classroom. He cited one successful social studies teacher who had his students place the simulation game Civilization which then motivated them to read the history of great rulers, in order to win at the game. He mentioned one surgeon who believes that playing an hour of the video game Marble Madness before an operation enhances his surgical precision and attention to detail.
Boys’ competitiveness is a double-edged sword, however, said Aronson. Boys’ egos can be fragile and they can be easily frustrated. The trick is to harness their competitiveness to help them read more, but not raise the bar so high that they become frustrated and likely to give up too easily. To increase boys’ vocabulary, give them new words about topics they want to know about. If they are a football fan, he suggested getting them books, magazines and newspaper articles about their favorite team.
Aronson concluded his talk by going back to his problems with the NEA’s conclusions that boys don’t read. He suggested renaming the non-fiction section of libraries the Knowledge section. He said that non-fiction is the only category in our lives defined by something it isn’t. That demeans boys’ interests because the term non-fiction doesn’t have the same cachet as fiction.
If we give boys things to read that match their interests, he said boys will read. He said it is going to take a paradigm shift in public schools and libraries to recognize and validate boys’ reading preferences. Going back to the airplane filled with men reading non-fiction, he suggested that if we allow boys to expand their reading to include non-fiction and let them follow their interests, we would go a long way toward helping boys become better readers.
Throughout his talk, Aronson recommended twol books for those who are interested in thinking more about the subject of boys and reading:
Reading Don’t Fix No Chevys; Literacy in the Lives of Young Men by Michael W. Smith and Jeffrey Wilhelm
How Computer Games Help Children Learn by David Williamson Shaffer
">Link
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Les Miserables movie in French
I have had several requests from HS students in French class about the movie Les Miserables in French. The version they are watching in class (and some want to/need to watch again at home for a paper or upcoming test) is the 1996 version by Warner Brothers. It was directed by Claude leLouch and is only available from a few libraries in VHS. It apparently has not yet been made into a DVD.
However, there is hope for these desperate students..........
After some searching, I have discovered that this film is available through Amazon.com as a download for just $2.99. Below is the link for that service. It might be their best option since there are so few local libraries that have this movie and most students seem to need it RIGHT AWAY.
http://www.amazon.com/Les-Miserables/dp/B0012QQNF2/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&s=digital-video&qid=1204669099&sr=8-17
">Link
However, there is hope for these desperate students..........
After some searching, I have discovered that this film is available through Amazon.com as a download for just $2.99. Below is the link for that service. It might be their best option since there are so few local libraries that have this movie and most students seem to need it RIGHT AWAY.
http://www.amazon.com/Les-Miserables/dp/B0012QQNF2/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&s=digital-video&qid=1204669099&sr=8-17
">Link
New way to search for movie titles
Can't remember a movie title, or just looking for something new to see? You can use the "movie:" operator to search for films related to a specific actor, director or plot detail.
Just go to Google.com and start your search query with:
movies:
After the colon, add whatever details you (or your patron) can remember about the movie.
You will get a list movie-based answers that hopefully contains the name of the film for which you're searching.
Isn't the internet amazing?!
Just go to Google.com and start your search query with:
movies:
After the colon, add whatever details you (or your patron) can remember about the movie.
You will get a list movie-based answers that hopefully contains the name of the film for which you're searching.
Isn't the internet amazing?!
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