Used Books and Unfinished Stories: How to Become a Positive Deviant and Support Independent Reading
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Every Sunday at a local independent bookstore, I price and catalog used books.
In the short time I’ve been doing this work, I’ve discovered four things.
People will use just about anything for bookmarks. Besides actual bookmarks, I’ve taken out prayer cards, old grocery lists, and newspaper clippings. The strangest bookmark: one sheet of toilet paper.
People underline and annotate too much. Some readers’ markings highlight half the text on a page. If just about everything is important and worth remembering, then nothing is.
Used books are one of the best deals out there. It makes sense - great writing does not have an expiration date. Ideas don’t depreciate like a car. Unless there is a 2nd edition or the text has become too culturally dated, used books offer the same value as a new copy. (And if the previous owner left some smart notes in the margins, now you have a guide on the side!)
People don’t read the whole book. For instance, readers seem to stop around the ¼ or ⅓ mark of the nonfiction text they took up. Quitting doesn’t seem to be the result of lack of interest (see #2). Maybe they got what they needed from the text? But not finishing appears too frequently for just that reason.
I bring up the fourth point as this lack of commitment to finishing a text is also common in our K-12 classrooms.
For example, a profile of professors at elite colleges revealed common concerns about students’ reading abilities, including “a narrower vocabulary and less understanding of language than they used to have”, as well as “shutting down when confronted with ideas they don’t understand; they’re less able to persist through a challenging text than they used to be.” The most agreed upon reasons include K-12 schools feeding students a limited diet of excerpts and isolated skill work instead of reading whole texts. The proliferation of mobile devices and many more options in the world besides reading doesn’t help.
Besides more used books waiting for me to process, what are the implications for a lack of time for and commitment to reading?
One study found that reading for pleasure “is as good as or superior to direct instruction for both short- and long-term interventions”. Teachers are omitting a powerful instructional tool.
It’s not just about achievement. A meta-analysis on independent reading reports “a rather strong effect on students’ attitude toward reading…in terms of students’ appreciation and enjoyment.” Without an affinity toward reading, students are less likely to take it up on their own.
If kids are not reading outside the requirements of the mandated curriculum, their growth can stall. This is a particular concern for readers who struggle. Research from the UK on pleasure reading discovered that “students who read more and enjoyed reading made 6 months more progress in reading skills than those who did not.”
Like just about anything, we get better at doing an activity by doing the activity. How can schools devote more time and support for kids to read at length with overstuffed, scripted curriculum resources?
I like Atul Gawande’s suggestions for becoming a positive deviant, “someone whose uncommon but successful behaviors or strategies enable them to find better solutions to a problem than their peers, despite facing similar challenges and having no extra resources.” In his book Better (affiliate link), he offers five suggestions for becoming a positive deviant. I added examples specific to our K-12 context.
1. Ask unscripted questions. Instead of relying on pre-set protocols or assumptions, ask questions that challenge the status quo and lead to fresh insights.
Example: During a team meeting, wonder aloud how kids are going to improve in their reading if they never have time to actually apply their reading skills. If a colleague pushes back that there is too much to teach, ask if it is too much content or whether you all are simply teaching too much.
2. Don't complain. Resist the urge to focus on problems and negativity. Instead, seek out solutions and positive perspectives.
Example: Find people who share your beliefs about reading independently. Meet regularly to talk about your favorite children’s literature. Learn how educators are creatively including authentic texts in their classrooms. An idea: Teach the minimum number of minutes recommended in the curriculum manual. Use a visual timer if necessary; make it a fun part of your classroom culture.
3. Count something that interests you. Identify areas for improvement and track them systematically. This can lead to valuable insights and opportunities for change.
Example: Devote a sliver of your school day to independent reading, 5-10 minutes. Instead of monitoring students’ reading stamina, track and celebrate as a class how much time has been recovered for this part of the literacy black. Reflect with your students on the experience.
4. Write something. Document your observations and reflections. This can help you analyze problems, identify solutions, and track progress.
Example: Start a blog, or if you worry about blowback, a personal journaling practice. It’s cathartic to get your concerns out of your head and on paper or a document. You can see your thinking more objectively and respond instructionally with greater awareness in the future.
5. Change yourself and change something: Be open to making changes in your own behavior and practices, and actively seek to improve the systems and processes around you.
Example: Start curating articles and research that supports independent reading for kids. You can start with the three linked studies in this article. This database of professional literature can be useful once colleagues and leadership see the gains your students are making due to more time and support for students to read.
Upcoming…
On Monday, I will be posting a pilot series: The Monday Morning Memo.
This will be a brief distillation of key resources for busy literacy leaders, including:
A professional strategy
A personal tip
A quote and a joke for your own morning announcements or staff newsletter
This weekly resource will be available to all readers for now. If it resonates, I will likely move it as part of the benefits for being a paid subscriber.
Matt, Thanks for this fascinating post. Loved your keen observations on how people use used books and your info on reading for pleasure and how important it is for kids to be doing more reading. Also, taking Atul's Gawande's comments on becoming a positive deviant and translating that with excellent examples for educators is very helpful.