How to Create Nonreaders

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• Why did you select this article to read? In other words, what compelled you to read this article? –As I was scrolling through the list of articles, this title really stuck out to me. I classify myself as an avid reader, and I take it very personally when peers say it is a waste of time. I have loved to read for as long as I can remember. Before enter college, I would read at least one novel a week. And this reading was done all outside school. I liked to choose my own books, and often ignored the ones I was assigned in high school. That’s how I ended up at a two-year school instead of the universities that I was capable of attending. Reading helps develop the mind: it also helps younger children with their language skills. Through reading, you begin to recognize a variety of topics. The more you read, the more you understand the world and the people in it.

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• Describe the primary points that were made by the author. -this article mainly centers around what actions, taken by teachers, can really turn a child off of reading. It discusses several tactics, but there were a few that really stood out to me. First, the author explains how the way a teacher assigns reading can really effect how the students feel about the book. Most teachers assign page numbers to read to every evening. This causes “page turning” which means that the students are not paying attention to the material. They are just staring at the pages while their minds wonder. Another approach is to assign a time amount for reading. This is not much help either because the student will just watch the clock and wait for time to run out. The homework of reading is making it become more of a “chore”. Second, teachers often make students write reports on books. A child’s love of reading is quickly destroyed when they “have to prove to you they have read it”. When having to worry about remembering every detail for a paper or test, the blissfulness of reading the book goes away. Having to focus so much takes the enjoyment out of it. Third, providing incentives for reading is not always the best way to get them interested or does any justice for the material. This author suggests that while “dangling” a prize in front of a kids face, it proposes that reading just for your own enjoyment is not worth it. Again, this makes the activity that I find very rewarding, a chore. Just like how a mom may give you money for washing dishes, reading is now seen as something no one wants to do unless they are being compensated.
   

• Indicate if you agree or disagree with the author's points. Why or why not? – this article was very interesting and had me thinking more in depth about the effectiveness of teachers. I mainly agreed with everything this author had to say except for one point that was made about not isolating the reader. The author goes on to talk about the reading group he is in and how he would have never read as much if it were not for the group. He later concludes that if you have a child read on their own, they will lose interest quicker. I think this suggestion is a slippery slope of having students who depend on each other just a little more than they should. New studies have shown that group work is the best to keep children involved; working together to achieve a goal. Although I have no other solution, I believe this will make for great disaster. Having students work together so much may create more “tag-a-long” children, joining groups who have members capable of doing the work on their own. These “tag-a-longs” will now get used to getting the answers and not doing any of the work. This poses a threat for later in the students’ life like college or the work force, because now they have learned to wait for the answer instead of working the problem and finding it themselves causing them to be completely dependent.  

 

Summary- this article really got me thinking about how much involvement I will have in students’ lives. As teachers, we can really control the rest of a child’s experience with school, learning, and sometimes actions. The thought that I can change just one student’s life for the better makes this all worth it. We have the ability to build them up and send them towards success and sometimes a better life than they could have even imagined.

 

“Well, Duh!” — Ten Obvious Truths That We Shouldn’t Be Ignoring

 

• Why did you select this article to read? In other words, what compelled you to read this article? –the title of this article really caught my eye because I believe there are a lot of things some teachers and their administration let ‘be swept under the rug”. Many aspects of the educational system are hidden and kept “under key” because the truth can be embarrassing. An example I would like to point out is that in my high school, we are able to walk at graduation even if we are not graduating. The grade above mine had a graduation ceremony with the 35 smiling seniors, come to find out, only 26 of them actually received their diplomas. The rest just quietly finished in summer school or got a GED. My point is, is that many school are all about appearance, and things like 9 students failing should be publicly addressed to find a solution for this problem.
   

• Describe the primary points that were made by the author. –just like the title of this article explains, it is about “truths that we shouldn’t be ignoring”. The author makes many points as to what some of these truths are that are being overlooked, but there are some that stuck out to me the most. First, the author points out that a lot of the material a student is given is mostly memorized and not learned, meaning that it is only know for a short period of time. The educational system is mainly composed of expanding on the information you have learned in the previous grade. How should we expect to build on knowledge if we are just giving kids lists to memorize? Second, students are more likely to learn, not memorize, what interests them. For example, I love to read, so I know a lot about world literature; on the other hand, math is very boring in my opinion, so I try not to do more than what is expected of me. So a solution would be to make more subjects interlocking. Third, students are more likely to be successful in a safe and loving environment. This is a point that I find very useful in a student’s accomplishments. When I student feels they can relax and be themselves at school, they are more likely to work hard and do their best. Feeling safe allows the students to participate in class more.
   

• Indicate if you agree or disagree with the author's points. Why or why not? –this article was very informative, and I believe I agreed with every aspect of it. One point I feel particularly inclined to further comment on is “We want children to develop in many ways, not just academically” this goes hand in hand with the topic we discussed last week: The Whole Child initiative.  Our current educational system focuses solely on the academics of learning in school. The “Whole Child” initiative proposes that instead of ONLY teaching children about practical knowledge, we also teach them about themselves and why they are special. Could you imagine the more self-confident students the teachers and parents would be creating? With more self-assurance, children will feel they can accomplish anything. And the Whole Child initiative is not just for self-esteem purposes. They need supportive environments that nurture their social, emotional, physical, ethical, civic, creative, and cognitive development. Thereby, educating the whole child; making their passion for learning bigger and not JUST their brain.

 

Summary: this article really got me thinking about how not all schools do what is best for the students. Often, schools cover up things to make their faults in educating the students seem less their responsibility. Some teachers and the administrations are not perfect, so it is very scary to think about the things that hidden to make the school seem more prepared than they actually are.