Every few months, somebody shows up at a meeting all excited about a new online reading program. The pitch goes something like this: Itās amazing! It adjusts itself to the Lexile level of each kid! And it works on a specific standard with each reading passage! Itās totally self-directed, so they complete it at their own pace! And best of all, it tracks all the data for you, so you can see how your students are progressing!
I know that data is the be-all, end-all in education these days. And there are plenty of good, self-directed online reading programs that help kids build basic reading comprehension skills. But when somebody suggests we replace class sets of novels with a bank of computers to help the kids āmaster the standards,ā I get nervous. Data is a helpful tool, but there are a few things that areāgaspāmore important than big data when it comes to reading instruction. Yes. I said it.
1. Getting lost in a book
The way kids read a passage on a computer is different from the way they read one in a book. Reading a book involves a level of sustained focus and absorption that a short passage followed by multiple choice questions cannot match. And reading fiction builds empathy and compassion in both children and adults. If kids are reading just so they can move on to the next level (or whatever the computer reading program offers), theyāre motivated by extrinsic rewards. It sends the message that reading is a means to an end. Thatās often true, and thereās nothing wrong with it, but if we teach that the only purpose for reading is to accomplish a task, weāre not building lifelong readers.
2. Building taste in literature
Short passages with questions at the end arenāt going to encourage a child to explore the world of reading. Online reading programs might help kids improve their multiple choice skills, but theyāre not going to move them from R.L. Stine to Stephen King, or from John Green to John Steinbeck. For that, they need a guided tour of the good stuff. They need someone working with them, addressing misconceptions as they arise and asking the right questions ā to help them sink their teeth into literature. And that applies to nonfiction, too, whether itās The Glass Castle or The Omnivoreās Dilemma.Ā Self-guided, independent work can only take you so far.
3. Enjoying quality conversations about literature
Reading is often a solo endeavor, but the enjoyment of literature can be communal. Arguing with classmates about the ending of The Giver or Life of Pi deepens studentsā understanding and enjoyment of those books. When they use those āgame-changingā online reading programs, I donāt see kids leaving class saying, āDid you read the passage about how baseball was invented? Wow! I couldnāt believe it!āĀ Itās a self-contained, independent experience ā¦ not one that follows you out of the classroom and impacts your thoughts and dreams and beliefs for the rest of your life the way a good book can.
Novels are here to stay
I will try out the new program to boost kidsā reading scores. Maybe Iāll use it for a study hall activity once a week, or maybe my early finishers can give it a shot. But it wonāt replace class novels in my room any time soon, no matter how much data it provides. In the end, Iād rather teach my kids than collect data about them, and Iāve yet to meet an online program that can do that for me.
Whatās your take on the use of data in reading instruction? Please share in the comments.