Motivating Struggling Readers and Writers

Casey, H. K. (2008). Engaging the disengaged: Using learning clubs to motivate struggling adolescent readers and writers. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 52(4), 284-294. doi: 10.1598/JAAL.52.4.2

Background

Students in an American middle school struggled with reading and writing and lacked interest in literacy activities.

Aims

The study examined whether having learning clubs that catered to the needs and interests of middle school students struggling with reading and writing would motivate them.

Sample

The participants were an American inner-city school teacher, Sharon, and six struggling Grade 7 readers and writers in a class of 19 students.

Method

In learning clubs, teachers create a safe space for learning. Sharon spent a lot of time to ensure that her students were comfortable with open exchanges in their small groups before introducing literature circles. In these circles, the students examined a class text to understand how their roles in group activities worked before assuming more ownership regarding the material and the structure of exchanges. Sharon put in place a management system that helped them move towards independence. She provided a resource packet which included a variety of activities for completion to help them self-assess their reading. They could create a final chapter, draw a Venn diagram to compare themselves with a character, develop a game based on the plot of the story, or create a multiple choice test to test other students. Sharon monitored them by using shorter text selections during whole-class discussion. She also grouped struggling students with strong readers who acted as group leaders and took charge of the group’s administration. Data collected included observations, semi-structured interviews, informal conversations, and documents comprising lesson plans and photographs.

Findings

The learning clubs were successful because Sharon recognised that struggling readers and writers had unique literacy needs that were influenced by their larger community. She considered these needs in her instruction and choice of reading material. She chose topics connected to her students’ experiences and background as well as to the larger community in which her school was situated. She ensured that texts of different levels of difficulty were available to them and provided a choice of assessment activities. She scaffolded their learning by scheduling class time for conversation and collaboration, and by delineating the roles students had to play in their groups.

Implications

The author recommended that learning clubs be extended to improve students’ digital literacies as students engaged in multimodal literacy events in their daily lives. She also suggested that learning clubs could be formed in content area classrooms to investigate a common concept.

Original article retrieved from Academic Search Complete.