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Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Rote Reading Skills

Reading is an old-fashioned rote skill. With 21st century technology, we can scan in text and immediately convert it to audio. As with the calculator in math, there is no need for drill and kill when it comes to reading. Soon, all books will be on your portable Kindle, Nook, or iPad. They can read to you via headphones. Menus in restaurants can include chips (like greeting cards) that read the choices. All you would have to do is press the picture. Think of how fun it would be with Hoops & Yoyo talking to you. This would allow schools to focus immediately on comprehension and interpretation, not rote reading skills. Some kids may learn to read early, but the lack of rote reading skills won't slow down the learning process. In most cases, kids will learn to read when they are ready.
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12 comments:

  1. Jim HApril 11, 2012 at 8:42 AM

    I agree, and walking is another rote skill that is overemphasized in childhood development.

    I spent so many months helping my son learn how to walk. So much drill and kill. Get up. Fall down. Get up. Fall down. Take a step, fall down, get up, take a step, fall down. This went ON AND ON for MONTHS. I felt terrible exposing my poor son with such mind-numbing repetitive exercises.

    He was SO bored. He didn't act bored, but I know he was because I sure was bored watching him.

    I tried using a more constructivist approach where I showed him videos of people running and dancing and then told him to research the development of human locomotion and then create his own "lesson plan" to share with a self-selected peer group at his preschool describing how to dance the Charleston.

    He got pretty frustrated with that approach because he was already brainwashed by his mother, who insisted on using the "drill and kill" approach. It would have worked, had I just started with a blank slate.

    And on that note, I read recently that Apple has developed "smart chairs" that just go where you tell them to go. They can even go up stairs.

    Just think, instead of wasting all of that time teaching my son how to walk, I could have been focusing on teaching him to "explain the importance of open space in playing sport-related games," which is an incredibly important California Standard.

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  2. SteveHApril 11, 2012 at 11:09 AM

    "He was SO bored. He didn't act bored, but I know he was because I sure was bored watching him."

    Good one!

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  3. AnonymousApril 11, 2012 at 2:42 PM

    And don't even get me started on potty training. The only reasons they can't wear diapers indefinitely are societal. Or if we must potty train our children it should at least be discovery based.

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  4. lgmApril 11, 2012 at 4:27 PM

    I would laugh, but this is too close to the reality for the included elementary classroom. Usually there is also an aide present to load the audiobook and press the button to start the audiorecording.

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  5. JenApril 11, 2012 at 5:41 PM

    He was SO bored. He didn't act bored, but I know he was because I sure was bored watching him.

    -- Nomination for best line(s) in a comment ever.

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  6. AnonymousApril 12, 2012 at 8:43 AM

    "I tried using a more constructivist approach where I showed him videos of people running and dancing and then told him to research the development of human locomotion and then create his own 'lesson plan' to share with a self-selected peer group at his preschool describing how to dance the Charleston."

    You are a bad parent. You child may not have been ready to walk and pushing him to do something before he is developmentally ready for it can be counterproductive. You should not have attempted something complicated like this on your own. You should have hired a 'walking' coach.

    -Mark Roulo

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  7. Crimson WifeApril 12, 2012 at 1:04 PM

    I want a calculator that tells me that I've made an input error rather than spitting out a correctly calculated answer that isn't what I actually need...

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  8. SteveHApril 12, 2012 at 1:50 PM

    When I was learning assembly language long ago, I always wanted a GCAR instruction - "Get Correct Answer Regardless".

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  9. ChemProfApril 12, 2012 at 4:21 PM

    This thread is cracking me up. Probably because my little guy just figured out the push walker and spent hours yesterday and today doing laps around the dining table. And since he can't turn the darn thing, that means my husband and I spent hours turning him around...

    Maybe I should try and hire that walking coach!

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  10. JenApril 12, 2012 at 5:41 PM

    I have long thought that walking coaching should be my more lucrative career choice. I'd take anyone's 10-14 mo non-walker (anyone as long as they had a doctor's note certifying that the child had absolutely no discernible physical or mental delays) and guarantee that they'd be walking or at least tottering by 18 mo (or your money back!)

    Charge about $150 for an hour session, three times a week. Ten clients at a time. No planning, no preparation on my part. Maybe some padding. Parents would have to sign a contract for at least 24 sessions, even if the child started walking right away. (Instant results would just show how really good I was.)

    Parents wouldn't be allowed in the sessions, of course, since then they'd realize they were just paying very high prices for mediocre babysitting.

    If only I were good at marketing.

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  11. JenApril 12, 2012 at 5:42 PM

    Oh heavens, rereading, I realize I said "an hour" by which I really meant 40 minutes.

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  12. SATVerbalTutor.April 14, 2012 at 3:11 PM

    @ Jen, perhaps you should offer your services to Advantage: that way they could start expanding into the pre-pre-K market. I'm sure there are Manhattan parents willing to pay at least $300/hr. for someone who might/maybe/possibly be able to get their child a leg up (no pun intended!) on nursery school admissions. But wait, their "hours" are 50 minutes...

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