My thoughts on Chapter 5 as I read this.
Internet reading produces shallower reading than book reading (pg 112). Gallagher states that is because they are more focused on headlines. I wonder if there is truly a study that proves this.
The reading proficiency of college graduates fell 23 percent in the past ten years. No surprise there.
One in three high school students drop out.
We are successful and technologically ahead because of the “can do spirit” of our country. I agree with that. Americans may not be the best in school but no one in the world is as competitive as we are.
The twenty five fasted growing occupations have the greatest literary demands. Are we in trouble?
Gallagher talked about the Finnish system. He stated that they have no standardized testing and how they are ahead in most ways as far as education. I went to high school with a Finnish exchange student. It is not just the process of their education but also the mindset of the culture over in Finland. Children are more respectful and value education more because that is the mindset of the country. Children in the United States are more interested in being hip and cool and certainly are not interested in being respectful.
This chapter was relatively short.
I do have to say in conclusion that this book really made me think more about the subject of reading. I really have never put much emphasis on it because it is not that critical in my curriculum. However, I have begun to rethink the whole subject. We MUST find a way to get these kids to read. There are too many that cannot even read on a basic level at my school. It was interesting this week. We had our PSATs and a couple of other tests that kept our students busy. Also, during the week, I showed a PowerPoint to a class and there was a girl who was behind me silently reading it as I was showing it. She could barely get the words out and they were not that complicated. I suddenly wondered how these kids are going to fare on these tests we are taking when they cannot even read simple text on a PowerPoint. How have we let it get this far????
Hey Steve - I agree it is scary to see how little some students are able to read. I have been working on vocabulary in Art I and some of the pronunciations have been horrendous. I was thinking that literacy did not have much to do with art also until I realized that kids need to learn "art speak" I am sure it is much like "computer speak" (which is completely foreign to me btw). I have been feeling a new pressure to make sure these kids sound like they know what they are talking about whan they talk about art. We have been studying vocabulary more and using it during our critiques. How does it get this far? I have no idea but I think we both teach kids that need more than they have got. It is scary and I really think they are capable so it is hard to understand how they do not have some of the knowledge we take for granted.
ReplyDeletePeace out~ Keri
in regards to your response on the internet reading... I have no idea if there's a study to prove it, but I'm probably a result of it. In no way am I going to read or analyze a novel online. Then again, rarely do I read and analyze a novel in print, but I do use the internet to get summaries and to read blurbs enough to get and idea and quickly move on. With this, I can see where many people in their desire for instant results will use the internet to get a brief overview so they can move on rather than indulging in a subject.
ReplyDeleteI see it everyday in my literature classes. If a reading assignment is more than a page, the students freak out; what information would require them to read that much. Also if they are given a research assignment they will cut & paste a couple of paragraphs from a few websites rather than read the information, analyze it, and compose a coherent statement. I have some that simply can't stay focused to read more than a page at a time. It's going to be fun reading a novel for the next 3 weeks. If they have this much trouble in a 50 minute class, what are they going to do when they have to sit for hours reading the graduation tests?
ReplyDeleteRead The World is Flat, if you want an even scarier view. We ONCE were the can-do nation, but there are others that are quickly passing us (India, China...). It goes deeper than reading. It goes to the very center of learning how to learn. So how do we disable this run-a-way train and turn it around? What do schools need? What do teachers need?
ReplyDeleteI noticed the claim about internet reading compared to book reading, too, and wondered about it. Since it came out of a spot on NPR, I trust the claim a little more. But, Gallagher didn't exactly cite it like a statistic, so who knows how it was presented in the NPR story.
ReplyDeleteThanks for helping us a little bit with the Finnish culture. Clearly, there is more going on than Gallagher itemized in his list of things that do not happen in Finnish education. I'm concerned, though, when we talk about how another country does their education. The push in math right now is "Singapore math," and by that I mean that "experts" want math teachers in the United States to adopt a philosophy and approach to math education like that of Singapore. Your comment about Finnish culture, though, reminds me that we can't only teach math like Singapore unless we have cultural commitments that support the math teaching philosophy and approach they use.
I love how Keri is thinking about "art speak" in her class. Who knew literacy could change an art class, too?!
Steve I too think that Mr. Gallagher's is a bit off base with his criticisms in this chapter. I think that comparing the Finnish educational system to that of America's is way off. America is a much larger, more culturally diverse nation. Out problems cannot in any way be compared to those of the Finns. Does that mean that we should throw in the flag a give up? No, we must correct the problems in our educational system and fast otherwise an entire generation of Americans may be lost. But the kids I see in schools are no different from myself. They are dealing with many of the same issues and problems I dealt with in my youth. But we cannot give up on them, not now or ever. As a teacher it is our duty to see that they have the skills to make it in the real world, and as an educator and an American I intend to do so.
ReplyDelete