Monday, August 30, 2010
Readicide Blog
I never did this before. Blogging- such a strange word- much like Skype and Pedagogy -one of the weirdest sounding words-sounds like a strange fungus instead of an educational model. LOL! Anyway, from what I've read, the book seems like its going to be pretty good and thought provoking. It should inspire some interesting conversations.
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Ok- I read chap 1- I didn't know who Rod Paige was before now but, I did recognize a disaster waiting to happen -NCLB- that was before I had any educational background. Now its just frightening to think someone in Washington (I hate to think who)actually bought this idea. Every teacher I've ever met says the same thing the author is - this current testing nightmare doesn't work. The kids most at risk are just drowning in failure. Why are we STILL doing this? My Mom always told me if you want to read well, you have to read more, not less. Reading is like any other skill-practice makes perfect. Gallager says school's are removing books to add more time for test prep. Great, so students are drilled to despise reading forever, so they can pass some test that means nothing the moment they're out of school. I thought the whole purpose of education was preparing children for the challenges of adulthood- effectively communicating, able to compete in the job market, and knowing the meaning of good citizenship in ones community- not simply passing standardized tests- call me crazy but this ed philosophy is jacked up!
ReplyDeleteYou mother makes a good point. Very similar to so many educators who work with struggling readers. It will be interesting what you think as you read more of the book. I think the best part is coming - as Gallagher explains ways that he combats Readicide. I look forward to you blog!
ReplyDeleteReading really is a skill that practice makes perfect. With that being said, I really don't understand why administrators are wanting to spend less and less time in class reading. I would be curious to know if private schools are facing this same issue or can their students still enjoy novels of their interest?
ReplyDeleteYeah that makes little sense to me too.
ReplyDeleteGallager talks about the removal of reading materials, like novels and longer more challenging pieces from the classrooms, the vanishing of silent reading time, and teaching of background information that would've accompanied a novel, all to allow more test prep time. This focus on shallow test reading is affecting brain development. To increase comprehension ability, the brain needs longer passages of written material to process and form connections with prior/future knowledge. Having kids miss this important step in development is not only a disservice to their education, but its ruining a whole generation of would be readers. They aren't exposed to the rich, detailed stories told only through longer works like novels.
I rarely read anything else, although because of this class, I have recently found youth novels more appealing because of my time constraints. I still read at least two books/month for enjoyment. For me reading before bed is my wind down time. Some days I don't even turn on the TV. I just curl up on the couch with a good book, my coffee, and my cats. So to learn schools are removing this wonderful medium from their shelves is truly disheartening. I came from a seriously dysfunctional home, and books were my escape from the realities of my life. I found solace in pages where I could be transported somewhere else into my world of happiness, adventure or imagination. I don't know how I would've coped with life then if I didn't have a school library filled with great stories of people who survived and changed their stars.