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Raising
Literacy Part 7:
Reading: An Unnatural Act
by Bill Lauritzen
Unfortunately, students are
indoctrinated into thinking that school means studying things
that are not there. Learning becomes synonymous with books, rather
than with things, events or phenomenon.
Surprisingly, if a thing being studied is present, the average
student today starts to feel uncomfortable. I remember one time
I told a math class to go outside and measure the approximate
volume of cement used in a sidewalk, etc. They resisted at first,
having been trained that school had nothing to do with real objects.
In fact, here is a good definition of a teacher: someone who
is expert at explaining things that are not there. It is almost
an impossible task to educate someone about something that is
not present. Yet this is goal of most modern education.
Emily Dickinson said, “There is no frigate (ship) like a
book,” when the truth is that there is no book like a frigate.
It all starts in elementary school. Students are indoctrinated
to read, read, read. I tell these elementary students that reading
is important, but so is looking. I ask them if they could learn
more from reading or looking, and they sometimes answer “reading.”
If so, I tell them to imagine that an flying saucer landed on
the White House lawn. Would they rather read about it or look
at it? I think you see the point. A good reporter doesn’t
just read and listen, he investigates and looks for facts, and
then tells or writes. A good scientist doesn’t just read
or listen, he does experiments and looks for evidence, then tells
or writes.
Reading is possible and can even be enjoyable. Especially if
there is a link between the tiny markings and the real things.
An exceptionally good teacher attempts to link the words to pictures,
events, motions, and experiences. This teacher educates for understanding
rather than memorization.
A poor teacher merely requires memorization of the tiny markings
in terms of other tiny markings. Learning degrades into just
“getting through the class,” “getting through
to graduation,” or “finishing the requirements.”
This type of learning takes teachers who can discipline heavily
while promising “future rewards.” It takes school security
and metal detectors. It takes an expert police force and plenty
of prisons.
There are definite physiological effects of focusing the eyes
on tiny paper markings instead of real things and movements.
The eyes may become unable to focus naturally, and a special
machine (glasses) are needed for this. Other effects (brought
to my attention by Hubbard) are: feeling dead, bored, and exasperated.
I might add to this, frustrated. These feelings are created when
one is not allowed to use one’s mind and body as it was
designed.
However, the advantages of reading for Homo sapiens apparently
outweigh the disadvantages. Books, libraries, etc., are a compact
storage system that record what the species has learned. Literacy
is one of the advantages that complex societies have used in
order to displace more primitive societies (see the book Guns,
Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond).
An article in the LA Times (Oct. 18, 1998) pointed out that brain
researchers have found that there is no area of the brain set
aside for reading. Reading was dubbed “an unnatural act.”
It uses several different parts of the brain that are normally
used by other areas, in a demonstration of the flexibility of
the software of the brain. Reading also creates an imbalance
between the right and left sides of the brain.
One solution is sports. Sports sort of allow the student to tolerate
mere memorization. Sports and beefed-up security are workable,
but a better solution is field trips, organic gardens for biology,
experiments for science or chemistry or physics, dramatic plays
for English, maps and plays and field trips for history, and
manipulatives and experiments and real world experiences for
mathematics. Having the student make clay models, draw diagrams,
draw pictures, and use puppets could all help also. More music
and art would help. In other words, linking, grounding, seeing,
hearing, and touching.
The way to raise literacy is not to force students to sit squirming
in a seat, staring at tiny markings and memorizing them for a
test. The way to raise literacy is to “link the ink,”
and “ground the sound.” Link those tiny markings to
the real thing or motion whenever possible, and, if not possible,
at least link them to pictures and models. Raise literacy.
Part 7 of a series on raising literacy by William Lauritzen. He holds a master’s degree in Industrial Psychology/Ergonomics and has studied education for over 15 years. He can be reached via his Internet site: www.earth360.com
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