Just got back from a week in Chicago. Left very impressed with the work of Tim Knowles and Linda Wing at the University of Chicago’s Center for Urban School Improvement. They present a very interesting alternative to traditional avenues for supporting instruction. Although there is a lot of talk about moving teacher education to the medical school model, Tim and Linda are one of the few walking their talk.
Danger Will Robinson! WaPo releases an article calling for teachers to assign easier texts or potentially “dumbing down” reading instruction. Clearly texts should be accessible to students, but there are other ways to enhance accessibility without assigning comic books. Touchstone and Paideia provide alternative ways to support struggling readers without eliminating challenging content and sacrificing critical thinking opportunities. Short, profound texts are accessible to students and honor their natural intellect, even if the students lack basic literacy skills. The October 2006 issue of Educational Leadership, “Reading, Writing and Thinking,” offers several ideas for how to accelerate literacy achievement by developing the critical thinking skills of struggling students, instead of dwelling on their academic deficiencies.