I had the opportunity to hear David Booth speak yesterday. He is "Professor Emeritus and Coordinator of the Pre-Service Elementary program at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto." David is a renowned expert on literacy and has written many books on the subject.
In his talk to us, he accentuated the importance of getting children in front of computer screens. He showed us articles from popular magazines that described the changes that have to happen in education. Unless kids learn to read deeply and to express themselves effectively in writing, unless they learn to solve problems and to work collaboratively with others, they will have difficulty being successful in their lives. They need to learn research skills and then begin to ask big questions.
Mr. Booth discussed the pernicious effects of standardized testing. Although he thinks they serve a purpose, that purpose is not to mark schools or districts as failing. He noted the tension teachers often feel when they evaluate children as young as five against the grade one expectations. Since kids develop at different rates, it often does not make sense to grade them against these expectations. At least it does not make sense if one wants to keep hope alive in these children and in their parents. And that was his central point, the importance of hope in the lives of children and families.
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