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Scoop.it!
This article has struck a chord and started a firestorm. I think it's because it's poorly reported. It doesn't say anything earth-shattering: Students don't read difficult books, and teachers aren't assigning difficult books. Didn't we already know this? No comment yet.
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This WNYC report, though a bit sensationalized, catches up old fuddy-duddies like me on what's really happening with young people and weed. My feeling is that teachers and schools, in general, haven't really figured out yet how to be about this issue. Delete the scoop?
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I tend to agree that reading on paper offers a more tactile experience than on an ereader. It probably does result in better memory and a better chance of experiencing a book more fully. But a physical book is no better than an ebook if you're not reading it. And that's why I like using Kindles to promote reading among those you might not otherwise. Delete the scoop?
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Oh my. I believe in making reading more visible, but I'm a little afraid of what's happening here with books tracking whether students are reading them. Social reading -- where the teachers and students interact inside a book -- is good, and I think what Subtext and Gobstopper are doing are probably OK. But this seems creepy! Delete the scoop?
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Whenever people grumble that urban public high schools are not doing a good job, there's always this graph, which tells the truth: "Just 29 percent of the poorest students ever enroll, and only 9 percent ever finish." If our rates are higher than that, then we're making a positive change. Delete the scoop?
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This article is an op-ed about the state of education in Mexico, where high school diplomas yield functionally illiterate graduates unready for the working world. But if you replaced every mention of "Mexico" with "the United States," you might be able to read the article straight through with no problem. Which is a big problem. Delete the scoop?
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I can't believe it took me this long to find this brilliant op-ed by Sherman Alexie, who argues that we shouldn't shy away from allowing students to read books with mature themes. For full effect, be sure to slow down your reading toward the end. Delete the scoop?
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Mr. Wiggins nails it in this article -- that as teachers, we need to act like coaches, but we also have to let our students scrimmage and see whether they apply the skills we teach them to new situations. The whole point is for our students to become independent in their learning. If we scaffold too much, if we never release them to do their own work, our students won't be able to learn on their own. 
imene Ghernati-Harrat's comment,
February 13, 7:29 PM
I absolutely agree and this is what schools should be. What I felt difficult last year is that it takes time to let the students internalize and apply the concept. 80 min or 50 min class time don't allow for deeper learning where the students explore. In science, if we let the students do all the design we quickly run out of time. Also the students need to be taught that failure is part of the learning. Autonomy goes with deeper learning. I love this article. Thank you for sharing.
Mark Isero's comment,
February 18, 2:19 AM
Imene, this article really speaks directly to what I'm learning this year as an instructional coach -- and how I'd like to teach when I'm back in the classroom. I'm happy you liked the article!
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Word is getting out about The Kindle Classroom Project! Lori Sizemore of "Ink Diva Diaries" promotes the KCP in this blog post. I like it when complete strangers are kind and offer kind words about the project.
Maybe Lori's link will spur more people to donate Kindles and ebooks. If you know a blogger who also cares about the reading lives of students, please let me know! Delete the scoop?
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A case against summer reading assignments. Donalyn Miller says that reading belongs to readers, not to teachers. Delete the scoop?
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The Supreme Court next month will likely either cut or abolish affirmative action. Meanwhile, many colleges are making efforts to ensure that their enrollment is diverse. Check out this article about what UC Irvine is doing. Delete the scoop?
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This is a good intro and primer about teaching character strengths. Check out the articles and resources at the end of the post, too. Don't you like the cute icons? I especialy like the one for "optimism." (The ones I'd like to teach are slightly different. And I'll make sure to make my own icons.) Delete the scoop?
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Stephen Marche argues that ereaders haven't gotten better at helping people understand books, that they're just there for entertainment purposes. I largely agree. Kindles aren't great for teacher-assigned books like The Great Gatsby, where students have to flip back and forth to build meaning. But to get students to love reading, in my opinion, Kindles can't be beat. Delete the scoop?
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Google yesterday killed Google Reader. This is a good article about how Google might be getting out of RSS altogether. Delete the scoop?
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I've spent most of my teaching career working with students who will be the first in their families to graduate from college. It turns out that just about half of first-generation college students end up graduating, which means two things: (1) There needs to be more rigorous preparation in high school, (2) There needs to be additional support in college. I'm happy what some schools are doing to track their graduates through the college years. Delete the scoop?
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Iserotope gets mentioned again online, this time for helping connect EssayTagger and grmr.me, both great products that help English teachers grade essays faster and better. Delete the scoop?
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Instead of assigning homework, teachers at Gaithersburg Elementary School in Maryland are asking students to spend 30 minutes a night reading. I'm still a fan of some homework, but I like this shift to an all-school, consistent homework push that emphasizes independent reading. Delete the scoop?
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Will the Common Core State Standards force English teachers to teach more nonfiction and less fiction? Will students have less empathy because they can't connect with characters from classic novels? Delete the scoop?
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