[MOSAIC] Accelerated Reader/Elaine's response

[Joy]

OK, I've been talking to Elaine off list. Here are some of the things she has to say about AR:

    Ohohohohoh- AR is the anti Mosaic of Thought. It not just supports but perpetrates low level thinking. Such low level thinking actually becomes a habit of mind after a while. It also trains kids to think that reading is such a horrific burden that it needs to be rewarded. I have a masters student who did a research project on AR and the attitudes of the kids was pretty heartbreaking. 

Anyway-- I'm convinced no one will be convinced by any arguments if they love AR. Nor will they be convinced if they hate AR. BUT-- what I can say with certainty is that there is no independent research to support AR. Given the research imperative under which teachers are required to operate today, there is no evidence that AR actually does anything but bribe kids to read. If that's the goal rather than higher level thinking and life long love of reading, then AR works. 
  After she heard about the research about higher level thinking skills, she wrote:
     . . . there is a little testing analogy that you've probably heard. There was a man looking for his car keys under a street lamp. His wife said, "But you lost them in the alley so why are you looking for them here?" He answered, "Because the light's better." 

That makes just as much sense as that quote from the "research"--- Look, one thing they need to get straight is the difference between independent, unbiased research and research done by those who have a vested interest in the outcome as with Renaissance.
   
  Einstein said and he was a really smart guy--- Not everything that can be tested counts and not everything that counts can be tested.

 . . . there is no independent research to support it!!!!!!! PERIOD
  She wishes she could post herself, but it's so crazy at this time of year for her. If you are looking for the research to refute AR then look in her book, Smart Answers to Tough Questions.


                Joy/NC/4
  jwidmann at rocketmail.com
  How children learn is as important as what they learn: process and content go hand in hand. http://www.responsiveclassroom.org
   









       
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