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U.S. children read, but not well or often: report

reuters.com

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Re: U.S. children read, but not well or often: report

#11

Post by seren »

Xdes wrote: post #5

I do not see the problem. I have never read books for pleasure. Most of the books I own are technical or reference material that have practical applications. Why would I want to read for pleasure? I did not find anything interesting about The Catcher in the Rye, Lord of the Flies, or To Kill a Mockingbird which were standard readings when I went to school. Maybe I do not have the imaginative capacity like those peopl…

Studies have shown than reading fictions tends to improve empathy [1]. This is a great assets for doctors for example (but also to deal with a client, customer, boss, co-workers, etc). Obviously, if you are put through a character stream of consciousness repeatedly and in various situation, it might be easier to put yourself in someone's shoes in every day interaction.

In the end, reading is an opportunity cost, the time you 'll spend reading, will not be spent on something else. So I don't think that if you don't enjoy it, you should read in the hope of "improving your empathy".

[1] http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/03/i-know-how-youre-fe...

Re: U.S. children read, but not well or often: report

#12

Post by ap22213 »

Recently, I stopped over a friends house. And, I was surprised to see a group of 7 or so 9-11 year olds all watching their computers or devices. At first I thought they were having a lan party, playing a game. So, I asked them what they were doing, and they said they were watching youtube videos. I observed them for a while and watched as they'd go back and forth between each other, sharing different links then sitting in silence, watching. Then, they'd get together and talk about it. I'm not sure what they were looking up, but they were all engrossed, sharing in some sort of learning experience.

I'm not sure if this is good or bad (who can really say?). But, I see it in my son, who is 9. I get frustrated that he's not reading at the level I was, when I was his age. And, we certainly have lots of books around the house and encourage good reading habits. However, he likes his videos and audio.

Didn't Marshall McLuhan predict this back in the 60s? The 'book' as we know it has only been around for a few hundred years. And, certainly it's been quite important to our progress and exchange of information. But, information has been communicated for thousands of years, in different means, with success. I'm fairly optimistic that new generations will rely on different types of communication to exchange ideas and to learn. Books will not be irrelevant, but books (and reading) are being replaced, in importance. What will happen when we re-evaluate all of our knowledge outside the context of the 'Gutenberg mind'?

Re: U.S. children read, but not well or often: report

#13

Post by Xdes »

j2kun wrote: post #8
Xdes wrote: post #5

I do not see the problem. I have never read books for pleasure. Most of the books I own are technical or reference material that have practical applications. Why would I want to read for pleasure? I did not find anything interesting about The Catcher in the Rye, Lord of the Flies, or To Kill a Mockingbird which were standard readings when I went to school. Maybe I do not have the imaginative capacity like those peopl…

Standard assigned readings may not interest you precisely because they're assigned. You're telling me you've never read a novel on your own? Not Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, nothing?

>You're telling me you've never read a novel on your own?

I have never read a novel. I was curious whether I could finish one, so I tried to read the first Harry Potter book. I did not continue after the fifth chapter since it felt like work.

Re: U.S. children read, but not well or often: report

#14

Post by ronaldx »

Xdes wrote: post #5

I do not see the problem. I have never read books for pleasure. Most of the books I own are technical or reference material that have practical applications. Why would I want to read for pleasure? I did not find anything interesting about The Catcher in the Rye, Lord of the Flies, or To Kill a Mockingbird which were standard readings when I went to school. Maybe I do not have the imaginative capacity like those peopl…

Story-telling is important for society.

It teaches us how people might react to situations we are not immediately familiar with, and how to empathise with people (characters) who have a different viewpoint than our own.

And, it teaches us how to communicate our own stories effectively (as you have done here, in fact).

So, I find it strange that you have never enjoyed reading fiction books. It is not necessary to read fiction to gain any particular skill, but reading fiction helps you gain a wealth of skills.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storytelling#Storytelling_and_...

Re: U.S. children read, but not well or often: report

#16

Post by dalacv »

j2kun wrote: post #7

Am I the only one that finds it ironic that this article is in the "one sentence per paragraph" form that I tend to associate with bad writing (or perhaps writing aimed at people who don't read long form)? I imagine the journalists are somewhat to blame for this. I'm looking at you, Buzzfeed.

No.

Re: U.S. children read, but not well or often: report

#17

Post by watwut »

Xdes wrote: post #13
j2kun wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Standard assigned readings may not interest you precisely because they're assigned. You're telling me you've never read a novel on your own? Not Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, nothing?

>You're telling me you've never read a novel on your own? I have never read a novel. I was curious whether I could finish one, so I tried to read the first Harry Potter book. I did not continue after the fifth chapter since it felt like work.

Not every adult finds Harry Potter fun to read.

Re: U.S. children read, but not well or often: report

#18

Post by watwut »

ap22213 wrote: post #12

Recently, I stopped over a friends house. And, I was surprised to see a group of 7 or so 9-11 year olds all watching their computers or devices. At first I thought they were having a lan party, playing a game. So, I asked them what they were doing, and they said they were watching youtube videos. I observed them for a while and watched as they'd go back and forth between each other, sharing different links then sitti…

"... reading scores among young children have improved since the 1970s, according to one test that measures reading ability. The reading scores among 17-year-olds, however, remained relatively unchanged since the 1970s. ..."

The article complains about reading ability among children being the same as before. They lament lack of progress, they do not lament decline in ability. Maybe your reading abilities were above what 9 years old could do back then.

Re: U.S. children read, but not well or often: report

#19

Post by watwut »

antidaily wrote: post #9

The reading scores among 17-year-olds, however, remained relatively unchanged since the 1970s. Interesting. At least they catch up. Isn't this just another casualty of the war on public education and teaching for these stupid common core tests?

Another quote: "... reading scores among young children have improved since the 1970s, according to one test that measures reading ability. ..."

Re: U.S. children read, but not well or often: report

#20

Post by lifeisstillgood »

ap22213 wrote: post #12

Recently, I stopped over a friends house. And, I was surprised to see a group of 7 or so 9-11 year olds all watching their computers or devices. At first I thought they were having a lan party, playing a game. So, I asked them what they were doing, and they said they were watching youtube videos. I observed them for a while and watched as they'd go back and forth between each other, sharing different links then sitti…

Thank you. What I wanted to say.

I would also add one of the more important means of communication that we really do not know how to use well - code.

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