Children's reading skills are degrading in Finland, and I assume everywhere in the world.
Espoo-based Finnish language arts teacher Nina Manu told the paper that identifying the culprit is easy: the deterioration is due to a lack of reading, use of smart devices and large classroom sizes.
Well, not as easy as she thinks, or perhaps, she isn't bold enough to say what the major reason for the reduction in skill is.
Parenting.
A parent might not be able to do much about class sizes, but when it comes to "a lack of reading" and the use of "smart devices" (an oxymoron?), they can definitely influence the outcomes of their children, by setting boundaries, and encouraging habits early in life, and supporting forward. The problem is though, that many parents don't read enough and they spend an inordinate amount of time in front of screens also. Setting an example as a parent is important, isn't it?
I sit in front of a screen a lot, but most of the time it is not when my daughter is around, so when she is, we are together, or I am working on something else. But, she definitely doesn't see me reading much, because I don't read books these days, I only listen to them. Reading like that is a challenge for me after the stroke, as I get very little out of what is read. I need pictures - but listening seems to be a little better for me. And I am able to move faster and pause quickly to think, without having to go back and reread. Regardless of my challenges, Smallsteps enjoys reading.
She has claimed a reading corner in the loungeroom as her own.
But, it would be very hard to get a teen interested in reading if they had spent the majority of their time on screens as a young child. Their brain wiring must be more set up for passive visual intake, and their habits are there to consume without actively having to do any work. Reading is a skill, and it isn't just the ability to comprehend the letters and understand the words, but there are a lot of other aspects to it also. For instance, the fluency of reading is going to impact on how the mind creates images, and that is going to directly impact on the enjoyment of reading. If a person is unable to create the mental images to visualise the landscape easily, it becomes very laborious.
I know.
As for school, nearly every day for homework, Smallsteps has to read for ten minutes. They are given a part of some textbook to read as material. The challenge has been for her is, the text provided takes her about two minutes to read, so instead of rereading it over and over, she goes to her own book and reads that instead. What I don't like about it is that there is a "timer" for the reading activity, which makes her feel like she is done after ten minutes, when she would happily read on if there was no timer. So, after a while I said for her to just read what she must from the textbook, and then read as long as she wants from her own.
It is always over the ten minute mark.
Large classroom sizes aren't a problem either, considering that the classroom sizes are smaller here than they were when I was a kid at my schools. The difference isn't in the amount of pupils, but the behaviour of pupils in the class. The reason teachers don't have enough time to actually teach and create engaging content and activities, as well as more targeted work for individuals, is because half the students (at least, no exaggeration) don't care about being there, and run around the room screaming like lunatics. They have ear muffs for students that are trying to concentrate.
Like what?
Is it the fault of the teacher that the kids are throwing things, screaming, hitting others, breaking things and generally being terrors at eight years of age? I think this comes down to parenting again, because I am pretty sure that if there was the threat of a beating that I would have received had I acted similarly, and the follow through to prove that there is consequence to action, more would be better behaved in class.
Violence isn't the answer.
But consequence to behaviour should be clear, and one of the unmentioned problems with sitting on a screen passively all the time, is that people don't have any direct and immediate consequence to their actions. They can consume what they like in privacy and even act how they want with very little repercussions. So not only are children not being parented well, they are also getting a sense of entitlement that all they do is acceptable, and there are no ramifications to it.
And as a society, there are massive ramifications for not being able to read and comprehend well, because it means that people are not able to form their own opinions, and become reliant on others to tell them what to believe. It is essentially going back to the times before the printing presses, where only the priests could decipher the bible, and everyone else had to take their word for it. We live in a world of vast amounts of information, but if the only way people are able to consume it is if someone (or something) else translates it and turns it into a short TikTok video, we are doomed as a species, as the evolution of thought that has driven us forward for the last few hundred years especially, starts to contract.
Perhaps we are doomed anyway.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
Not only in your country, also here in the Philippines, reading and comprehension becoming poor for today's generation. And the culprits are as follows;
First, parenting style. Parents of these generation has the entitlement mentality. They are depending the teaching of there children to a teacher. Instead of teaching there child home, they go find a tutorial instead. Unlike in my time, I remember back in the day that everyday before I go play outside with friends. I need to read one story out loud in front of my parents. Answering all the question and they also made a custom question base on that story. Now I didn't see those kind of parenting.
Second, the pediatrician advice. I remember when my child, aged 4, our pediatrician told us, that a parent should not teach the child about academic, instead parents should focus teaching child on building characters and how they blend in the community.
Lastly, the Law. Back in the day, our teacher always bring in meter stick with them. If your not pay attention to the teaching, teacher back in the day will hit your butt with meter stick. These act of teacher are acceptable and permitted by parents during that time. Which is I think has a positive effect.
