The unsurprising decline of childhood literacy in America

[JimG]

Yes. There was a time when a graduate of a college, any college, secular or religious, could be counted on to understand the basics of at least western history and liberal arts. He or she would recognize references to well known historical events, literary figures, poems, novels, etc. Now, there is no such shared heritage. Some graduates have no inkling of a shared history of events or ideas. They can look it up on Google, but it’s all a mish mash in their mind.

 

[meltzerboy2]

A lot of the problem is the over-emphasis on the process and method of education rather than the content, particularly the use of technology in the classroom, which most professors use ineffectively in any case. The students have, in turn, become conditioned to expect teachers to use technology, more so because it’s the cool thing rather than because it really helps them to learn. Technology is almost a requirement in the modern classroom, with only a few holdouts from the older generation. Soon it will be mandated although it does little to foster (critical) thinking or writing skills, which only a creative teacher can facilitate through their personal interaction with students. But everything today has to be predominantly visual rather than verbal to be consonant with students’ and society’s technological world. And that society itself, including supervisors and administrators, has been dumbed down to the point that students need not develop content knowledge of subject areas for them to capitalize on lucrative employment opportunities.

 

[Irishmom2]

When I see a roomful of children sitting at their desks looking at their screens, I wonder what they are learning there that their teacher couldn’t have taught them. What is so much better about learning it off the computer? Nothing. As Meltzerboy just pointed out, there is no opportunity for critical thinking if they are all doing their own thing. And for those ready to say it’s the same as reading from books, I will say that other than the actual reading part of the academic day, we were rarely taught from books, but from the teacher. The books were mostly for homework.

 

[Peeps]

. There is nothing wrong with incorporating this kind of material into the curriculum but NOT at the expense of eliminating European history and literature, which is exactly what has happened in the current college curriculum. It has even gotten to the point that the professors themselves know much less, if anything, about Eurocentric studies.

I have work associates at the hospital, in their 20s and 30s, who aren’t quite sure what “the Holocaust” refers to. They don’t know the meaning of the terms “Axis” and “Allies,” they have no idea who Winston Churchhill was, they don’t know what D Day was, and they don’t recognize the phrase, “Never again.”

But they know the latest You Tube star. And they spend hours every evening glued to Netflix watching entire series in a few evenings. No wonder we all expect “instant” change (e.g., climate change, world peace, immigration reform)–we are used to watching an entire season of a made-for-TV series in a few evenings, instead of spending an entire season (Sept - March) watching one episode every week and spending the week talking about the plot and characters with friends and speculating about “what’s going to happen next!” .

 

[Fuerza]

This is exactly why my wife and I read to our kids almost every night. We read mostly good, high quality books (Aeneid, Narnia, Beowulf), and I’ve begun teaching them Latin as well. They also have 20-30 minutes of independent reading time in bed each night, which is where we give them a little more choice. Luckily, they tend to choose higher quality options. We also occasionally back off and let them watch the “mind-numbing” stuff on TV, although to be honest the educational stuff isn’t much better, so it’s not much of a loss.

Even though I would read to my kids in any case, after seeing the curricula in the schools, I kind of feel that I have no choice to but to supplement. First of all, the teachers routinely send home communications with atrocious grammar, and the material itself seems to be more focused on virtue signaling and demonstrating liberal values than actually educating. As an example, of the first five writing assignments that my daughters had this year, four had to do with the plight of refugees, and the other was on climate change. Their middle school also has a Gay-Straight Alliance club, and the last parent to question whether or not it was appropriate was essentially blackballed from the school (but getting into that would take me way off topic). So I guess that what I’m saying overall is that I’m not surprised that kids can’t read anymore. On a side note, it took me more than twenty minutes to write this because I kept getting distracted by the shiny reflection in my screen…

 

[meltzerboy2]

All true, plus we expect instant gratification by pressing a key on our computer. If it takes more than a second, we are already frustrated and can hardly wait for a faster model to appear on the market. No wonder our attention span has become similar to that of a flea.

