Heidi Burnett, Section 4, Explicit Reading Models

Quote: "One very important way in which teachers motivate students to read is by being an explicit reading model. Research suggests that teachers who love reading and are avid readers themselves have students who have higher reading achievement than do students of teachers who rarely read. One possible explanation for this is that teachers who read are more likely to be explicit models for their students...Teachers become explicit reading models when they share their own reading experiences with students and emphasize how reading enhances and enriches their lives" (Gambrell, 20)

Comment: I think that as students learning how to become the best teachers possible, we have all worried about how we will be able to motivate our students to read. More importantly, how we will motivate them to become lifelong readers who love to learn. I think that Gambrell's article gave some great insight into this worry of motivation. I connected with this quote because I remember my Children's Literacy teacher saying practically the same thing. He iterated that one of the best and most effective ways to teach our students to love reading is by showing them through example that we love reading. He suggested that during silent reading, the teacher should join the students in silent reading instead of working on other things. Through this, we can show our students that we make reading a priority and that we enjoy it. I liked how in this quote, however, Gambrell suggests that we do more than reading during silent reading time--we need to share our own reading experiences often. I don't have memories of my teachers ever doing this in my classes in Elementary school, but I do remember that when my favorite/most respected high school teachers recommended books, I wanted to go get those books and share the same experience.

Question: Do you remember this method of motivation being effective in your early education? If yes, how? If no, did your teachers use another method?