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Alvin Irby: How to inspire every child to be a lifelong reader
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According to the US Department of Education, more than 85 percent of black fourth-grade boys aren't proficient in reading. What kind of reading experiences should we be creating to ensure that all children read well? In a talk that will make you rethink how we teach, educator and author Alvin Irby explains the reading challenges that many black children face -- and tells us what culturally competent educators do to help all children identify as readers.
Alvin Irby - Educator, comedian, social entrepreneur, author
Whether speaking to barbers about early literacy, entertaining strangers at comedy clubs, or reading to kindergarteners at a local school, TED Resident Alvin Irby endeavors to make learning relevant and engaging. Full bio
Whether speaking to barbers about early literacy, entertaining strangers at comedy clubs, or reading to kindergarteners at a local school, TED Resident Alvin Irby endeavors to make learning relevant and engaging. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
As an elementary school teacher,
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my mom did everything she could
to ensure I had good reading skills.
to ensure I had good reading skills.
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This usually consisted of weekend
reading lessons at our kitchen table
reading lessons at our kitchen table
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while my friends played outside.
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My reading ability improved,
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but these forced reading lessons
didn't exactly inspire a love of reading.
didn't exactly inspire a love of reading.
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High school changed everything.
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In 10th grade, my regular English class
read short stories and did spelling tests.
read short stories and did spelling tests.
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Out of sheer boredom, I asked
to be switched into another class.
to be switched into another class.
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The next semester,
I joined advanced English.
I joined advanced English.
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(Laughter)
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We read two novels and wrote
two book reports that semester.
two book reports that semester.
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The drastic difference and rigor
between these two English classes
between these two English classes
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angered me and spurred questions like,
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"Where did all these
white people come from?"
white people come from?"
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(Laughter)
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My high school was over
70 percent black and Latino,
70 percent black and Latino,
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but this advanced English class
had white students everywhere.
had white students everywhere.
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This personal encounter
with institutionalized racism
with institutionalized racism
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altered my relationship
with reading forever.
with reading forever.
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I learned that I couldn't depend
on a school, a teacher or curriculum
on a school, a teacher or curriculum
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to teach me what I needed to know.
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And more out of like, rebellion,
than being intellectual,
than being intellectual,
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I decided I would no longer allow
other people to dictate
other people to dictate
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when and what I read.
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And without realizing it,
I had stumbled upon a key
I had stumbled upon a key
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to helping children read.
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Identity.
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Instead of fixating on skills
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and moving students
from one reading level to another,
from one reading level to another,
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or forcing struggling readers
to memorize lists of unfamiliar words,
to memorize lists of unfamiliar words,
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we should be asking ourselves
this question:
this question:
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How can we inspire children
to identify as readers?
to identify as readers?
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02:10
DeSean, a brilliant first-grader
I taught in the Bronx,
I taught in the Bronx,
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he helped me understand
how identity shapes learning.
how identity shapes learning.
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One day during math,
I walk up to DeSean, and I say,
I walk up to DeSean, and I say,
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"DeSean, you're a great mathematician."
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He looks at me and responds,
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"I'm not a mathematician,
I'm a math genius!"
I'm a math genius!"
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(Laughter)
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OK DeSean, right?
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Reading?
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Completely different story.
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"Mr. Irby, I can't read.
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I'm never going to learn
to read," he would say.
to read," he would say.
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I taught DeSean to read,
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but there are countless black boys
who remain trapped in illiteracy.
who remain trapped in illiteracy.
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According to the US
Department of Education,
Department of Education,
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more than 85 percent
of black male fourth graders
of black male fourth graders
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are not proficient in reading.
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85 percent!
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03:02
The more challenges
to reading children face,
to reading children face,
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the more culturally competent
educators need to be.
educators need to be.
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03:11
Moonlighting as a stand-up comedian
for the past eight years,
for the past eight years,
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I understand the importance
of cultural competency,
of cultural competency,
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which I define as the ability to translate
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what you want someone else
to know or be able to do
to know or be able to do
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into communication or experiences
that they find relevant and engaging.
that they find relevant and engaging.
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Before going on stage,
I assess an audience.
I assess an audience.
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Are they white, are they Latino?
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Are they old, young,
professional, conservative?
professional, conservative?
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Then I curate and modify my jokes
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based on what I think
would generate the most laughter.
would generate the most laughter.
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While performing in a church,
I could tell bar jokes.
I could tell bar jokes.
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But that might not result in laughter.
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(Laughter)
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As a society, we're creating
reading experiences for children
reading experiences for children
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that are the equivalent
of telling bar jokes in a church.
of telling bar jokes in a church.
