tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6481516801538087139.post8711193602410605040..comments2023-09-10T06:08:57.627-05:00Comments on Education Research Report: New Report Finds that Writing Can Be Powerful Driver for Improving Reading SkillsJonathan Kantrowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919729222396777240noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6481516801538087139.post-3914805025165882522010-04-25T01:29:38.136-05:002010-04-25T01:29:38.136-05:00Dear Mr. Kantrowitz,
1. READING does not mean reco...Dear Mr. Kantrowitz,<br />1. READING does not mean recognizung isolated letters (even if some schools behave as if it were). It is a process of recognizing letters, letter-groups, then words, groups-of-words, finally IDEAS. <br />2. WRITING is a system of translating sounds into characters, somewhat comparable with the writing of (musical) notes. some people find that (close to) impossible. Reading and writing are not "closely related". They are in fact different tasks. <br />3. The fact that SCHOOL pretends they are different sides of the same coins make millions of pupils distrust their abilities. Being told one is not "normal", one is unable to do what "everybody" should be able to do etc. is extremely harmful.<br />4. IF someone will practice WRITING this will allow the brain to build the necessary neural paths for RECOGNIZING letters and often used letter-groups. Thus WRITING enhances READING for everybody (neurophysiologically) while the inverse is only true for those few who happen to have a "knack" (gift) for READING. There are four communicative skills, not only two:<br />1. TALKING (most people can learn it but some prefer to listen).<br />2. LISTENING (hearing the sounds is not identical to really "taking it in". how good one is depends of the ability for social skills (E.Q.) and on how much one is interested by the subject.<br />These two abilities are easier to learn as we have aquired a genetic "disposition" which has to be activated by the environment (cf. what MATURANA + VARELA call "structural linkabe/coupling"). Nature has not prepared us likewise for the next two abilities (maybe in 800,000 years). Brain-Research has shown that READING is managed with neurons from the optical cortex and associating their form with words it is about as easy/difficult as SINGING notes from sheet music. Something many choir-singers have learned as opposed to WRITING notes one has heard (note-dictation); this task is much more complicated and more difficult; thus not everyone will be able to do as well. <br />Training will make students better but among those whose natural leanings are more geared to HEARING and SPEAKING language we will find fewer readers and vice versa: Among the bookworms (and geek) you will find many, who do not feel comfortable about human conversation, they prefer to READ and often also to WRITE... <br /><br />I suggest to help students find out where their strengths lie and then let them develop these properly. Give them about 80% training into their strengths and 20% into their weakness. First, because we normally do the opposite and still millions of kids come out of school unable to do exactly the things they had been training particularly "hard" at (their weaknesses). Second because we would never tell a good basketball-player to practice golf in order to improve and then expect him to get better at basket ball. Why do we do that with academic tasks? THIRDLY it is good for our feeling of self worth training what we are good at, becoming better. Good feelings about ourselves kind of vibrate through the whole being and help us improve even in the 20%-weakness-training tasks, so that we will gain as much as if we had trained twice the time.<br />BOTTOM LINE: Schools have been concentrating on what students cannot do far too long. start doing the only richt thing and help them strengthening and "growing" their strengths because they will become better soon. Seems school has been doing it ALL WRONG but is totally unable to analyze and re-learn. interesting, since school is asking students to do just that, about 50 times every day!<br />vfbVera F. Birkenbihlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10263740744244013768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6481516801538087139.post-76275372792780974392010-04-22T10:58:27.060-05:002010-04-22T10:58:27.060-05:00Nice articles. Success.
elementary schoolNice articles. Success.<br /><a href="http://marzuki147.byethost6.com" rel="nofollow">elementary school</a>Komunitas Bisa Menulis Blog - WA 0812.134.5587https://www.blogger.com/profile/11921262854893626642noreply@blogger.com