Coming across an article in NY Times - How to get your mind to read. The blame is on the national education programs but mostly on the emphasis that context sometimes became the substitute to reading skills. Comprehension falls mostly on System 1*, for most of the skimming thorough type of reading. When the text needs System 2* then the cracks in comprehending what you read skills are showing off. The conclusion of the article "profound changes in how reading is taught, in standardized testing and in school curriculums" is futile, the real issue is to propose a solution which proved successful.
To blame the constant barrage of low quality "information" spread on daily news is also an easy target. The reading level,I assume, is at the level of an 8th grader. What if the access to quality information becomes more of a System 2 kind of effort? Why the student will try to achieve proficiency when the whole media is just bending over to be getting their attention?
Where is the need for better comprehension when there is no reward in any way to achieve proficiency or (God forbid) mastery on subject. With any work involving System 2, there is real pain and struggle to get at results. Is the whole society rewarding in any way those type of efforts? Where is the canary in the mine?
I draw a parallel with one anecdotical fact from Canadian culture: Michael Redhill's struggle to write Bellevue Square.
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* System 1*, System 2* are "borrowed" from Thinking Fast and Slow book, which I cannot have enough words to recommend.
To blame the constant barrage of low quality "information" spread on daily news is also an easy target. The reading level,I assume, is at the level of an 8th grader. What if the access to quality information becomes more of a System 2 kind of effort? Why the student will try to achieve proficiency when the whole media is just bending over to be getting their attention?
Where is the need for better comprehension when there is no reward in any way to achieve proficiency or (God forbid) mastery on subject. With any work involving System 2, there is real pain and struggle to get at results. Is the whole society rewarding in any way those type of efforts? Where is the canary in the mine?
I draw a parallel with one anecdotical fact from Canadian culture: Michael Redhill's struggle to write Bellevue Square.
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* System 1*, System 2* are "borrowed" from Thinking Fast and Slow book, which I cannot have enough words to recommend.
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