Statistical reports continue to show that large percentages of people in North America are functionally illiterate. Much of the problem lies with the fact that we suffer from an extraordinary social war called The Reading Wars. The comment I made below is to a post by a teacher Jon Gustafson, who proposes suggestions to counter the attitude that produces but one-third of students in US to be proficient readers. https://projectforeverfree.org/countering-cognitive-impatience-less-activities-more-deep-reading/
This comment is also posted in my Facebook, with a further supplementary comment: Jon Gustafson, who I met at researchEd Vancouver conference in February, 2019, is an exceptionally committed teacher from Minnesota. I hope this paper of his gets wide distribution, perhaps in a condensed form. It warns that the state of teaching reading might get even worse due to our dependence on “instant gratification” through devices. I bring his attention to the significance of this court case in Michigan — Right to Read lawsuit
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Jon, you have added one more dimension to the other reasons usually considered when it comes to the urgency to teach reading to students. You conclude that proficient reading should not be a privilege for just one-third of the population. You offer suggestions.
However, in this post you have brought in information from a neuroscientist, Dr Maryanne Wolf who foresees that things can only get worse! Because of the growing use and dependency on devices we become prone to impatience if we don’t get quick results.
You state that Wolf says, “cognitive patience is the gateway to contemplative thought, critical analysis, analogical reasoning, and even empathy.” These qualities are connected to deep-reading for most of us.
Wolf’s credibility and perceptiveness is even more worthy of our regard when we find that she is Director of the UCLA Center for Dyslexia, Diverse Learners, and Social Justice. She is concerned not only about regular students but those whose brains learn differently. You add her quote: “We will become increasingly susceptible human beings who are more and more easily led by sometimes dubious, sometimes even false information that we mistake for knowledge or, worse, do not care one way or another.”
What we need to watch for is the results of this court case in Michigan, the “Right to Read” case. https://www.michiganadvance.com/2019/12/23/do-michigan-kids-have-a-right-to-read-activists-await-ruling-in-detroit-lawsuit/
You are a great reader — you mention tons of articles/books sourced — and might appreciate two documents relating to this case: 136-page class action lawsuit (url in the above story), which argues that the very concept of “democracy” depends on people having functional literacy to vote meaningfully, serve on a jury, have free expression, etc. Thus, being a true citizen. A related “amicus brief” attached to the same case is presented, which expands the issue to seeking a judgment about the “right to a minimally adequate education.” The 45-page brief is an easy read (url also sourced in above story).
I don’t see Wolf’s neurological dimension here in this case but this case is worth following to see how far it goes and the implications it raises. I hope your significant paper — Countering Cognitive Impatience: Less Activities, More Deep Reading — can be developed for much wider attention and application.