Routman had to say about AR in this chapter. This was the best part of the whole chapter for me. It stresses the point that a "program" isn't always the best way to teach a subject. Teachers need to be advocates for what they believe in and make their feelings known. Practices must be research based. Just because every other district is using it doesn't make it a good fit for every district. Effort must be made to take a look at the students, resources, and parental involvement to choose what would be best for each individual district. I also liked the section that talked about keeping students in the room. It seems like special ed students are always pulled out at the most inconvenient time. The teachers in my building don't have much say in when their students are pulled out. Schedules are so tight that it is pretty much a take what you can even if it means pulling the students at times that aren't the best. With education budgets being what they are, many things that teachers advocate for just aren't possible, but it is important that we continue to let our opinions and thoughts be known.
I don't think AR is all bad I just don't think it is everything it is made out to be. I think your right about how we need to keep making our voices heard even in times of buget crunches. It is important that we continue to fight for the best practices.
ReplyDeleteWe use AR to get the kid's noses into books, exposure to literature I guess. But, I do agree that it shouldn't be used in isolation. You are right about continuing to advocate for what you know is right even if budget cuts just aren't going to allow the changes at this time.
ReplyDelete