Inspire boys at home
“Most of us dutifully do the school reading with our children when they are at primary school, hearts sinking at yet another deathless tale, but we must ask ourselves how often do our children see us reading when they are teenagers? Do we have shelves of books lining our walls? Do we take time to visit the library? If we want our children to value reading then we have to give books currency in the home.
“It is often hard to find texts that both parents and teenagers can enjoy together. Reading a series of themed ‘classics’ such as all the James Bond novels, coupled with a weekly pizza and film night is a great way to create a scheduled time in the week without distractions when everyone in the family reads.”
David Anson is head of English at Bedales school.
Think about it like sport
“Explaining to boys that improving their reading is like sports training or playing an instrument can do the trick: they acknowledge the effort that needs to go into these kinds of activities; knowing the brain is like a muscle that can be trained can often help.
“The advice I give to parents for reading at home is to find factual subjects boys might be into: sport, cars, music, computers, science; then buy a broadsheet newspaper on the day they read their specialist pull-outs. The interest in content will drive the reading which is often lengthy, with sophisticated levels of vocabulary and sentence structure.”
Rachael Stevens is an English teacher and assistant headteacher at Christopher Whitehead Language college and sixth form.
Build trust
“With reluctant boys it’s vital to establish a relationship with them if they are to trust you. It takes time but if you can get to know what makes them tick then there are ways to change their reading habits. A simple questionnaire at the beginning of the year can provide lots of information on hobbies and interests. Throughout the year, choose one of your reluctant readers every week and find a book or magazine or newspaper article about one of his interests. Read things that tap into their interests and, most importantly, be patient. Keep at it. You’ll hook them in the end.”
Kenny Pieper is an English teacher in a large secondary school just outside Glasgow.
Article Appeared @http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2015/jun/11/how-can-we-encourage-boys-to-read-for-pleasure-teachers-give-their-views?CMP=share_btn_link