Topic: Marilyn Pryle

With the practice of reading response writing, students do not have to answer specific questions with definitive answers. Instead, they can read with presence, and decide at the end what aspect they would like to respond to.

In her new book “Reading with Presence” Marilyn Pryle tackles the causes of disengaged learning and provides tangible solutions that provide students a safe space to share ideas and engage confidently.

It is often difficult to imagine how students can move from where they are to the longer papers they will need to write. This book shows the way forward, with invitations wide enough, attractive enough, and manageable enough—that students will, I believe, decide they no longer need to hide.

When we want nothing from a text but what it might have to offer our minds and spirits on its own terms, we read with presence.