Reading Matters Winter 2019

students (Ivey, 1999; Wigfield & Eccles, 2000); it gives students a voice in the classroom, provides them with a sense of agency and directly involves their identity. The ability for students to choose how they learn, what they learn, and how they can demonstrate what they have learned, creates a meaningful learning environment for students while simultaneously increasing the value students have for their learning experience (Faircloth, 2012). Considering that students’ identity generally influences the choices they make, allowing students multiple opportunities for choice in their learning is instrumental in students’ identity development. Using student-choice of texts to encourage identity. It was previously suggested that teachers incorporate their students’ identity in the classroom through the texts they choose for their reluctant readers (McCarthy & Moje, 2002). Prior research also suggests that some adolescent students may reject the texts chosen for them by their teacher because they may not personally identify with the texts or the main protagonists within the texts (McCarthy & Moje, 2002; Moje, 2000). Considering many adolescents may portray multiple identities and representations of themselves within their everyday life (Holland et al., 1998), it could be difficult to select a book that would truly embody any particular student. Additionally, because the adolescent identity is fluid, it is likely that a student’s identity may shift throughout the course of a school year. Allowing students to choose their own books could help allay this dilemma. Students could have an open-choice of books, or a more structured, guided choice of several pre-selected books. Students could fill out a reading interest inventory in order for teachers to get an understanding of what students relate to with their reading. This would be helpful to consider which types of books to include on a pre-selected list. Teachers could display these pre-selected on a Google Form for the students to make several book selections. Ultimately, the teacher chooses the final book, or offers the student several selections and allows the student to choose the final book. Because the end result is still the students’decision, or their decision impacted the selection process, it is likely the text students select will be the most meaningful and impactful book for them, even if it is not the absolute ‘best-fit book’in regards to their reading ability. Incorporating identity through choice. In her study Fairbanks (2000) gave her high school English students ample opportunity for open choice with a large project she called Kids Business. Students self-selected a research topic, which typically had some sort of special connection to them, wrote a comprehensive research paper on the topic, and were free to choose how they presented the topic (Faircloth, 2012). Although these students were considered primarily disadvantaged from a high-needs area, the opportunity to discuss, research, write about, and present on a topic of their choosing was a highly motivating factor for them (Faircloth, 2012). The ability to choose gave these students the chance to weave their daily life experiences in the classroom, explore their identities deeper, and learn in a way that was most applicable to them. Many students in this study noted that having choice pushed them to put more effort into this project, they placed a higher value in this class and learning in general, and felt more connected and in control of their learning experience (Fairbanks, 2000).

Oftentimes, it may be difficult to relinquish a lot of control to students by giving multiple opportunities for choice. District planning and scheduling, student ability and behavior could make student choice seem less appealing for teachers to incorporate. However, choice does not always need to be unstructured or completely open, guided or pre-selected choice would still allow students to voice their opinion, but still maintain a structure that would work well within the classroom parameters. Allowing students to choose a writing topic from several pre-selected topics, giving students a choice of how they would like to present a project or paper, or a choice of working independently or with a partner/small group are small but impactful ways to give control to students through choice. Although none of these are new ideas, by simply allowing students more choice in the classroom gives them an outlet in which to voice their identity through different literate practices. Conclusion Literacy instruction allows teachers to support yet challenge their students’ identities through the texts they encounter and create (McCarthy & Moje, 2002). Students can use the literate practices they participate in both inside and outside the classroom to create and manipulate their identity through their exposure and participation in various social literacy- based environments. For teachers, helping students with their identity development through various literate practices in the classroom could add more value to their learning experience. By incorporating adolescent students’ identity in the classroom through the learning experiences, classroom environment, or opportunities for student choice, students would likely be more willing participants and place higher value in their learning. References Bakhtin, M. M. (1981). The dialogic imagination: Four essays by M.M. Bakhtin . M. Holquist (Ed.). C. Emerson, & M. Holquist (Trans.). Austin, TX: University of Texas Press.

Reading Matters Choice Matters

Bartlett, L. (2007). To seem and to feel: Situated identities and literacy practices. Teachers College Record, 109 (1), 51-69.

Bishop, R. S. (1990). Mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors. Perspectives, 6 (3), ix-xi.

Black, R. W. (2009). Online fan fiction, global identities, and imagination. Research in the Teaching of English, 43 (4), 397-425.

Fairbanks, C. M. (2000). Fostering adolescents’literacy engagements: ‘‘Kids’ business’’and critical inquiry. Reading Research and Instruction , 40 (1), 35–50.

Faircloth, B. S. (2012).“Wearing a mask”vs. connecting identity with learning. Contemporary Educational Psychology , 37 (3), 186-194.

Gee, J. P. (1996). Social linguistics and literacies: Ideology in discourses . London: Taylor & Francis.

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