by Jan Pierce, M.Ed
Have you ever wondered why some people, adults and children alike, read more than their friends and coworkers? Why do some people always have a book in their hands and others read only when pressed to do so?
Parents and teachers want to know the answer to this question.
Enter a very impressive individual named Wilbur Schramm (1907-1987). He was a man of amazing ability. He was a journalist, a professional baseball player, a Harvard grad who worked as the Education Director under FDR. He wrote some of FDR’s fireside chats and later founded a communications program at Stanford University.
Schramm did studies on why people read more or less. He came up with his Fraction of Selection formula to answer the question. Basically the formula states that the expectation of rewards when reading, over the effort it requires equals the frequency of reading activities. In other words, if the benefits are great and the effort required is minimal, a person will read more.
So what are the expectations of reward that come with reading? Many children want to read to be “grown up,” to please their parents and teachers and some actually fall in love with reading and devour all the books they can. Grades, reward charts with stickers or promise of candy, toys, etc. may also motivate young readers. Adults may read for sheer enjoyment, escape or for the knowledge they’ll gain on a certain subject. The key idea here is there must be some expectation of reward to engage in reading.
Secondly, the effort it takes to engage in the reading process must be minimized. Schramm found that when there are many distractions that pull readers away from their focus on books the frequency of actual reading decreases even if the individuals enjoy reading quite a lot. Some of the distractions that may hinder children and adults from choosing to read are:
• Television
• Cell phones
• Video games
• Computers
• Overscheduling
• Learning Disabilities
• Negative attitudes of others
• Lack of Quiet Space
•
We want our children to be strong readers who enjoy the process and the information they learn along the way. So, according to Schramm, we must maximize the rewards and minimize the distractions. It sounds simple, but we all know it isn’t. Here are a few suggestions to clear the way for encouraging quality reading time in your home.
• Identify and protect reading time daily.
• Plan family schedules carefully, balancing sports, lessons, homework and play.
• Limit recreational screen time.
• Communicate to your children that reading is a high priority in your home.
• Model good reading by doing read-alouds, reading for pleasure yourself,
going to the library, buying books as gifts, etc.
• Choose to have your home quiet during reading times. Turn off music, television, and any other noisy distractions.
• Understand that readers with learning disabilities need to practice even more than children who learn quickly and easily. Give ample support.
Much as we may wish we could turn back the clock on our technological world, we can’t. We need to make peace with computers and other electronics, but guard precious reading times as well. Make your home one that prioritizes activities with reading very high on the list.
Jan Pierce, M.Ed., is a retired teacher and author of Homegrown Readers: Simple Ways to Help Your Child Learn to Read. Find Jan at www.janpierce.net
Have you ever wondered why some people, adults and children alike, read more than their friends and coworkers? Why do some people always have a book in their hands and others read only when pressed to do so?
Parents and teachers want to know the answer to this question.
Enter a very impressive individual named Wilbur Schramm (1907-1987). He was a man of amazing ability. He was a journalist, a professional baseball player, a Harvard grad who worked as the Education Director under FDR. He wrote some of FDR’s fireside chats and later founded a communications program at Stanford University.
Schramm did studies on why people read more or less. He came up with his Fraction of Selection formula to answer the question. Basically the formula states that the expectation of rewards when reading, over the effort it requires equals the frequency of reading activities. In other words, if the benefits are great and the effort required is minimal, a person will read more.
So what are the expectations of reward that come with reading? Many children want to read to be “grown up,” to please their parents and teachers and some actually fall in love with reading and devour all the books they can. Grades, reward charts with stickers or promise of candy, toys, etc. may also motivate young readers. Adults may read for sheer enjoyment, escape or for the knowledge they’ll gain on a certain subject. The key idea here is there must be some expectation of reward to engage in reading.
Secondly, the effort it takes to engage in the reading process must be minimized. Schramm found that when there are many distractions that pull readers away from their focus on books the frequency of actual reading decreases even if the individuals enjoy reading quite a lot. Some of the distractions that may hinder children and adults from choosing to read are:
• Television
• Cell phones
• Video games
• Computers
• Overscheduling
• Learning Disabilities
• Negative attitudes of others
• Lack of Quiet Space
•
We want our children to be strong readers who enjoy the process and the information they learn along the way. So, according to Schramm, we must maximize the rewards and minimize the distractions. It sounds simple, but we all know it isn’t. Here are a few suggestions to clear the way for encouraging quality reading time in your home.
• Identify and protect reading time daily.
• Plan family schedules carefully, balancing sports, lessons, homework and play.
• Limit recreational screen time.
• Communicate to your children that reading is a high priority in your home.
• Model good reading by doing read-alouds, reading for pleasure yourself,
going to the library, buying books as gifts, etc.
• Choose to have your home quiet during reading times. Turn off music, television, and any other noisy distractions.
• Understand that readers with learning disabilities need to practice even more than children who learn quickly and easily. Give ample support.
Much as we may wish we could turn back the clock on our technological world, we can’t. We need to make peace with computers and other electronics, but guard precious reading times as well. Make your home one that prioritizes activities with reading very high on the list.
Jan Pierce, M.Ed., is a retired teacher and author of Homegrown Readers: Simple Ways to Help Your Child Learn to Read. Find Jan at www.janpierce.net