 

[meltzerboy2]

We professors must keep taking workshops (either in-person or online) on sexual harassment every year. It no longer matters how many times we have already taken the workshop. And there are constant reminders, that is, signs in buildings, informing us that sexual harassment, as well as all forms of discrimination, is not all right, as if we otherwise would have no idea. Further, there are now workshops on what is called “microaggressions,” which are ways of talking to people of other cultures or genders which may be taken as offensive even though we do not consciously mean to offend. In other words, it is meant to train us to avoid subtle racism and sexism rather than blatant forms. This is what administrators spend much of their time teaching faculty, staff, and students instead of the basics of education. Now, such interpersonal education, I believe, should not be ignored and does have its place; but, at the same time, enough is enough. Let us not devote all of our energy and resources to non-academic learning.

 

[HerCrazierHalf]

The harassment training and policies at many work places now include awareness of such things to some degree. Plus companies are more sensitive to these things in an effort to retain talent.

 

[Freddy]

And don’t get me started on grammar…

Your instead of you’re.
Would of instead of would have.
There instead of their.

Drives me crazy…

 

[vsedriver]

OK, but it will probably be on the Kindle, which is like caving in to technology

I do my reading on a kindle. Allows me to have reference books at my fingertips and not have to lug around heavy books.

I read to my kids. One is a great reader, the other didn’t start reading till his early twenties. Both have all the latest technology but favor print books. I’ll stick to the electronics for convenience.

 

[vsedriver]

you should have told him you learned that in grammar school and thought you were in an MA course now.

 

[Irishmom2]

That’s so disgusting. Let’s just rewrite history to suit everyone no matter what the truth is.

 

[JanR]

I think it might be part of the deliberate attempt to “dumb down” Americans, so we will fall for things that will ultimately enslave and oppress us, out of ignorance, laziness, apathy, etc.

There are those in power who will do anything and everything to remain in power and/or increase their power over the rest of us. And the dumbing down is just part of that conspiracy.

Making people addicted to smart phones and other technologies, so they cease to live their lives in the full reality of the real world, is also part of that conspiracy. People can be much more easily controlled, that way.

I recently began tutoring a boy in the fourth grade who couldn’t even spell or read at the first grade level. It was shocking! Moreover, he didn’t have any inclination to learn. He wouldn’t do his homework assignments, so never improved.

This is supposed to be our future???

A culture has been created of so-called “safe spaces”, “political correctness”, dependence almost fully upon machines, and whether we realize it or not, we have voluntarily relinquished much of our ability or desire to think for ourselves by becoming absorbed in these artificial mechanisms and the virtual worlds we can create for ourselves through them.

Look at what has happened to traditional journalism these days – so biased, so slanted in one direction only – abandoning facts and proof for one-sided ideology and cramming it down the throats of millions of gullible people.

Social media is the worst!

All of this goes hand-in-hand with the moral breakdown of our society, the lack of discipline and accountability for wrongdoing, the double standards we experience everywhere.

That said, forums like these can be very educational and useful, when used properly. I’m not totally anti-computer – I have one and use it – but in our household, there are no smart phones, no talking Alexas, no voice-activated door locks or thermostat adjusting, no robotic vacuum cleaners. All of this stuff we are perfectly capable of doing for ourselves – and should. It’s called LIVING.

 

[HerCrazierHalf]

Moreover, he didn’t have any inclination to learn. He wouldn’t do his homework assignments, so never improved.

A lot of people have no inclination to learn in an academic sense. Academic success is often pushed by the parents.

Look at what has happened to traditional journalism these days – so biased, so slanted in one direction only – abandoning facts and proof for one-sided ideology and cramming it down the throats of millions of gullible people.

That’s the free market at work. News is boring, but news requires ratings or clicks to survive these days. So why not pander to a particular view and reinforce an echo chamber if that’s what brings in the viewers or clicks? I remember how refreshing Al Jazeera America was. In depth reporting with details, but it got abysmal ratings and went under as a channel.

All of this goes hand-in-hand with the moral breakdown of our society, the lack of discipline and accountability for wrongdoing, the double standards we experience everywhere.

I suspect a bigger effect from the trend of markets and consumer demands transforming the product whether a service like news or to an extent social norms. A more concrete example are fruits and vegetables. They are nutritious, but less so than before. Preferences for sweeter fruits pushed growers to create varieties or methods that contain more sugar or less vitamins in the process. Link