Learning To Write Is Learning To Think

So much emphasis on test scores. So lots of policy and education programs are developed and implemented in order to help children do well/better on their tests.

Excellent - we're educating a generation of test-takers. But what if we ask them questions that aren't in the test style they're used to? What if we ask them to make a leap between un(test)related subjects? What if we want them to be creative or to use new critical thinking skills?

I won't go into my personal opinions about a lot of these issues but will direct you to two articles from the New York Times that address the in different ways. One article titled U.S. Students Achieve Mixed Results on Writing Test reports that "About a third of the nation’s eighth-grade students, and roughly a quarter of its high school seniors, are proficient writers, according to nationwide test results released Thursday."

A third and a quarter are proficient in writing? That doesn't sound like mixed results to me. That sounds like poor results.

Another article In a New Generation of College Students, Many Opt for the Life Examined talks about the fact that many students are studying philosophy. It quotes David E. Schrader, executive director of the American Philosophical Association, a professional organization with 11,000 members, as saying "that in an era in which people change careers frequently, philosophy makes sense. 'It’s a major that helps them become quick learners and gives them strong skills in writing, analysis and critical thinking,'".

I had a terrific teacher in Grad school (for an MFA in writing) Tucker Farley, who changed the way we thought about things. She challenged us to think about old topics in new ways. On the door to her office was a quote that I always have in mind when working with children, parents, students of all ages (and of course with writers) because it has proved to be so true. "Learning To Write Is Learning To Think".

Teach a child to take tests and they'll perform better on standardized tests.
Teach a child to think creatively, to strategize and solve problems and they'll have the tools to help them in every subject and in their lives.

Study Links Drop in Test Scores to a Decline in Time Spent Reading - NY Times

They ARE kidding that this is news? Right? A quick reply to the emails and questions I've gotten this morning regarding the article and the studies. I haven't had time to review the studies so I'll only comment on the article with some general thoughts. (For current clients - any specific questions would be best dealt with on an individual basis.)

Ok - here goes. Again. And again and again and again.

Instill in a child a love of reading and they will pick up books and reading material on their own. They won't only pick up the book that everyone's reading because "everyone's reading it".

Instill in a child a love of reading and the ability to be still with a book and you enable them to develop ;
*the ability to entertain and educate themselves
*patience
*the ability to listen to themselves think
*an ability to sustain silent moments
*the ability to focus, to imagine, to picture, to concentrate and to take a leap into a world that has been transported from the page to their imagination
*a love of the written word
*the ability to ask and answer questions themselves
*sometimes the desire to express themselves through writing
*a broader vocabulary
*a curiosity about worlds they haven't explored
....and more and more and more (this was just for starters)

As for tests and test results, teach children to take tests and do well on tests and they'll know how to - take tests and possibly get good scores on them.

That's a quick response. More in the future I'm sure.

Meanwhile, talk to your children (of all ages) about the topics and areas that they're interested in.
*Go to a bookstore, the library or online and let them choose books and magazines on those topics.
*Keep books, magazines, dictionaries, encyclopedias and other reference materials around the house.
*Keep a daily newspaper around the house and discuss the events of the day.
*Encourage your children (of all ages) to read.
*Model reading for them - telling them isn't enough, if they see you reading they are encouraged to read.

Granted, I grew up in an education minded household which I sometimes affectionately refer to as the "learning lab". Both my parents adore reading and read to us, with us and to themselves. We had the school reading programs in our house (Dad was a school administrator before he retired) and our biggest treats were books. I remember my father coming home with a briefcase full of books and we got to choose one or two knowing that there were so many other fun ones left. It was hard to choose but we always knew there was so much more. My mother to this day is one of the most voracious readers I have ever met reading more than a book a week, not to mention magazines and newspapers. They certainly modeled a love of reading and knowledge. It was natural. It wasn't work or homework, it was fun.

I should mention that both my parents are immigrants who speak about 10 languages between the two of them with English being the most recent, so the fact that they were, and continue to be, voracious readers of English is no small feat. I will also say that a love of reading is one of the single greatest gifts they gave us and I am thankful for it every day of my life.

Give your children a love of reading and you give them a gift they'll use every day. I say that as a reader, writer, teacher and person.