Bannatyne Reading Program -- MOTIVATING TEENAGERS

Bannatyne Reading, Writing, Spelling and Language Program

Third Edition

MOTIVATION

MOTIVATING TEENAGERS

One high school teacher of ESL Spanish-speaking students got permission to grant her students one High School Diploma credit to her students for each Bannatyne Program Workbook they completed and it "caught on like wildfire." (See: TESTIMONIALS AND STUDIES)

While many of the motivators mentioned above are valuable and useful when teaching teenagers, those who have learning and reading disabilities sometimes baulk when they are presented with yet another "beginning reading" program, because almost all other such programs are babyish in content. Therefore it is a good idea to motivate such students who are entering the Bannatyne Reading, Writing, Spelling and Language Program in the following ways, and this motivational method has been proven to be almost invariably successful.

Stack up the Workbooks of the Bannatyne Program in front of you, and say to the individual student or group:

You see this stack of 13 (or more usually 8 if beginning with Galleon) Workbooks -- well, that's IT! If you complete this little stack of Workbooks you will be able to read, write and spell as well as most people can.
This Bannatyne Program is NOT just for little kids, but is used by adults who wish to learn to read, write and spell like most other people can. Thousands of teenagers and adults have learned to read, write and spell by working through just this stack of 13 (or 8) Workbooks.
In these Workbooks there are stories about astronauts, Vikings, archeologists, teenagers, pirates of the Caribbean, paramedics, submarines, sharks and dolphins, and many others that you will enjoy.
Do you know that if I (the teacher or parent-teacher) had to learn Russian or Chinese I would have to start learning those languages in workbooks just like these, and I would be happy to do that because I know I would learn quickly.
If applicable, add: Now you can also get one credit toward your High School Diploma for each Bannatyne Program Workbook you complete.
If any one student is still very apprehensive about getting started say: Well, why not give it a trial for a couple of months and see how you like it, and then you can stop if you don't want to learn any more.
If other teenage students have already completed the Bannatyne Program you can add: Mark (or Mary) Smith has already completed the Bannatyne Program successfully and can now read, write and spell very well. Would you like to talk to him (or her)?

Embarrassment about being in a Group or Class: The best way to defuse any student embarrassment about not being able to read English competently (and perhaps about not even speaking it well) is to turn the class or group of students involved into a mutual support group. Embarrassment is caused by a fear of criticism and even ridicule for not meeting the standards of achievement imposed by one's peers, or even by unthinking adults who are deluded that shame will motivate "failing" students to do better. This fear of embarrassment that some students may have, causes them to (metaphorically) "hide in the closet" as Gale Evans put it (see: English Language Learners and English as a Second Language Section). Such students tend to be depressed, avoid peer relations, steer clear of conversations in regular class, and even pretend they can read well (silently) by faking it.

The wise way for the teacher to approach this embarrassment, is to get the group "out of the closet" right at the outset by openly discussing it with them. Get the students to discuss their own ideas about how they can support each other by befriending each other, and by uncovering individual talents that other students in the community may not possess. Almost everyone usually has some non-academic, non-verbal skill they can do better than most others -- such as arm-wrestling, dancing (cheer-leading), running, artwork, hair-dressing, cooking, swimming, football, baseball, skate-boarding, etc. Also explain to the group that they can help each other learn to read and spell quickly by praising each other and clapping and cheering whenever one the them does a good piece of work or finishes a Section in a Workbook. The teacher should read the other pages on MOTIVATION for many more ideas along these lines.

The Bannatyne Reading Program is a superb, proven reading program. The Bannatyne Reading Program is unlike any other reading programs currently available. This means you will find many features which are only in the Bannatyne Reading Program. Numerous kinds of motivation are seamlessly built into the Bannatyne Reading Program. In some Commonwealth countries the program may be referred to as: Bannatyne Programme, or Bannatyne Reading Programme.