Comments on: The Power of Reading by Dr Stephen Krashen http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2006/08/31/the-power-of-reading-by-dr-stephen-krashen/ Sun, 23 Nov 2008 12:42:58 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Moving at the Speed of Creativity » Blog Archive » Education leaders propose more useless and counterproductive ideas http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2006/08/31/the-power-of-reading-by-dr-stephen-krashen/#comment-18602 Moving at the Speed of Creativity » Blog Archive » Education leaders propose more useless and counterproductive ideas Sun, 01 Oct 2006 23:51:34 +0000 http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2006/08/31/the-power-of-reading-by-dr-stephen-krashen/#comment-18602 [...] In education usually feel “we have no time to lose”– and of course TIME is the most pressing issue for everyone. To the extent our children are in school NOW and need great teachers and great learning environments TODAY, and can’t wait several years for the politics of this to get worked out, this perception is accurate. It is NOT accurate that we need teachers and students so stressed-out and time-pressured that they don’t have time for project-based learning, free voluntary reading, and authentic dialog about the challenges and opportunities in their own lives, however. Instruction DOES need to change, but high-stakes accountability has taken us backwards rather than forwards. [...] [...] In education usually feel “we have no time to lose”– and of course TIME is the most pressing issue for everyone. To the extent our children are in school NOW and need great teachers and great learning environments TODAY, and can’t wait several years for the politics of this to get worked out, this perception is accurate. It is NOT accurate that we need teachers and students so stressed-out and time-pressured that they don’t have time for project-based learning, free voluntary reading, and authentic dialog about the challenges and opportunities in their own lives, however. Instruction DOES need to change, but high-stakes accountability has taken us backwards rather than forwards. [...]

]]> By: Moving at the Speed of Creativity » Blog Archive » Troubled by a literacy Google search http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2006/08/31/the-power-of-reading-by-dr-stephen-krashen/#comment-16512 Moving at the Speed of Creativity » Blog Archive » Troubled by a literacy Google search Mon, 18 Sep 2006 23:57:19 +0000 http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2006/08/31/the-power-of-reading-by-dr-stephen-krashen/#comment-16512 [...] AR is ALL ABOUT extrinsic rewards for reading, unfortunately. Instead of digressing further from my original blog post here, I’ll direct you to my notes from Dr. Krashen’s keynotes at Encylo-Media in Oklahoma City two weeks ago. (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and the podcast of Part 3.) [...] [...] AR is ALL ABOUT extrinsic rewards for reading, unfortunately. Instead of digressing further from my original blog post here, I’ll direct you to my notes from Dr. Krashen’s keynotes at Encylo-Media in Oklahoma City two weeks ago. (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and the podcast of Part 3.) [...]

]]> By: Almost American http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2006/08/31/the-power-of-reading-by-dr-stephen-krashen/#comment-16360 Almost American Mon, 18 Sep 2006 00:25:16 +0000 http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2006/08/31/the-power-of-reading-by-dr-stephen-krashen/#comment-16360 This makes me feel really good about my daughter's second grade class. The teacher has a large library of books in the classroom. (Her own books I'm sure, not purchased by the school, as they all have her name on them.) She encourages the kids to borrow a book a night in addition to the 2 books a week they are allowed to have from the school library. She wants parents to let her know every Friday how much time their kids have spent reading at home each day over the course of the previous week. She let us know that she expects it to be at least 15 minutes/day and that it counts as 'homework'. In our family it is not a problem getting the kids to read - the 3 year old insists on 'reading' himself to sleep and the second grader will read for a couple of hours before falling asleep if we let her. I wonder how this teacher's method works with kids who do not have family encouraging them to read at home though? This makes me feel really good about my daughter’s second grade class. The teacher has a large library of books in the classroom. (Her own books I’m sure, not purchased by the school, as they all have her name on them.) She encourages the kids to borrow a book a night in addition to the 2 books a week they are allowed to have from the school library. She wants parents to let her know every Friday how much time their kids have spent reading at home each day over the course of the previous week. She let us know that she expects it to be at least 15 minutes/day and that it counts as ‘homework’.

