Thank you for providing your parent feedback/perception. Your story matches up with every story I heard from my prior parents that were relieved to discover we were a non-AR classroom. Luckily, I am at a new school that does not endorse AR in anyway. In my prior school I was told over and over again that their child read substantially more in our non AR room than the rooms prior that required "X" amount of points. I also heard story after story about reading easy books or cheating to "get" the points. I am just baffled at the thinking behind the role of rewards if our larger goal is to create readers who love to read. It just doesn't make sense.
I think the scary thing for some teachers is the fear of what will happen if they remove the program/treats/incentives. 1) Will the kids actually read? 2) How will teachers really understand if they comprehended what was read? I believe a workshop approach allows you to intrinsically motivate your students and provides comprehension support before, during, and after reading (rather than relying on a low-level computer test when you are finished with a book).
Anyway, good luck with keeping the right focus of reading at home. Because my prior district prohibited grades from AR, I had a few students that refused to take any tests the following years. What rebels. They just didn't care about the ice cream or social gatherings...they knew better. :)
Elizabeth,
Thank you for providing your parent feedback/perception. Your story matches up with every story I heard from my prior parents that were relieved to discover we were a non-AR classroom. Luckily, I am at a new school that does not endorse AR in anyway. In my prior school I was told over and over again that their child read substantially more in our non AR room than the rooms prior that required "X" amount of points. I also heard story after story about reading easy books or cheating to "get" the points. I am just baffled at the thinking behind the role of rewards if our larger goal is to create readers who love to read. It just doesn't make sense.
I think the scary thing for some teachers is the fear of what will happen if they remove the program/treats/incentives. 1) Will the kids actually read? 2) How will teachers really understand if they comprehended what was read? I believe a workshop approach allows you to intrinsically motivate your students and provides comprehension support before, during, and after reading (rather than relying on a low-level computer test when you are finished with a book).
Anyway, good luck with keeping the right focus of reading at home. Because my prior district prohibited grades from AR, I had a few students that refused to take any tests the following years. What rebels. They just didn't care about the ice cream or social gatherings...they knew better. :)
Best,
Angela