The Educational Pendulum
Ask any educator about the pendulum effect in education, and you will likely get the same response. Teachers who have taught for ten or more years have not only heard of, but also experienced the familiar back and forth of researchers aiming to determine the best, most effective ways to educate children. One study will prove phonics instruction is the most reliable way to teach a child to read. A few years later, a new study will show that the whole language approach is the way to go. Back and forth the pendulum swings, and teachers are left on the frontlines trying to sift through the data, make informed decisions, and effectively teach the young minds in front of them. It can all be quite overwhelming. At the end of the day, though, we all share a common goal: to meet the needs of our students and make them as successful as humanly possible.
With thirty years in education under my belt, I have lived through more than my fair share of educational trends. A perfect example can be found in my own experience with reading instruction. I attended elementary school in the late seventies and early eighties. I have very strong memories of learning to read in Kindergarten. During that time period, our teachers relied on implicit phonics instruction for teaching children to learn how to read. I keenly remember the letter books we received from Mrs. Gundy, my Kindergarten teacher. The letter P book was my favorite; you could scratch and sniff to reveal a delicious pickle smell. I remember racing through the SRA reading program, striving to be the first to finish each level. I remember my fifth-grade teacher, Mrs. Sale, sharing whole-class read-alouds in fifth grade. I can still see that classroom floor with all of my friends gathered around, sniffling, tears running down our faces as she finished reading A Day No Pigs Would Die. What I didn’t see or understand was that as I made my way through middle and high school, the pendulum was swinging to the other side.
By the time I made it to college at Texas A&M, the tide had drastically changed. I remember listening to my professors lecturing on the Whole Language approach to reading instruction. Suddenly, phonics instruction had been replaced with word walls, invented spelling, authentic literature, and environmental print. Several years later, as a first-grade teacher, I watched as the pendulum swung back towards phonics instruction. Today, it seems that we sit somewhere in the middle with a balanced approach often referred to as the Science of Teaching Reading.
Reading instruction is just one example of how the tides change in education. Take a look at how technology in education has changed over the years. Thirty years ago, teachers were lucky to have one desktop computer in their classroom to use for checking emails. Not long after, teachers were given laptops, and suddenly their grades and lesson plans could be completed on the computer. Then came the big push for 1:1 access with students and Chromebooks. Suddenly, an increasing amount of instruction is happening on the computer. Schools that were the first to jump on the 1:1 access bandwagon were hailed as some of the most innovative schools and districts. Remember the Covid era? Chromebooks and computers were our saving grace. Without them, public education could have come to a standstill as we were all quarantined at home. Now let’s fast forward to today. Every educator I know is beginning to feel that familiar shift. The ground is moving, and the tides are turning once again. Open any social media platform today, and you will find posts sharing the latest school districts that are removing and/or limiting student access to computers at school. Research is now showing that while access to technology can be a wonderful thing, too much of it is proving to be harmful.
A Librarian’s Front-Row Seat
In addition to having a front row seat in reading instruction techniques, I have also had an interesting perspective on how these pendulum swings affect a child’s reading habits. This is where my passion lies. I have watched big changes take place, and the current trend is concerning.
For ten years, I was in a first-grade classroom, teaching young children how to read. I was sharing my own love of reading with my students. We shared whole-class read-alouds and independent reading for practice. Together, we fell in love with Arthur, Franklin, and Junie B. Jones. My first graders worked so hard to be able to independently read a Junie B book on their own. What an honor it was to be able to check out a CHAPTER BOOK from the library and read it independently! Later, I became an elementary school librarian. For about fourteen or fifteen years, I watched the familiar process. The very youngest readers would anxiously check out Fly Guy and Mo Willems’ Elephant and Piggie books. After sufficient practice, they graduated to Junie B Jones, Judy Moody, and Ready Freddy. Then, finally, as they entered third and fourth grade, they proudly made their way to the meatier, even more entertaining chapter books. They anxiously waited for their turn to check out The Tale of Despereaux, Because of Winn-Dixie, or The Wayside School series. Their teachers were reading aloud Harry Potter and other favorites. Students were coming to the library, browsing the fiction section, and talking about the magical stories they were reading. Sadly, though, the tide began to change. The pendulum swung, and it all came to a subtle, slow stop.
The Slow Decline of Chapter Book Reading
Roughly five or six years ago, I noticed subtle changes in my library. More and more students were lingering in the picture book section, looking for a short, quick read. I noticed my older students were more interested in completing their reading time like a task to quickly check off the list. Conversations about good books were fewer and farther between. Fewer and fewer were browsing the fiction section and checking out chapter books. Many of those who did check out a chapter book would often turn it in without completing it or keep it forever, while their teacher nagged them to get it finished. During this time, I also noticed very few teachers were conducting read-alouds in their classrooms. When we talked about it, they explained that with the increasing curriculum demands, there just wasn’t enough time to stop and read aloud from a great book. The required number of minutes for teaching each subject, coupled with a minimum time limit requirement for certain technology programs, made it time-prohibitive to stop and conduct a whole-class read-aloud.
We were slowly losing the art of getting lost in a book.
During this same time, I would also hear frustrations from teachers about a decreasing amount of reading stamina. Students were not able to stay focused long enough to get through longer books and/or passages. The STAAR test reading time was increasing while attention spans were drastically decreasing. Sure, our kids could read, but they were no longer reading for substantial amounts of time. What was happening? Why were we in a downward reading spiral? I wish I had the answers to these questions. The truth is, though, I can only speculate and form an educated guess. In my humble opinion, I believe the problem is threefold. The good news is, if we can force the pendulum to swing the other way, we can get back to where we need to be.
Three Possible Causes
First, I believe we can partially blame the amount of technology our kids have access to. I have read several scientific articles and books that describe how too much access to computers is changing the way our children's brains process information. Through the computer, they are being given a constant stream of information, usually in short spurts. Along with this, there is instant gratification. Everything moves fast, and information is given out in small increments. There is very little time to think and process what is being placed in front of them. It makes sense that the brain would lose the ability to process large bits of information, formulate unique creative ideas, and grow the imagination when there is less and less time to practice these skills.
Second, I believe there are too many other things vying for our students’ attention. Gaming, social media, YouTube, streaming videos, texts, chats, FaceTime calls, etc. All of these things are demanding attention. They are fun, interesting, entertaining, and enjoyable. Think about how hard it is as an adult to put your phone down and focus on tasks that need to be done at home. I know I have found myself staring at Instagram for an hour before realizing how much time I have wasted. I have to force myself to put the device down and move on to other things. It is so hard for adults; imagine how much more difficult it must feel for a child.
Finally, I believe the loss of read-aloud time at home and at school is partially to blame. This is not me shaming parents or teachers. I know how hard it is to come home after a long day and get everything done before bedtime. I also know how our teachers have so many demands placed on their time. If we add up all of the time requirements, I have no doubt it would add up to more hours than they have with their students. Add to that the increasing demands of testing and accountability, and it all just becomes too much. But, if we want to see attention spans increase, imagination begin to grow, and reading stamina to flourish, reading aloud just ten or fifteen minutes a day must happen. There is nothing better than can grow a love for reading and create lifelong readers than the classroom read-aloud.
Bringing the Pendulum Back
As I enter year thirty-one in education, I am faced with the realization that my time working directly with children is becoming shorter. I no longer care to ride the waves of the changing tide. I will not bog myself down in which way the pendulum swings. I now have the confidence to know what great teaching looks like. I know what works. I know what children need, and right now they need to be reminded of the magic and importance of getting lost in a book. This will be my final mission. I hope that you will join me.
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