According to the US Department of Education, more than 85 percent of black fourth-grade boys aren't proficient in reading. What kind of reading experiences should we be creating to ensure that all children read well? In a talk that will make you rethink how we teach, educator and author Alvin Irby explains the reading challenges that many black children face — and tells us what culturally competent educators do to help all children identify as readers.
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As a 19 year old having difficulty reading constantly I’ll take this as advice
If you are black, I recommend “Gross Greg”.
Can you please tell me how exactly you’re going to take this as advice? What he basically said is that people like to read about stuff that interests them. Isn’t that obvious?
Awesome
It’s a reupload
Why be so obsessed with books when we’re in 2018 and the internet and movies have replaced books ?
mhtinla
Not necessarily. Reading is a way to learn, a pathway to knowledge. It’s not the only way, it’s not the best or worst way. it’s just one way. I’m personally a visual/auditory learner for most information, which is why I listen to audiobooks vs reading books. I’m better able to visualize what’s happening in a story through spoken word. But I’d rather read the news or a tech article vs watch it on TV or online because of the level of detail a written article provides.
Learning is different for every person, so methods of learning will have varying degrees of success/usefulness for every person, and that can change from one situation to the next. It’s not a “right or wrong” “yes or no” situation really.
Books are like an experience. You travel through the pages, and the great thing about a hard copy is that you can also turn them. A book is something that is always available when not electronic.
VeeTeeF No!!! Reading is just one way of learning, ok?
mhtinla
I literally said that.
VeeTeeF No!!! Not after I said it before you.
Nice to see teachers really making a change, by identifying a problem and working with it
He’s just promoting his own books, silly.
mhtinla funny how I found u here from the other video haha
My book is merely an example and source inspiration for educators and parents looking to get reluctant or struggling readers excited about reading. If anything, I think it displays my commitment to addressing the lack of humorous children’s books featuring black boys.
My comment is merely an example of how people may misinterpret your talk. You go Alvin!!
It’s amazing when someone reference a big man of our country (Paulo Freire). Thanks very much!
Awesome!
Before teaching children how to read, it’s more important not to have children outside wedlock. It’s the number one reason of black poverty.
Level Joe It’s a result of our welfare system created by LBJ in the 60’s. When government steps in to help the mothers raise kids, the fathers conveniently disappear…
mhtinla ummm, is it children out of wedlock or social programs/LBJ?
mhtinla I was born outside of wedlock. I’d probably read more books than most adults by age 14.
Azure Griffin perhaps, you’re the exception, not the rule.
Level Joe I don’t think it’s a causal issue but one of correlation. In my ‘hood – if you would call it that – the ones that read more tend to have family problems like split up parents. Maybe a form of escapism or something.
Indeed, children should be allowed to choose what they want to read. Instead, school systems all over the world force children to read boring old books, a.k.a. the “classics”, which were, for the most part, written for adults several decades (or even centuries) ago. No wonder they never pick up a book afterwards.
mhtinla hello there *in Obi Wan’s voice* 😀
snipersev07 Hold on. Yoda is busy now.
mhtinla unless it’s like 50 Shades of Gray, why?
Azure Griffin because children are useless creatures whose only purpose is to be eaten for breakfast
they already are lifelong readers. They read twitter and facebook.
Now this is what I’m subscribed to this channel for.. not the weird stuff good speech
Thanks for watching! I’m glad you enjoyed my talk.
Having reading materials that directly relate to a person’s interests is great motivation. This also works when learning a new language.
Only if one is interested in learning a new language.
Yeah; motivation to learn the language is IMO the most important thing. Knowing someone who speaks it (and seeing them regularly) has always been motivational for me, although I imagine that I’m unusual in terms of wanting to learn a new language every time I meet someone who speaks a language that I haven’t started learning yet.
what if books didnt suck
Moog read better books
Moog you clearly haven’t found a good book.
You are going to have to break through the antintelectual attitude found in too many inner city communities.
Did I hear Paulo Freire?
Thank you for watching my talk. I look forward to reading your comments.
Alvin Irby I’m sorry you haven’t had any replies so far, but I loved it.
I am white (if that matters, although I am in the UK in an area where blacks are an extreme minority, having only five coloured – not a single fully black – students in the 90+ students in my year), in my mid teens and an avid reader. I don’t have a phone to use so on the bus I read, and that gives me a good 45 minutes to and then again back from school, meaning I get through books at an insane pace. At ten, I was tested and got a literally off the charts mark for my reading age, at 19 years and 11 months+.
Now, I don’t mean to sound like I’m sucking myself off.
The reason I read so avidly is likely because when my dad was angry as a child – parents broke up when I was four – my mum would distract me by reading. This was depressingly often. I also lived near my grandmother – peace to thy gently shade and endless rest (much better than “RIP” in my opinion) – who read a lot and had books of all sorts like Robin Hood and other classic kids books such as The Jungle Book. Of course, I also read Harry Potter – at an age where my teacher at the time didn’t believe I was capable of doing so, but that is another story – and have re-read it several times since. I also have an aunt who lives in Australia, and whenever she comes over she geberally brings gifts of chocolate (always appreciated) and books. I have a total of 15 from her, I think, being the Percy Jacksons, The Belgariad and the The Mellorian.
Just felt like talking about my love of reading, hope I didn’t bore you.
All in all, I consider myself pretty fortunate and wish that more people would read rather than obsess over getting likes on Instagram.
I also *despise* text speak and improper grammar.
Thank you for reading.
And we all know it’s impossible to learn a skill without first seeing someone that looks like you perform the skill you want to learn.
this is sarcasm.
Not impossible. Just not as easy. That’s what culture means.
Wow the guy from SNL and disjointed got smart!
“institutionalized racism”. actually, it’s a matter of culture and parenting. both whites and asians are more likely to get into advanced classes (and want to do so). sounds like this guy had a good parent who made sure he could read, thus making him interested in the advanced class (his friends always playing outside). many black and hispanic parents are not like that. it’s not goddamn “institutionalized racism”…
The cognitive dissonance is amazing how he grasps that he personally had to demonstrate that he could handle the advanced english classes, which he admits still gave him trouble, and fails to connect that it was merit not racism.
So in your opinion why aren’t many black and Hispanic parents “like that” or “good”? Is it genetic? You say it’s cultural as if black and Hispanic cultures haven’t been shaped to a large extent by racism. As if the roles were reversed you’d still see the same trends.