NPR ran an interesting story about merit pay for students on Sunday’s Weekend Edition.  The story noted that more school systems are piloting programs that pay students for doing things like reading books, showing up to school and improving test scores.

The story was interesting, not for its discussion of these pilot programs, but rather for its discussion of psychological studies on the impact of extrinsic rewards on student behavior.  According to one expert, psychological research tells us: “any type of ‘extrinsic’ reward, by and large, undermines motivation.”  According to another expert: ”The bigger the reward, the more damage it does.  The more you use cell phones, T-shirts, money or whatever, the more you undermine motivation for becoming engaged and prolific learners.”

Has anyone ever wondered whether the same principle applies to merit pay for teachers?  The bigger the reward, the more you undermine motivation for becoming an engaged and prolific teacher?

First read this: “A New Assignment: Pick Books You Like.” Then read this parody:  “Science Workshop: Building a Lifelong Love of a “Boring” Subject.” While I disagree with the parodist’s point, I can’t help but admire the parody.

From the real article:

The approach Ms. McNeill uses, in which students choose their own books, discuss them individually with their teacher and one another, and keep detailed journals about their reading, is part of a movement to revolutionize the way literature is taught in America’s schools. While there is no clear consensus among English teachers, variations on the approach, known as reading workshop, are catching on.

Children are not going to become lifelong readers if they do not like or understand the books they are reading.  I remember reading Lord of the Flies, part of the accepted literary canon of my era, in middle school and being thoroughly bored by it.  The lessons about power, government and mankind’s natural state completely escaped me.  Luckily, I persevered in my reading and ultimately rediscovered Lord of the Flies as a college student and today believe it to be a masterpiece.

Too many children, I fear, will not persevere as I did if exposed exclusively to the literary canon.  The reading workshop seems like a reasonable approach to promoting lifelong reading.