Headline October 31, 2018/ '' 'READ *SAM DAILY TIMES* ROMP' ''

'' 'READ *SAM DAILY TIMES* ROMP' ''

THE RISE OF 'STUPIDITY'...... how knowledge is in decline and with that a very interesting fast forward.

''A family friend doing his bachelors from a nationally acclaimed university, expressed confusion over the question,
''Is Iran the neighbour of Pakistan or Iraq?'' When I expressed my surprise in a very disappointing way, he defended his ignorance by saying :

'See, Iran and Iraq are such similar names!'' And for that The World Students Society thanks Dr. Syed Talha Shah.

''COMPREHENSION DEPENDS on what you already know, Lets start there,'' writes Professor Daniel T. Willengham, department of psychology, University of Virginia.

And in that very context, the majority in the entire world are very far from good readers.

STUDENTS WHO SCORE well on reading tests are those with broad knowledge ; they usually know at least a little about the topics of the passages

One experiment tested 11th graders general knowledge with questions from science [''pneumonia  affects which part of  the body? ''] history {which American president resigned because of the Watergate scandal?''} , as well as the arts, civics, geography, athletics and literature. Scores on the general knowledge test were were  highly associated with reading test scores.

Current education practices show that reading comprehension is misunderstood.

It's treated like a general skill that can be applied with equal success to all texts. Rather, comprehension is intimately intertwined with knowledge.

That suggests three significant changes in schooling.
And I repeat, this above passage, yet again :

Current education practices show that  reading comprehension is misunderstood. It's treated like a  general skill that can be applied with equal success to all texts.

Rather, comprehension is intimately intertwined with knowledge. That suggests three significant changes in schooling.

First, it points to decreasing the time spent on literacy instructions in early grades. Third-graders  spend 56 percent of their time on literacy activities but 6 percent each science and social studies.

This disproportionate emphasis on literacy backfires in later grades, when children's lack of subject matter knowledge impedes comprehension.

Another positive step would be to use high-information texts in early elementary grades. Historically, they have been light in content.

Second, understanding the importance of knowledge to reading ought make us think differently about year end standardized tests.

If a child has studied in New Zealand, she ought to be good at reading and thinking about passages on New Zealand. Why test her reading with a passage on spiders, or the Titanic?

If topics are random, the test weights knowledge learned outside the classroom - knowledge that wealthy have greater opportunity to pick up.

Third, the systematic building of knowledge must be a priority in curriculum design.

The Common Core Standards for reading specify nearly nothing by the way of content that children supposed to know - the document valorizes reading skills.

State officials should go beyond Common Core Standards by writing content-rich grade-level standards and supporting district personnel in writing curriculums to help students meet the standards.

That's what Massachusetts did in the 1990s to become the nation's education leader. Louisiana has recently taken this approach, and early results are encouraging.

Don't blame the Internet, or smartphones or fake news for Americans poor reading. Blame ignorance. Turning the tide will require profound changes in how reading is taught, in standardized testing and in school curriculums.

Underlying all these changes must be a better understanding of how the mind comprehends what it reads. 

With respectful dedication to the Grandparent, Parents, Students, Professors and Teachers of the  world. 

See Ya all prepare and ''register'' on : www.wssciw.blogspot.com - The World Students Society for every subject in the world, and.............  Twitter - !E-WOW! - the Ecosystem 2011:

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Good Night and God Bless

SAM Daily Times - the Voice of the Voiceless