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Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Boys and the Bard

In the Guardian today is an interesting piece entitled What Good is the Bard to Book-Shunning Boys? Here is an excerpt.
Yet again last week, the reading abilities of boys were up for discussion: "Sats results ... revealed a particular problem with boys' reading ability. One in five 14-year-old boys has a reading age below what's expected of an 11-year-old." The Today programme's guests, Ian Rankin and Labour MP Barry Sheerman, were invited to make suggestions. Rankin sensibly said that perhaps the answer "is to get Top Gear magazine into every teenage boy's curriculum", but also that there is now a different sort of literacy, one involving texting and computer games, which is invisible because it happens beyond the classroom. Then he spoilt it all, by mentioning the "S-word", and suddenly the debate stopped, as ever, being about literacy and started being about "literature", preferably "great". Why do we still confuse the need for literacy with the experience of reading, and even more important to some, loving a canon?
Let me just highlight that last sentence one more time, because it is a GREAT question. Why do we still confuse the need for literacy with the experience of reading, and even more important to some, loving a canon?

What do you think? Why are we so blessed concerned with the "right" books instead of the process of immersing kids in books that they will love? Shouldn't the goal be developing readers?

3 comments:

  1. well, as usual, Tricia, I think we need both. Not necessarily a "canon," but I think we should be trying to get kids to read and enjoy challenging books, not just whatever. I blogged a little about it today, here:
    http://tiny.cc/0OCFS

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  2. Great topic. I teach ELLs and low readers. I'll give them anything they want: Nintendo mags, Grossology, Capt. Underpants, sports pages, anything. I won't read that all out loud. I still read Owl Moon and Charlotte's Web aloud but when it comes to creating and engaging readers, give them what they can't get enough of. Look at the bestsellr list and magazine racks. I mean I don't know aout libby, but I like Entertainment weekly AND the New York Times. I like Stephen King AND James Joyce.

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  3. I guess I should have qualified this a bit. I do think that at an early age, we should be focused on getting them to read and helping them to read critically.

    As they get older, the problem I see is that the canon or required reading list doesn't include "new" books and authors that will both interest and challenge students.

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