This is so important. I really think there can be no discussion about the fate of literature or culture or the humanities that doesn't begin with primary education. If you wait to talk about university, it's probably too late! So I'm glad you're posting on this!
I agree with all of your ideas, though I would say that most of them are being done to varying degrees already (with the exception of memorizing poetry--I have no idea if that will support literacy skills but I DO think it's helpful to fostering a love of poetry, which I think is a good thing).
But when you get to the bottom ten percent of students, in particular, you really are talking about social rather than pedagogical problems per se. For example, chronic absenteeism. This has been way up post-covid. A huge proportion of the students in the bottom 10 percent of scores are probably not attending school at all regularly. Then there are English language learners, who now make up 10 percent of students; many schools don't have the resources to devote to them, so they get mainstreamed too soon and don't acquire the necessary skills. There are issues relating to discipline. There are problems that occur as a result of kids moving a lot because of housing instability and falling between the cracks as a result. There are the perverse incentives built into the system in terms of graduation rate. Of course we need to fix all of this! But it is amazingly difficult, and individual teachers or even schools probably can't do it without district and government support.
(These are all problems my husband encountered regularly as an English teacher at a big urban public high school btw.)
Yeah, I agree with all of this, though I felt my only suitable marginal contribution was the points I made. Maybe I will write about it some more. As you say, a very important topic. My thoughts on memorization are that the sort of literacy we are talking about requires, as well as wide exposure, lots of repetition, attention, deep memory and so on, and building up a bank of memorised poems will attend to that. It will also introduce some unexpected vocab or uses of vocab.
Maybe the bottom 10% is closer to intractable… but the kid at 45 percentile is going to school and somehow not learning to read. Focusing on that seems critical, while we separately (and outside of school) work on the issues you correctly point out are major problems.
Start with parents and carers. There has to be visible reading in and around a child from birth, as well as reading aloud and shared storytelling and making. We have to help the bottom 5-10% urgently otherwise these are children who find it hard to catch up.
It’s a societal problem, as much if not more than being a school problem. In school, DEAR sessions daily (drop everything and read), constant discussion of books, stories and context, as well as discussions about technique, and writing at least 100 words in every lesson where possible.
I think it is advantageous to grow up among readers, but I don't see the data supporting the idea that it is necessary. Though yes reading to children when they are young is important. But, you can grow up in a house with very few books and still become a very strong reader if you get what you need at school and library.
English teacher here, university level. Of the suggestions, I’m less convinced by memorizing poetry. It can be valuable in some contexts, but it is not the most urgent priority. What I do know can make a difference are things like giving students the freedom to read whatever interests them, since hours of reading at any level often become a gateway to more advanced texts and can spark motivation. It also helps to build reading time directly into class—if it matters, make space for it. Reading aloud can likewise draw students in, model how written language works, and create a shared experience where everyone has to listen. Another point from the research is that teachers should share their own reading lives. When students see that their teacher reads, and hear what and why, they are more likely to take reading seriously. Above all, volume matters: the more you read, the more your brain learns to process words, phrases, clauses, sentences, and paragraphs into a meaningful whole. That is why it is essential to read books, not just articles or excerpts.
This is so important. I really think there can be no discussion about the fate of literature or culture or the humanities that doesn't begin with primary education. If you wait to talk about university, it's probably too late! So I'm glad you're posting on this!
I agree with all of your ideas, though I would say that most of them are being done to varying degrees already (with the exception of memorizing poetry--I have no idea if that will support literacy skills but I DO think it's helpful to fostering a love of poetry, which I think is a good thing).
But when you get to the bottom ten percent of students, in particular, you really are talking about social rather than pedagogical problems per se. For example, chronic absenteeism. This has been way up post-covid. A huge proportion of the students in the bottom 10 percent of scores are probably not attending school at all regularly. Then there are English language learners, who now make up 10 percent of students; many schools don't have the resources to devote to them, so they get mainstreamed too soon and don't acquire the necessary skills. There are issues relating to discipline. There are problems that occur as a result of kids moving a lot because of housing instability and falling between the cracks as a result. There are the perverse incentives built into the system in terms of graduation rate. Of course we need to fix all of this! But it is amazingly difficult, and individual teachers or even schools probably can't do it without district and government support.
(These are all problems my husband encountered regularly as an English teacher at a big urban public high school btw.)
Yeah, I agree with all of this, though I felt my only suitable marginal contribution was the points I made. Maybe I will write about it some more. As you say, a very important topic. My thoughts on memorization are that the sort of literacy we are talking about requires, as well as wide exposure, lots of repetition, attention, deep memory and so on, and building up a bank of memorised poems will attend to that. It will also introduce some unexpected vocab or uses of vocab.
Maybe the bottom 10% is closer to intractable… but the kid at 45 percentile is going to school and somehow not learning to read. Focusing on that seems critical, while we separately (and outside of school) work on the issues you correctly point out are major problems.
Totally agree.
I'm sure that's right
Start with parents and carers. There has to be visible reading in and around a child from birth, as well as reading aloud and shared storytelling and making. We have to help the bottom 5-10% urgently otherwise these are children who find it hard to catch up.
It’s a societal problem, as much if not more than being a school problem. In school, DEAR sessions daily (drop everything and read), constant discussion of books, stories and context, as well as discussions about technique, and writing at least 100 words in every lesson where possible.
Finally teachers have to share their book love.
I think it is advantageous to grow up among readers, but I don't see the data supporting the idea that it is necessary. Though yes reading to children when they are young is important. But, you can grow up in a house with very few books and still become a very strong reader if you get what you need at school and library.
As we discussed in person the reason students even at elite colleges don’t write more is that professors hate to grade.
Maybe AI grading can help!
English teacher here, university level. Of the suggestions, I’m less convinced by memorizing poetry. It can be valuable in some contexts, but it is not the most urgent priority. What I do know can make a difference are things like giving students the freedom to read whatever interests them, since hours of reading at any level often become a gateway to more advanced texts and can spark motivation. It also helps to build reading time directly into class—if it matters, make space for it. Reading aloud can likewise draw students in, model how written language works, and create a shared experience where everyone has to listen. Another point from the research is that teachers should share their own reading lives. When students see that their teacher reads, and hear what and why, they are more likely to take reading seriously. Above all, volume matters: the more you read, the more your brain learns to process words, phrases, clauses, sentences, and paragraphs into a meaningful whole. That is why it is essential to read books, not just articles or excerpts.