It is not a secret that many of us read for pleasure, because it is a great way to occupy our free time and because we voluntarily indulge in a relaxing activity that, at the same time, trains our brain. Reading (in addition) has many other benefits in the personal sphere and in the social and academic fields. Perhaps from this reflection we ask ourselves: where does the taste for reading come from?
Do we acquire it thanks to the example of reading parents? Did a childhood friend introduce us who had given us that picture book? Were we curious about the adventure books that the neighbor “devoured”? What seems clear is that "forcing" does not encourage the taste for reading.
I say this because in the school or institute (which is where they are obliged, I understand that for practical reasons) the student receives rewards for their readings and subsequent record, work or sharing; However, this reward (a positive point, a pass ...) is an external stimulus to the student. And we all know that the motivation that works best (unless we are in a work environment) is the intrinsic one: the one that emanates from ourselves, the one that moves us to take new paths for the satisfaction of doing it, or because they involve great personal improvement.
What do we gain by forcing to read or forcing to read certain readings or genres?
Although in Primary Education, it is easy to guide a group of students to read one or two books each term (and especially if teachers meet children who have a good reading habit acquired at home), with the move to Secondary, many of those who read voluntarily, show a total disinterest.
It does not matter if the teacher orders them to read Jules Verne, if it is about juvenile novels starring young people like them, or if we are talking about classics of Spanish literature. Related themes may be more successful among adolescent population, But forcing without taking into account the tastes or needs of each one could be a mistake.
And be careful, because it seems very commendable because basically it is not only intended to respond to the educational curriculum, but to provide students with a good level of culture, and skills in the language. In other words, it is not a criticism of teachers, but a thought out loud. Thought that is supported by verification that external stimuli in promoting reading are negative (or that points this article).
If it is a pleasure, it cannot be an obligation.
Despite the academic benefits that accompany the reading habit, you cannot love something in an imposed way. And the fact that there is control of the reading, through any system to verify what has been read, makes it difficult for literature to become a good ally for our adolescents. One of the main reasons is that not everyone has the same reading rate.
We may have to think of pleasant experiences that reinforce reading; perhaps we should know a little more about those wonderful beings that are children and adolescents, to understand what drives them above all the desire to play to learn.
And yes, at home we can do a lot to motivate you to readWe can do it during the first 10 years of life, then they are the ones who take (or not) the witness and cling to the habit with determination and love of knowledge. Of course, let's not lose sight of the fact that in recent years the number of reading boys and girls has been falling.… Which should not lead us to think that we must recover it by forcing them.