I could not agree more with your comment in that "Passing test and getting good grades are not directly what we should be teaching, but we should concentrate in teaching children to love reading". At the same time passing tests is important, there is the Catch 22, right? I also like your comment about :"if they are not yet at the age when they are going to be tested, then we could spend more time letting them read interesting materials". And even at the early childhood and elementary level, I experience a lack of interesting materials in Spanish, (I teach 2nd Grade in Spanish), so I relate with what author Kelly Gallagher points out in his book "Readicide" as a problem with schools not having enough good, meaty, thought provoking reading books. In our Two Way Immersion case, it is even worse, so I decided to order a bunch of books through a friend that lives in Costa Rica. She will ship a big suitcase of better quality math, science, social studies, fiction and no fiction books. I find it hard to teach with materials that I don't love, it does not feel right somehow...
HI Rachel This is the third time I am trying to post a response to you. UGGG! computers. :) I agree with you that the most important job an elementary teacher has is to help children discover the wonders of reading. How do you think that the focus on high stakes tests at such an early age may impact children and their attitudes toward reading? There is becoming an even bigger emphasis in Oregon on test scores: they are now taking up the possibility of raising the minimum passing "OAKS" reading test scores--upping the stakes.
I think that the policy of putting a strong focus on "standardized" testing -on any subject- is the result of backwards, old fashion sort of "bandaid" thinking.
There are many ways to assess reading comprehension as well as fluency. I constantly assess student's learning and progress, I build it into each unit.
Standardized testing used to measure reading skills, in my opinion, is highly counteractive to the process of learning. It has the disadvantage of killing the allure of reading as a life skill. We should teach for children to enjoy reading, to use reading, to read the world. I think that standardized testing turns kids off to the magic and enjoyment of becoming people that want to read on their own, learn and explore on their own, for their own fulfillment.
I could not agree more with your comment in that "Passing test and getting good grades are not directly what we should be teaching, but we should concentrate in teaching children to love reading".
ReplyDeleteAt the same time passing tests is important, there is the Catch 22, right? I also like your comment about :"if they are not yet at the age when they are going to be tested, then we could spend more time letting them read interesting materials". And even at the early childhood and elementary level, I experience a lack of interesting materials in Spanish, (I teach 2nd Grade in Spanish), so I relate with what author Kelly Gallagher points out in his book "Readicide" as a problem with schools not having enough good, meaty, thought provoking reading books. In our Two Way Immersion case, it is even worse, so I decided to order a bunch of books through a friend that lives in Costa Rica. She will ship a big suitcase of better quality math, science, social studies, fiction and no fiction books. I find it hard to teach with materials that I don't love, it does not feel right somehow...
HI Rachel
ReplyDeleteThis is the third time I am trying to post a response to you. UGGG! computers. :)
I agree with you that the most important job an elementary teacher has is to help children discover the wonders of reading. How do you think that the focus on high stakes tests at such an early age may impact children and their attitudes toward reading? There is becoming an even bigger emphasis in Oregon on test scores: they are now taking up the possibility of raising the minimum passing "OAKS" reading test scores--upping the stakes.
I think that the policy of putting a strong focus on "standardized" testing -on any subject- is the result of backwards, old fashion sort of "bandaid" thinking.
ReplyDeleteThere are many ways to assess reading comprehension as well as fluency. I constantly assess student's learning and progress, I build it into each unit.
Standardized testing used to measure reading skills, in my opinion, is highly counteractive to the process of learning. It has the disadvantage of killing the allure of reading as a life skill. We should teach for children to enjoy reading, to use reading, to read the world.
I think that standardized testing turns kids off to the magic and enjoyment of becoming people that want to read on their own, learn and explore on their own, for their own fulfillment.