Chronology Current Month Current Thread Current Date
[Year List] [Month List (current year)] [Date Index] [Thread Index] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Date Prev] [Date Next]

Re: The troubles



Richard wrote:

Reading comprehension seems to be on the decline. This is reported by
educators across disciplines and across schools. I don't know what the
formal studies show, but the anecdotal evidence sure supports this. . . .

An anecdotal story. For Christmas a few years ago, my physicist
brother-in-law gave my Dad a 1905 freshman or sophomore text in astronomy.
I found it quite illuminating as to the degree at which our introductory
text reading levels have been dumbed down. The book made the assumption
that the reader was literate and I think many of today's students would have
a difficult time reading this book; not because the science was hard, but
because it was written at a college level. One had to concentrate while
reading.

What to do about all this? I don't know, but I don't think the proper
response is to further reduce the reading level texts, which seems to be
happening. I suspect it is a lot like weight training; in order to develope
the ability one must be "forced" to make the attempts to go beyond your
present ability. This would argue for increasing the reading level of the
texts; and having teachers that demand that they be read for comprehension.


So much for the soap-box for the day. It really is a difficult question,
for as Leigh says, we must teach them as we get them . . .

Joel