How do you motivate children to read?

In his book Drive, researcher and writer Daniel Pink, names the three things that motivate people. He says, if we want to motivate 21^st Century children we must look at ‘autonomy, mastery and purpose.’ Instead of thinking that children will only work if we reward them to do so, or punish them when they don’t, we need, he says, to tap into those innate needs that ensure self-motivation. When children read because they want to, they are on their way to lifelong learning – and lifelong enjoyment.

Of the three things that motivate, autonomy has been found to be by far the most powerful. According to behavioural scientists it is linked to: ‘greater conceptual understanding, better grades, enhanced persistence at school and in sporting activities, higher productivity, less burnout and greater levels of psychological well-being’. It improves resilience and self-esteem.

If autonomy is so important then we must allow our children to make choices about their reading; and give them power to make decisions. For example, parents can insist on reading time every day but give children a choice of where, when and what. Say things like, “Where would you like to read – in your room or outside? Would you like to read in the morning or before bedtime? Would you like to read Book A or Book B?” Don’t give too many choices, as this is just confusing. Talk about reading in a matter-of-fact way as simply something you do in your household. Show that you read from choice. Take your children to the bookshop so they can choose what they want to read. Even if the book is slightly above their current reading level, encouraging children to stretch their skills is good also. If they find the book a little difficult read it to them so they learn that making mistakes in their choices is okay.

The second motivator is mastery. Children won’t enjoy reading, or any task, if they can’t do it with some confidence. Most of us hate having to admit there is something we can’t do. For a child this might mean saying ‘I hate reading’ when the real barrier is they can’t read fluently. Give children confidence by making sure they know how to read but also by letting them know that they can read. A dear principal friend of mine recently told me the story of a young girl who couldn’t make sense of a particular task. Eventually the child said to her, “I‘m sorry I’m so dumb.” The principal’s response was, “Darling, you’re not dumb. I just haven’t taught you right. I’m the teacher; it’s my job to teach you. If you can’t understand I have to find a way until we work this out.” I love this response because it lets the child know she could master the task; it was just a matter of finding a way.

Research by Stanford University professor, Carol Dweck, strongly backs up the importance of giving children the right mindset. According to Dweck people can hold two different views of their own intelligence: (1) that it is what you are born with and is finite, or (2) that, with effort, it is something that can be increased, somewhat like muscles increase the more you exercise. Motivation and mastery depend on which of these views people hold of themselves. This has significant implications for education because the second view leads to mastery and the first doesn’t.

Dweck explains there are performance goals and learning goals. Getting an A for French is a performance goal; being able to speak French is a learning goal. If children think in terms of performance goals they give up when they reach the time when they can no longer achieve an “A”. Students who think in terms of learning goals are not inhibited by the idea they have to prove they are ‘smart’ and are prepared to put in more effort because they believe effort is responsible for the attainment of mastery, not finite intelligence.

In a study in the US, fifth and six grade students were given eight conceptual problems they could solve, and a further four they could not because the questions were too advanced for their ages. Students who subscribed to the idea that brainpower is fixed gave up quickly on the hard questions and blamed their lack of intelligence for their failure; students who believed effort makes a difference kept working in spite of the difficulty and were more creative in their attempts to solve the problems. Furthermore, they didn’t blame anything for their failure. In the classroom, students with the first view of intelligence never gain mastery because they give up on complex problems rather than face failure. Students who believe they can stretch brainpower are more persistent, more resilient and more likely to reach mastery.

The final necessity for intrinsic motivation is purpose. People are more motivated when they work towards a purpose. Children need to understand the purpose of what they’re asked to do. This doesn’t mean endless discussions and sometimes it’s okay to say, ’because I said so’, but where possible parents, teachers and children should all be able to answer the question, ‘What’s the point?” The best way to do this is to ask the child to explain what they think the point is. In asking them to identify the purpose we teach thinking skills, provide the idea of a choice between alternatives and give children autonomy. No teacher should ever introduce a topic of work unless they are able to justify why they are doing so; if we can’t articulate, and model, why it is important to read, we can’t expect children to be motivated to do so.

Reading is important. Here are some of the reasons why:

1. It is almost impossible to function in today’s society if you can’t read. How can you take medicine safely if you can’t read the instructions? How can you drive safely if you can’t read street signs? How can you fill in forms you need to get a credit card, apply for a job, or understand instructions to put together a flatbox desk?
2. In the knowledge economy and the information age almost all work now requires reading, and comprehension.
3. Reading develops the mind. It requires focus, develops language skills and makes connections in the brain that make it grow in its ability.
4. It helps us discover new, and exciting things. People who know how to read can educate themselves about any area that interests them.
5. It develops the imagination. In books people can travel through time and space, learn about their current world, go on an adventure, be an explorer, superhero, sports star, magician, prince, princess…
6. It develops thinking skills. When children are reading ask them to stop every once in a while and ask what is going to happen next; ask them to tell a story based on ‘What if?” questions.
7. It is fundamental to confidence and self-esteem. Children who can’t read feel ‘dumb’ and think they’re ‘not good enough’. As they continue through the grades and reading becomes more critical they get so tired of failing they give up. This often leads to behaviour problems.
8. It is central to understanding ideas and, therefore, standing against ideas that are bad, unfair, evil and dangerous. People who can’t read or who are banned from accessing books and other written materials are easier to control and manipulate because they cannot do their own research or thinking.

By finding ways to provide autonomy, making the purpose clear and ensuring mastery we are well on the way to motivating students to enjoy this most important skill.