In our family it is not a problem getting the kids to read - the 3 year old insists on ‘reading’ himself to sleep and the second grader will read for a couple of hours before falling asleep if we let her. I wonder how this teacher’s method works with kids who do not have family encouraging them to read at home though?

]]> By: Moving at the Speed of Creativity » Blog Archive » Improve reading skills with basic solutions http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2006/08/31/the-power-of-reading-by-dr-stephen-krashen/#comment-14683 Moving at the Speed of Creativity » Blog Archive » Improve reading skills with basic solutions Thu, 07 Sep 2006 19:27:11 +0000 http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2006/08/31/the-power-of-reading-by-dr-stephen-krashen/#comment-14683 [...] Basic solutions. One might even say, “simple solutions.” Find creative ways to get kids to LOVE reading and spend time reading. As Dr. Krashen said, we need more credentialed librarians and teachers helping kids find the “home run book” that really “hooks” them into a lifetime of reading. Given access to engaging texts, kids as well as adults WILL read. The research Dr. Krashen shares demonstrates this persuasively. A big problem, however, is that in schools both teachers and administrators are so busy being stressed about summative assessments that they don’t feel the kids have TIME to read. And that, my friends, is a crime that must stop. [...] [...] Basic solutions. One might even say, “simple solutions.” Find creative ways to get kids to LOVE reading and spend time reading. As Dr. Krashen said, we need more credentialed librarians and teachers helping kids find the “home run book” that really “hooks” them into a lifetime of reading. Given access to engaging texts, kids as well as adults WILL read. The research Dr. Krashen shares demonstrates this persuasively. A big problem, however, is that in schools both teachers and administrators are so busy being stressed about summative assessments that they don’t feel the kids have TIME to read. And that, my friends, is a crime that must stop. [...]

]]> By: Christopher Harris http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2006/08/31/the-power-of-reading-by-dr-stephen-krashen/#comment-12695 Christopher Harris Fri, 01 Sep 2006 12:24:03 +0000 http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2006/08/31/the-power-of-reading-by-dr-stephen-krashen/#comment-12695 Thanks for sharing, Wesley! I would love to hear Krashen speak at some point. What you shared here is the arguement that we need to be advancing for blogs in schools. Not only is that Free Voluntary Reading (FVR), but it also encourages Free Voluntary Writing (FVW). After all, FVR and FVW are pretty much the foundation of social software! It's not about the technology, it's about the reading. The sad thing is that Krashen is right about libraries getting left out of the conversation. "Reading teachers" have taken over reading and are trying to make it into this cold, hard, science that pushes the one true method. There is no one method. The only activity that research consistently shows increases reading ability is reading itself. So what do we do? Cut funding to libraries, remove the choice of reading materials, and give struggling students "leveled readers." And don't get me started on technology people who want to take over blogs as being a technology and then screw everything up by focusing on the technology and playing right into the fears of anyone who has seen Dateline NBC recently. Teachers need to take back the curriculum, but librarians need to stand up and take back reading, literacy, and the appropriate use of available media, technology, and information resources. Thanks for sharing, Wesley! I would love to hear Krashen speak at some point. What you shared here is the arguement that we need to be advancing for blogs in schools. Not only is that Free Voluntary Reading (FVR), but it also encourages Free Voluntary Writing (FVW). After all, FVR and FVW are pretty much the foundation of social software! It’s not about the technology, it’s about the reading.

The sad thing is that Krashen is right about libraries getting left out of the conversation. “Reading teachers” have taken over reading and are trying to make it into this cold, hard, science that pushes the one true method. There is no one method. The only activity that research consistently shows increases reading ability is reading itself. So what do we do? Cut funding to libraries, remove the choice of reading materials, and give struggling students “leveled readers.” And don’t get me started on technology people who want to take over blogs as being a technology and then screw everything up by focusing on the technology and playing right into the fears of anyone who has seen Dateline NBC recently.

Teachers need to take back the curriculum, but librarians need to stand up and take back reading, literacy, and the appropriate use of available media, technology, and information resources.

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