The Reality of Teaching Reading
I am happy to know that a school like Best Practice High School exists. It was exciting to read about the fast-food project because the students responded strongly and that’s what I desire as a teacher. The Common Core State Standards seem intimidating, almost like they are demanding too much, but the way this project executed multiple requirements is impressive. It took creativity and an interdisciplinary team of senior teachers to make such a great learning experience that also checked off core standards. An important detail that helped me realize that the CCSS should be less intimidating is that they are goals, not a starting point. Still, I appreciated Daniels and Zemelman’s critique of the standards. The standards are helpful but lack consideration and revision.
Another great thing about BPHS is that they value deep reading in all content areas. The example of Mr. Cosgrove’s biology class was a sad but realistic instance of how other teachers often teach reading because it’s the way they were taught. In Teaching Adolescent Writers, Kelly Gallagher agrees that teaching reading and writing skills are usually seen as an English teacher’s job. In reality, literacy in all content areas is essential in student success. Students need to be taught how to read different material according to the content, such as Scientific Journals versus Poetry for example. Personally, as an English content major, Math would be a scary subject to teach because I am terrible at it. I wonder if Science, Math or other content majors feel the same way about teaching reading skills in their classrooms.
Casandra,
ReplyDeleteI also thought this was an interesting point in the book! Reading skills are important and very different in all contents and, thus, students need to be taught HOW to read in these different subjects. As you mentioned, reading a poem is VERY different from reading a scientific journal or a newspaper from the 50's.
I also think your last question is very thought provoking. I too could not picture using math in my classroom, but it never occurred to me that other subjects would be afraid to teach reading skills in their classrooms. When I read your response you forced me to put myself in the shoes of the teachers from other subjects and, suddenly, the answers that the book provides is not as simple as I thought. Still, I think that it is very important for all subjects to collaborate and work together. Great response!