The Missouri Reader Vol. 35, Issue 2 | Page 25

  Whether   or   not   teachers   know   the   term   schema   theory,   they   often   implement   teaching   practices   that   are  based  on  this  theory.  These  practices  may  develop  essential  background  knowledge  or  encourage  students   to   connect   their   prior   knowledge   to   the   ideas   in   the   text.   Before   students   read,   teachers   may   ask   students   what   they   already   know   about   a   topic.   Teachers   may   demonstrate   an   abstract   concept   such   as   directing   a   small   group   of   chemistry   students   to   stand   in   a   circle   around   a   table   and   roll   marbles   toward   the   center,   demonstrating  collisions  of  atoms  or  molecules.  To  facilitate  students’  connections  of  text-­‐based  concepts  to   their  background  knowledge,  teachers  may  provide  students  with  a  skeletal  hierarchical  graphic  organizer  to   which  they  add  information  while  reading.       Culturally  Relevant  Pedagogy     Culturally  relevant  pedagogy  was  identified  and  named  by  Gloria  Ladson-­‐Billings  (1995)  to  describe  the   pedagogy   of   excellent   teachers   of   African   American   students.   Three   components   to   this   successful   teaching   are:   academic   excellence   (high   expectations),   cultural   competence   and   respect   through   building   on   and   valuing  students’  cultures,  and  critical  consciousness  that  encourages  students  to  question  the  status  quo  that   often  privileges  some  over  others.       Though   Ladson-­‐Billings’   (1995)   examples   of   effective   teaching   are   often   met   by   comments   such   as   “but,  that’s  just  good  teaching”  (p.  159),  or  shock  that  her  suggestions  are  “like  some  rather  routine  teaching   strategies”   (p.   159),   she   asks   “why   so   little   of   it   seems   to   be   occurring   in   the   classrooms   populated   by   African   American   students”   (p.   159).   Those   who   study   classrooms   with   Latinos   or   Native   Americans   point   out   the   same  problem.       Remedial  reading  classes  that  focus  on  skills  and  strategies  rarely  consider  students’  cultures.  Instead,   they   tend   to   operate   from   a   bottom-­‐up   framework   that   identifies   a   hierarchy   of   reading   skills   that   must   be   mastered  before  students  can  progress.  Culture  does  not  play  a  part  in  this  framework.     Motivation  to  Read     Common  sense  and  personal  experiences  inform  us  about  the  importance  of  motivation.  We  are  less   likely   to   do   something   –   be   it   cleaning   our   desk,   cooking   dinner,   or   walking   the   dog   –   if   we   are   not   motivated.   Yet  in  remedial  reading  classes  or  low-­‐level  content  area  classes,  we  tend  not  to  consider  students’  intrinsic   motivations.  Intrinsic  motivation  comes  from  within  the  learner.  Students  who  are  intrinsically  motivated  read   because  they  want  to:  they  read  for  curiosity,  for  challenge,  and  for  involvement  with  ideas  in  texts  (Guthrie,   2004).  The  more  they  read  the  better  readers  they  become  and  thus  develop  self-­‐efficacy  (i.e.,  the  ability  to 4