Reader Self-Perception Matters: Teaching All Students to be Confident and Competent

Self-perception refers to a student’s sense of self as a reader and their belief in their own capabilities. Students with positive self-perceptions see themselves as readers, while students with negative self-perceptions do not believe that their efforts lead to success. Too often, instruction emphasizes the cognitive aspects of reading while overlooking the affective aspects that shape motivation and engagement. This practical session will address how to understand and assess your students’ reading identities, how to teach students who feel negatively about themselves as readers so they become both competent and confident , and how to teach students with positive reading identities so they continue to grow. Please come with specific students in mind so you can apply what you learn to your own classroom. Hannah will share common positive and negative reader profiles and demonstrate methods for integrating cognitive and affective instruction to address both reading and the reader. You will leave with actionable strategies to nurture every student’s self-perception, confidence, and competence.