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And then we wonder
why so many children don't read.
why so many children don't read.
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04:07
Educator and philosopher Paulo Freire
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believed that teaching and learning
should be two-way.
should be two-way.
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Students shouldn't be viewed
as empty buckets to be filled with facts
as empty buckets to be filled with facts
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but as cocreators of knowledge.
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Cookie-cutter curriculums
and school policies
and school policies
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that require students to sit statue-still
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or to work in complete silence --
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these environments often exclude
the individual learning needs,
the individual learning needs,
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the interest and expertise of children.
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Especially black boys.
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Many of the children's books
promoted to black boys
promoted to black boys
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focus on serious topics, like slavery,
civil rights and biographies.
civil rights and biographies.
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Less than two percent of teachers
in the United States are black males.
in the United States are black males.
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And a majority of black boys
are raised by single mothers.
are raised by single mothers.
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There are literally young black boys
who have never seen a black man reading.
who have never seen a black man reading.
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Or never had a black man
encourage him to read.
encourage him to read.
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05:09
What cultural factors,
what social cues are present
what social cues are present
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that would lead
a young black boy to conclude
a young black boy to conclude
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that reading is even
something he should do?
something he should do?
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This is why I created Barbershop Books.
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It's a literacy nonprofit
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that creates child-friendly
reading spaces in barber shops.
reading spaces in barber shops.
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The mission is simple:
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to help young black boys
identify as readers.
identify as readers.
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Lots of black boys go to the barber shop
once or twice a month.
once or twice a month.
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Some see their barbers
more than they see their fathers.
more than they see their fathers.
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Barbershop Books connects reading
to a male-centered space
to a male-centered space
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and involves black men
and boys' early reading experiences.
and boys' early reading experiences.
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This identity-based reading program
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uses a curated list of children's books
recommended by black boys.
recommended by black boys.
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These are the books
that they actually want to read.
that they actually want to read.
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Scholastic's 2016 Kids and Family Report
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found that the number one thing
children look for when choosing a book
children look for when choosing a book
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is a book that will make them laugh.
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So if we're serious about helping
black boys and other children to read
black boys and other children to read
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when it's not required,
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we need to incorporate
relevant male reading models
relevant male reading models
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into early literacy.
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In exchange, some of the children's books
that adults love so much
that adults love so much
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for funny, silly or even gross books,
like "Gross Greg".
like "Gross Greg".
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(Laughter)
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"You call them boogers.
Greg calls them delicious little sugars."
Greg calls them delicious little sugars."
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(Laughter)
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That laugh, that positive reaction
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or gross reaction some of you just had,
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(Laughter)
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black boys deserve
and desperately need more of that.
and desperately need more of that.
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Dismantling the savage inequalities
that plague American education
that plague American education
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requires us to create reading experiences
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that inspire all children
to say three words:
to say three words:
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I'm a reader.
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Thank you.
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(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Alvin Irby - Educator, comedian, social entrepreneur, authorWhether speaking to barbers about early literacy, entertaining strangers at comedy clubs, or reading to kindergarteners at a local school, TED Resident Alvin Irby endeavors to make learning relevant and engaging.
Why you should listen
Alvin Irby is a former kindergarten teacher turned social entrepreneur. He is founder and chief reading inspirer at Barbershop Books, a nonprofit organization that creates child-friendly reading spaces in barbershops and provides early literacy training to barbers. His work connecting reading to male-centered spaces and involving men in boys’ early reading experiences earned him the National Book Foundation's 2017 Innovations in Reading Prize.
As a cultural competency specialist, Irby trains educators and administrators to translate learning objectives for children or adults into relevant and engaging communication and experiences. Irby's nationally recognized keynotes and workshops excavate his eclectic professional and personal life to better understand and address one of American education’s greatest challenges - cultivating children’s intrinsic motivation to read.
Irby's debut children’s book, Gross Greg, combines his passion for early literacy and comedy; it is a laugh-out-loud story that captures the hilariously gross behavior of kids everywhere. His clever social commentary and astute observations shine through in his 2012 comedy album They Know Too Much. One of the highlights of Irby's comedy career was being selected as a 2015 StandUp NBC national finalist and performing at the legendary Hollywood Improv in Los Angeles, CA.
Irby holds a Masters in Childhood Education from the Bank Street Graduate School of Education, a Masters in Public Administration from the Wagner School of Public Service at New York University, and a Bachelors in Sociology from Grinnell College.
Alvin Irby | Speaker | TED.com