LOL, BEV! :-D If you are thinking all boxed programs involve a need for speed, you need to look at Wilson. I have NEVER seen such a painfully slow pace. You keep working at the same sound/symbol relationships until they are mastered. Even if you repeat the same lessons over and over. It is a misery to teach. We have found, however, some benefits. Two students for whom nothing else worked...a third grader and a fifth grader who can now decode when there was no forward progress otherwise. These two kiddos are excited...reading is coming for them at last. It is a joy to see these kids eager to come to reading class. The flip side of this, is if the wrong kids are placed in a program like this, it is deadly boring and could turn kids off of reading. There is minimal attention to comprehension and no attention to critical thinking or metacognition. It worked only in conjunction with a strong comprehension component in the classroom to balance it out. Again, I have very mixed feelings. There is NO doubt that this boxed program rescued a couple of kids for whom nothing else has worked...but if it is all the child gets, it could give them a warped view of what reading really is. I want to do what is right for kids...but what IS right for one kid, is not right for others. I am thinking it all comes down to that marvelous mysterious organ...the brain. Different pathways for learning and different styles...it is our job as teachers to find the path that leads to literacy for all our students. Jennifer In a message dated 1/13/2009 9:54:47 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [email protected] writes:
I guess I just can't reconcile the "need for speed" in every single one of those boxed programs I've seen with the "thoughtful waiting" of reading comprehension in To Understand. **************Inauguration '09: Get complete coverage from the nation's capital. (http://news.aol.com/main/politics/inauguration?ncid=emlcntusnews00000003) _______________________________________________ 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.
