"Reading Don't Fix No Chevys": Literacy in the Lives of Young Men Review

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"Reading Don't Fix No Chevys": Literacy in the Lives of Young Men ReviewThis book significantly changed the way I, as a teacher of Language Arts, think about what we do in secondary classrooms every day. Without ever being strident or laying blame, the authors methodically, movingly demonstrate that in so many ways, most middle schools and high schools are still far off the mark in how they teach English. And yet, the answer is right there--all we have to do is listen to the kids.
Sure, it's easy for us to listen to the good readers, the ones who zipped through "Lord of the Rings" in 5th grade, who devour books. But when do we really listen and respond to the needs of those kids--particularly, as the authors point out, boys--who never read, who say they hate to read?
The authors studied, and carried on extensive dialogues, with 49 boys in grades 7-12. What they found will shock and dismay some readers. To others, it will come as no surprise. Still others may see it as a call to action: Increasingly, many children--and boys in particular--fail to make any significant connection with what goes on in the language arts classroom. Even passionate teachers may be of little help, so long as they insist on imposing the conventional canon of "great literature" on all students. What's more, students who resist traditional reading are by no means necessarily illiterate. Many are highly competent readers of computer manuals, sports magazines, graphic novels and internet communications--to name just a few. Many are passionate about these alternative literary activities. But they find no reinforcement for them in school; often, it is quite the opposite.
The authors argue that we must reach students first through the literate activities they already know and value, and tap into these interests, these sometimes unconventional literacies, as ways to engage them in meaningful, real activities. Then, if all goes well, they will begin to seek out wonder and meaning in ways that go deeper than the surface, and the door may open, for some, on that world of symbolic, philosophical, emotional meaning that is so valued by teachers and other lifelong readers."Reading Don't Fix No Chevys": Literacy in the Lives of Young Men Overview
The problems of boys in schools, especially in reading and writing, have been the focus of statistical data, but rarely does research point out how literacy educators can combat those problems. That situation has changed. Michael Smith and Jeff Wilhelm, two of the most respected names in English education and in the teaching of reading, worked with a very diverse group of young men to understand how they use literacy and what conditions promote it. In this book they share what they have learned.

Through a variety of creative research methods and an extended series of interviews with 49 young men in middle and high school who differ in class, race, academic achievement, kind of school, and geography, the authors identified the factors that motivated these young men to become accomplished in the activities they most enjoyed-factors that marked the boys' literate activities outside of school, but were largely absent from their literate lives in school. Their study questions the way reading and literature are typically taught and suggests powerful alternatives to traditional instruction.

Building their findings on their understanding of the powerful and engaging experiences boys had outside of school, Smith and Wilhelm discuss why boys embrace or reject certain ways of being literate, how boys read and engage with different kinds of texts, and what qualities of texts appeal to boys. Throughout, the authors highlight the importance of choice, the boys' need to be shown how to read, the cost of the traditional teaching of difficult canonical texts, and the crucial place of meaningful social activity.

The authors' data-driven findings are provocative, explaining why boys reject much of school literacy and how progressive curricula and instruction might help boys engage with literacy and all learning in more productive ways. Providing both challenges and practical advice for overcoming those challenges, Smith and Wilhelm have produced a book that will appeal to teachers, teacher educators, and parents alike.


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