Also, technology has a big contributions to these problems. Most of the children on these generation depend more on technology and give most of their time on screen. Unlike in my time, I need to go to the public Library doing my research work. Now I my niece doing assignment with the AI, them use another AI to humanized it.
Maybe, children of these generation should be deal with the new technique of teaching. Since our education system didn't evolve. The style of teaching remains the same as it was 100 years ago.
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I didn't paste the whole paragraph. I have heard this said in other places too, but look at the state of the world of youths - do they have good characters and are they part of the valued community? Seems not to me. So, they are bad at school, and assholes :)
People seem to undermine this kind of punishment, but it is actually part of the world. Jump poorly, you fall and hurt yourself. That pain is a lesson. I am not talking about beating children until they bruise.
The style of teaching has changed here I think, but not for the better. Teachers have no authority, and parents don't parent. So when do children learn that sometimes, they are going to have to listen and do what someone with more power than them says - like in the workplace.
I honestly think it is more of a cyclical thing as much as I kind of hate it when people say that. I'm not saying that's the way it is in Finland, but over here it's always something. Maybe ten years ago it was writing, so we threw tons of money and resources into writing because our scores were low. Then it was science, so we did the same thing, next it will be something else (maybe reading). I think part of the problem over here is that they shoehorn kids into specific skill levels based on some test they take. For example, I once saw a kid trying to check out a book on some subject he was interested in. The teacher said, no, that is above your skill level you can't check that out. My thinking is, if the kid is interested in the subject, let them read it. If it is above their skill level they will figure it out because it actually interests them. Perhaps if we let them read what they want more and not what we force them to, it wouldn't be such a struggle.
I agree with this. At Smallsteps' age, it isn't such a problem, but maybe later on. She reads what she wants though, and we read to her a lot too. Every second night I read in English to her, and on the other my wife in Finnish. None of these new nonsense books either - the classics :)
And I think that this is why it will always fail, because the money is spent on the school side, not the parent side. It is up to the parents to support this, because the amount they need in order to learn and benefit, can't be done in school alone anyway.
That is good that you do that with your daughter. Nah, parents have more important things to do these days. They have vibrant social lives that can't be interrupted by things like learning.
Some day, when we are all crypto rich, we will do a proper meetup :)
Sounds like a plan!
Reading is something that we started working on immediately with our children. We would read to them before they could actually walk, and taught them to read at very early ages. I think this was because we both like reading. I know I loved it from a very early age and would setup entire worlds around what I would read and act them out in play.
You are correct about behavior of children in classrooms. It is horrible. Yes, a good swat on the backside or two is what I used to get if I misbehaved at school, but is that necessarily the answer? I am not sure, but it worked and kids didn't act like the Lord of the Flies at school.
This is the way to do it!
We would do the same, and still do. From the moment she was born we started talking (in both languages) and then reading often. We read to her nightly still :)
Maybe it isn't the answer, but it worked. What is happening now is not working, so perhaps a retrace of steps until we get working again, and then find another path.
Let the beatings begin
:D :D
This is something that one of my brothers would say!
What you say is very insteresting and I have considered also after studying to teach. The teacher has to deal with children that are already made, mentally of course, so that means they have as much attention as they have at home. Economic crisis on the rise, people have to work more, are more worried and don't have the space of mind to play with their children so they rely on screen to keep them pacified.
With mental health issues on the rise, that means even little space of mind, and if they consume screens their emotions gets supressed, making their emotional centers even stronger and as such, their worries. People are easy to manipulate when they are afraid, which pretty much explains our leader election lately. Makes everything short term exciting and long term painful. Easy, pleasure, will shape the future of humankind. So yeah, we might be screwed.
I have researched the subject a little bit, applied many, for I was like one of these children and I think the answer is strenghtening the pre frontal cortex. I am developing the subject right now as I believe knowing about it as well as debating about it might save our species.
Unfortunately I did not finish my college because at some point I realized being a history teacher in a corrupt country (Venezuela) would have ment to say what they wanted me to say.
A lot of what shapes a child's brain is learned in the first three years of development. Yet, what parents are doing now is putting kids on a screen to keep them quiet. And they are learning how to be passive consumers, instead of active explorers.
This leads straight into the mental health issues, doesn't it? They are conditioned to be hyper aware of their emotions and reactive, rather than reflective.
A history teach in a corrupt country... doesn't sound like fun.
Oh, my fond memories, I was lucky enough to find some old Russian book about how to read faster, with a handful of techniques, when I was 12. I applied them since, as I was an avid reader since I learn to read at age of 5. Now, decades later, my reading speed is something else.
And we use to read a lot in our family, as we had few thousand books in our house. I remember when my brother was like 10-14, we had a running contest, and I would pay him something like $0.1 for every book over 200 pages that he would read. He was reading 50-100 books per year, thinking that he robbed me blind (especially poetry, as there are less words in those books). Best money I ever spent.
