Quote: "I have long been convinced that the central and most important goal of reading instruction is to foster the love of reading...teachers play a critical role in helping children develop into readers who read for both pleasure and information." (Gambrell, pp. 14-15)
Comment: Gambrell also mentioned that motivation plays a critical role in learning. Teachers are not only responsible for helping children become lifelong learners, but helping children become motivated to learn. These go hand in hand, since a love for reading will increase student motivation. I was surprised while reading the quotes from actual students about reading--I hadn't realized that young children valued reading so highly, but it probably is dependent upon the emphasis their teachers place on reading. If teachers are excited about reading, the students will learn from that example and motivation will increase.
Question: How do we, as teachers, ensure that our students will retain their love of reading and motivation to learn at home or when they leave our class? They can't depend on our example forever, so how do we really tap in to their interests so they will learn to be life long readers/learners?
I think it is vital for us to get parents involved in their childrens' schooling. I understand that it isn't reasonable to expect all parents to want or to be able to get involved, but it is worth the effort. From my personal experience, my love of reading came from being raised in a literacy-rich home; it came from reading every night with my parents, being read to by a sibling. If this is at all possible, I think it is the most effective way to create motivated readers. It is also important to have a good library with a variety of books, and to teach students how to use and enjoy a library. Once students are able to find books about topics of which they are interested, they are more likely to search out that reading material.
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