3708. When Was the Last Time Our Students Read a Full Book?

 Today I would like to point out a couple of points that may help you out, mainly if you are a teacher, like I am. 

You know, a lot has been said about the student’s motivation in class, and that’s fine, for our lessons don’t need to bore our dear students and a whole herd of cows alike. 

However, if for example a kid in class achieves to solve a math problem, or to write an essay in English (say, his target language), about a given topic, well, he will get perfectly content. There may be nothing better than the student would strive to do things fine, and learn a lot of things from his teacher. 

Effort and struggling may also be paramount in class, and alike at home with their homework. I mean, the school and the classroom are not theme parks, as Gregorio Luri says. 

Second thing today. I’d also like to pinpoint the use of books, paper ones. Miguel Ángel Martínez-González stands up for the use of paper books instead of a lot of screens. On this blog I’ve said something in favor of tablets in class and the like, yet nearly an army of people now insist that it’s better to use paper books. 

Just think of a study hall in a school, full of students reading books – which is what we’ve seen this far in schools: their brains may be like sponges absorbing lots of knowledge about the world we live in … and all the universe besides. 

A kid – and an adult too – must learn to get its most from a book. As well they have to learn to understand what they’re reading, plus the main ideas, plus its author’s message, plus learn how to make up a written diagram with those main points. And all this may be learned by them through practice and experience, albeit in class you may try and teach it, and foster doing it. 

Alejandro Llano wrote in his memoirs that as a young man he got delighted when he met someone with a marvelous library at home. Me too. When I go to some friends’ house, one of the first things that I put my eyes on is their library and their books. 

Another scholar and psychiatrist who says something in favor of effort instead of too much motivation is Luis Gutiérrez Rojas. 

By the way, memory, you know. That is also a crucial point for our learners. They may train their memory … by memorizing. And that process of memorizing a lot trains and boosts their memory. Well, you know, a list of irregular verbs in English is but a list to learn with our talent of memory, plus using those verbs so that the learner can get them into memory. Who has not studied the English strong or irregular verbs? Some new – and old – culture of reading and studying books is needed today. Have a nice day.