"Reading Don't Fix No Chevys"

I enjoyed reading "Reading Don't Fix No Chevys" by Michael W. Smith and Jeffrey D. Wilhelm. Because the authors have had teaching experience, they have first-hand knowledge about the challenges of teaching and the issues that arise with teaching boys specifically. Their research is very hands-on and I appreciate the high value they place upon having a personal knowledge of students and validating their experiences and the unique perspective that they can offer.

I think one of the most helpful parts of the book (especially for those who plan to teach) was chapter two, which discussed that boys need "a sense of control and competence, an appropriate challenge, clear goals and feedback, and a focus on the immediate" in order to learn effectively (53). The authors didn't just pick these conditions for effective learning at random, however; they compiled them after researching the ways boys learn and engage in non-academic activities. By finding out what drives boys in their activities outside of the classroom, what contributes to them sticking with certain activities while they may give others up, the authors gained valuable insight (along with some outside research from psychologists) into ways to help boys have a more positive experience in school. Of course, the authors are not saying that if boys like playing video games at home, they should be able to play "educational" video games in school. Mimicking student's extracurricular activities in the classroom is not the point. Rather, the authors realize that boys are driven in other activities outside of school for the reasons mentioned above ( a sense of control and competence, an appropriate challenge, clear goals and feedback, and a focus on the immediate) and those things can and should be reproduced in the classroom. I agree with the authors completely. Learning needs to be about what is best for the student, not about teachers or schools pushing an agenda simply because it's what has always been done. If there is an epidemic of boys not reading or being interested in school, obviously something is not working.

I loved the example about how Wilhelm taught Thee Death of A Salesman to his eleventh grade American Literature class. After protesting about having to teach the book because he thought his students would not be able to relate to it, his department chair insisted that he still must teach it. Rather than treating the book as an "artifact," Wilhelm found creative ways to make the book more relevant to his students. He formed the curriculum around the question, "What are the costs and benefits of of the American emphasis upon sports" (85) and incorporated other texts (including Sports Illustrated and sports related articles) and projects. All the students found this approach to be relevant to their lives in some way, and the class became a rewarding learning experience for everyone involved. This is a wonderful example of how when teachers think outside of the box in an effort to relate to their class, students will often rise to the challenge and have a much more effective learning experience. This example relates to both boys and girls, but the call for teachers to revise their teaching style for the sake of boys is still very important. Boys are the ones who are most vulnerable at this point in history to falling through the cracks when it comes to literacy. Teachers would do well to learn from "Reading Don't Fix No Chevys" to understand what motivates boys and how they can make their classrooms, and reading in general, positive experiences that will foster lifelong learning.