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Readicide: How Schools Are Killing Reading And What You Can Do About It (2009)

by Kelly Gallagher(Favorite Author)

4.29 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

1571107800 (ISBN13: 9781571107800)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

Stenhouse Publishers

review 1: This a must-read for anyone in the education system. Kelly Gallagher is onto something with the way standardized tests and literacy are correlated. As an English teacher, my heart breaks because I have seen students who have never had a good experience with reading due to classrooms overly focused on standardized testing. Gallagher understands the issue at hand, and he has ideas that will help students become readers and teachers find ways to focus more on the authenticity of learning. I hope to find the balance with teaching multiple texts, and I hope other teachers can find that too. Gallagher only confirmed my beliefs in how the education system's focus on standardized testing, eliminating novels etc is making education more shallow and giving students the sad incentive... more to not care and to dislike reading even more than they previously did.
review 2: This should be required reading by anyone involved in education - especially policy makers. Gallagher's book is a quick read and very focused on the schools. From the beginning, the author acknowledges that the problem of "readicide" has several facets but his book centers on the problem with the schools and how the problems can be resolved. Readicide (as I'm sure people can figure out) is the killing of the love of reading. This slaughter is not intended (at least, the optimist in me hopes it is not), but is the result of a curriculum that focuses heavily on passing tests. I'm sure teachers who have read this were cheering in several places- but his book is preaching to the choir when it comes to the dedicated educators. He brings up many points I've heard before, but provides many concrete examples of why today's education policies are so flawed, and on so many levels. I can only hope his message gets to the right ears, or I truly fear for the future. less

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Reviews (see all)

jailene

Great ideas, but suspicious statistical manipulations to prove his points. His tone can become condescending and his points repetitive -- you probably wouldn't care that schools are killing reading if you weren't a good reader yourself, so please stop summarizing every third sentence -- but refreshing direct, nonetheless. Flood your students with good writing, all kinds of writing, frame your classwork around difficult reads, but maintain constant leisure reading, and let it be leisurely! Allow your students to enjoy something. Allow that reading makes readers, and skill-drills make resistance. Stop complicating a rather simple process.

Lamel

This book is very empowering for an inspiring teacher. I do wish there were more examples of how the author implements his ideals in the classroom, and less repetitive information. I know it's effective to repeat a lot of information and statistics, but for me it gets a little boring when presented with the same information more than once. A great read for teachers who want to change the system and the way students learn.

lanusa

This book had some helpful reminders, but I'd heard most of what Mr. Gallagher had to say before.

pandabug

Awesome read! Great suggestions.

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