Chris wrote > Do you think that they have already buried that wonder of childhood deep > down inside of them, thinking maybe that it is not cool? > I don't know. In previous years, I had students who were passionate about their interests, but this group isn't passionate about anything. They might say they love soccer, but they show no interest when I present a soccer related book or magazine.
I don't think it's a question of being "cool" even. I've had students who were "cool" but they still secretly had a passion for something. I truly believe that state testing has killed the spark of curiousity and wonder that kids usually have at this age....or at any age. I think having 2000 TV channels has created an opposite effect of not offering a smorgasboard of ideas and interests, but allowing kids to limit themselves to one or two channels with limited ideas and range of thought. I also think we have a nation of kids....Not the ones younger than 18 or 21, but the ones in their 30's and 40's who are still in the self-centered stages of childhood who haven't grown up and would rather be their kids' best buds than to actually show some responsiblity to raise them OR WORSE they are too busy doing their own things to actually give a hoot about their kids. I have no problem teaching visual literacy. I think teaching "reading" strategies does them a disservice because all the strategies can be used in any activity...they are merely THINKING activities (You get a splinter in your hand. You ask questions, "how did that get there?" "how am I gonna get it out?" You make connections, "it reminds me of the time I got that splinter in my butt..." You make predictions, "I wonder what will happen if I leave it alone?" "Will it hurt?" "What if it gets infected?" You visualize, "If it gets infected, it's going to swell up like a balloon and fill with pus and throb..." ) So I have no problem with teaching reading for TV shows, movies, pop culture, comic books, songs, etc. but you have to have students who can do basic thinking... Bill _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
