Getting students excited about reading--and ACTUALLY reading

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One of my favourite Twitter threads is Goodread's "What are you reading this weekend?" Every Friday, I love scrolling through, seeing what books people are reading and what they're saying about them. I've found a lot of wonderful books through it. I also enjoy sharing what I'm reading by posting a picture of my current reading material in the thread and writing a few thoughts about it. As a result, I've started reading more and enjoying it more than ever. It made me finally realise the appeal of book clubs--it makes reading social. 

One of my replies to a Goodreads tweet

It occurred to me that I should attempt to create a similar kind of social atmosphere in my writing classes to allow my students to share what they read. I want them to read more. They know they should read more. But encouraging (nagging?) students to read more rarely results in them truly reading more--let alone developing a love for reading. All my students know that reading will help them become better writers, but in order to read extensively, there needs to be intrinsic motivation, not only extrinsic.

I've started small by beginning some of our lessons with the discussion question: "What have you been reading recently?" After I model this by telling them what I've been reading, I let students chat in groups and then share with the whole class, if they are willing. They can share anything they've read--it doesn't have to be a book. All kinds of reading materials get a mention: novels, self-help books, tweets, short stories, history books, academic articles, and more. Also, it doesn't take up much of the lesson. Because the students know the discussion is a regular segment of our class, they don't mind if there's not enough time for everyone to share each lesson. 

Two things have surprised me from this experiment: 1. I'm amazed at the variety of texts my students are reading and 2. I didn't expect them to get so into it. But they are and they do. I've seen many of them, including those who rarely participate in class, relish the opportunity to talk about what they have been reading and recommend their favourites to their classmates and me. Now that they know they will have the opportunity to share what they read with others they are reading more and finding joy in reading as well.

Reading extensively has so many benefits--academically, socially, and even mentally. But knowing what's good for you doesn't always translate into doing what's good for you. Instead, doing something because you want to allows you to experience those benefits for yourself. I have found that providing time for students to share what they've been reading with each other is a great motivator for reading more. 

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How about you? 

Have you found a way to motivate your students to read?

And, of course, what have you been reading?

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