Oh, that is cool! I did a speed reading course when I was 16 and got faster, but only by about 30%. My reading issues now are different though.
This used to be "common" in some way, right? A few years back (maybe 2014 - so many years back), I was in St Petersburg and was surprised at how people were reading everywhere. On the subway, on the escalator to the subway, at the cafés and restaurants. Everyone had a book - hardly any phones in hand.
This made me laugh!
Oh yes, the speed is not increasing to superspeed, but think about, that 20-30% increase in speed, how much time you saved over few decades.
Definitely an oxymoron, and a devaluation of human thought.
I was just cogitating on this earlier today. We have been taught how, and often what, to think via the education system. This is all reinforced via various media from very early ages to very old. Case in point, the medical system we have today. Most of us are unable to imagine that there could be an alternative to regularly putting toxins in the body in order to create health. It is hard to imagine that anything that does not poison one could have any effect. I suppose supplements are a counterexample, but those, in addition to having many toxins in them to get them into easily ingestible forms, are for the most part unnatural and probably of little use to the body. I ramble. Forgive me.
My point is that we are conditioned to live in a particular paradigm, and to be unable to envision any other possibilities at all, let alone wonder if they could be real. Those of us who try to think outside the paradigm (many of them readers I imagine, and listening closely is as valuable as reading) can actually live in a different paradigm, a different world.
Oops! Rambling again!
Weddings, bar mitzvahs, and galas of all types exhibit another skill our youths have not developed: how to dance. It's only older fogies on the dance floors these days, with the younguns looking at their phones at their tables. They've haven't learned how to party.
The medical industry preys on people, but I don't think it is the doctors themselves (usually), but the way they have also learned, and how they are also manipulated by the pharmas. It is just another wealth creation mechanism, at the cost of human health.
I think even many readers are conditioned based on what they read. They are looking for what they enjoy, not what helps them grow. But, at least they have a chance to discover - without reading, most do not.
I am going to make sure Smallsteps can dance - and my wife will doubly so!
We met dancing. :)
You met dancing, that's beautiful!
Doctors absolutely believe they are working for good. They have been heavily indoctrinated to live and think in a narrow, unimaginative, medical paradigm. Those doctors who do figure out they are not having healthy outcomes, either continue to play along, or lose their licenses.
I think I have placed this under one of your posts before:
Upton Sinclair
I wish smartphones only affected children. They negatively affect both the young and the old. They kill creativity. I resisted using a smartphone for a long time. I have been using a smartphone for 3 years and I feel like I have regressed in terms of creativity. I have also regressed in terms of finding solutions etc.
It has a massive impact. It isn't the phone alone, it is the consumption. The more consumed, the less created.
The task indeed falls to parents to inculcate a reading habit in their children. They should deliberately make their children read. It's through reading we acquire pieces of knowledge that can change and refine our lives. So any parent that's not teaching their kids to read is raising them wrong. The screens has done more harm than good to our society.
If parents aren't interested in reading themselves, they are unlikely to support their kids in it - other than telling them to read more. I tis like parents telling kids to eat healthy and exercise, when they themselves don't do those things.
I can say that it is due to the negative effect of the technology. We spent our spare time with smartphones, sometimes I tell myself read a book intead. However, at least, I mostly spend time by reading posts on HIVE :)
Many things can be done on a phone - but most people aren't doing the better things :)
Ever since the smart tv in my sitting got burnt last 2 years i havent replaced it, and i think this creates more opportunities for my kids and i to focus on other things that improves us,
Good to hear!
😊😊
It is undeniable that the principles of love of reading, of wanting to learn and be educated should be taught at home, by example, as you say, the world is very complicated and absorbs the time of children, the little ones and even the adults. Hopefully the reflection reaches the current parents so that they do more for their little ones than facilitating their access to the networks.
Good reading. Thanks for sharing
The world is complicated, but parenting is pretty easy. Easy don't mean that it doesn't take effort though!
I live it, now with a teenager. There we are forming a world.
Great work!
ok!
I started to write an answer, but it was just getting longer and longer. I hope it's okay that I turned it into a post of its own.
https://peakd.com/philosophy/@beelzael/a-books-voice-being-read-to
Excellent reflection on a situation that unfortunately affects a large part of the world.
We used to start each class of my honors english with 10 minutes of reading. :)
I am right there with u about listening to audiobooks.. it's such an effort to read now.. :P
I couldn't agree more. Reading is not just degrading in your country but all over the world just like my country the Philippines. Many teachers nowadays are having a hard time helping the students how to read but they actually can't handle it very well it's because children don't get the idea the importance of reading nowadays.
It always begins at home,as parents are the first teachers. Sometimes parents, didn't also know their responsibilities nowadays they think it's the teachers works to do.
That's why right now,we should be aware of what we are doing especially we have kids around as it's always starts at home.Learning is a two way process not just teachers and students alone but also with the guidance and help with their parents.