Reading, Self-Determination Theory, and Me

I am so excited to announce that Developing Education, of which this podcast is a part of, has a brand new website! You’ll be able to see all of our offerings where we take the ideas in this podcast and bring them to life. Go check it out at www.developingeducation.org - we can’t wait to see you there!

It all started at a doctors appointment, as I was reading Things Become Other Things by Craig Mod. Someone across the room said “Excuse me- how did you get into reading?”

This simple question sparked the episode you hear above. It’s not quite an argument about how to “teach” reading, and more an argument about the stance we must take when seeking to foster meaningful capacities in our students (whether with reading or otherwise): namely that without the tenants of self-determination theory (autonomy, competence, and relatedness), our efforts won’t have the effect we hope they will.

Ultimately, it’s a reminder to myself about the power of giving our students space. In a time where adult anxiety is running high, we must call on ourselves to give our children and adolescents space to just be. It may be an anecdote, but I believe it’s instructive: My Montessori high school students, who are given lots of space and no assigned summer work, are reading for pleasure. When I attended an elite private school where we had lots of homework (both during the year and the summer), I never read for pleasure- and I can’t recall my friends reading for pleasure either.

I hope this sparks some interesting discussion and would love to hear your thoughts. If you haven’t already, definitely check out the latest edition of Provocations “The Revolutionary Adolescent,” because it’s jam packed with ideas that will certainly invigorate your practice going into the next school year. You can check out this latest edition, and all past editions, by becoming a paid subscriber to this Substack. You can also buy all past editions (not the current one, but that’s coming!) as standalone downloads on our website, developingeducation.org.

Be well and have a great start to the school year!

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