Fiction: The hottest topic of all?

Published in Literacy Today, Jan/Feb 2016 (vol 33, number 4)

The Sept/Oct 2015 of Literacy Today  contains somewhat contradictory messages: reading "informational texts" is considered "a hot topic" that "should be hot," a view that coincides with the common core's heavy focus on nonfiction ("What's hot in 2016").  Fiction is not mentioned.

But college student Brandon Dixon ("Literacy is the answer") tells us that fiction has made the difference in his life, contributing not only to his knowledge of the world but also to his ethical development and understanding of other people's views. 

Mr, Dixon is not alone. In a recent interview in the Guardian (October 28), President Obama gives fiction the credit for his understanding that "the world is complicated and full of greys ... (and that) it's possible to connect with someone else even though they're very different from you."

Research solidly supports both Mr. Dixon's and President Obama's conclusions:  Studies confirm that fiction readers develop high levels of literacy, a great deal of knowledge in many different areas, the capacity to empathize with others and a greater tolerance for vagueness. In a recent study from the University of London, fiction reading was a very strong predictor of adult vocabulary knowledge, stronger than reading non-fiction.

With these powerful testimonies, supported by empirical evidence,  fiction should be a hot topic in literacy, maybe the hottest one of all.

Stephen Krashen

Sources

Interview with President Obama: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/oct/28/president-obama-says-novels-taught-him-citizen-marilynne-robinson?CMP=share_btn_tw

Fiction and literacy development: Krashen, S 2004. The Power of Reading. Heinemann and Libraries Unlimited.  Sullivan, A. & Brown, M. 2014. Vocabulary from Adolescence to Middle Age. Centre for Longitudinal Studies, University of London

Knowledge: Stanovich, K., and A. Cunningham. 1992. Studying the consequences of literacy within a literate society: the cognitive correlates of print exposure. Memory and Cognition 20(1): 51-68.
Stanovich, K. and A. Cunningham. 1993. Where does knowledge come from? Specific associations between print exposure and information acquisition. Journal of Educational Psychology, 85(2): 211-229. Stanovich, K., R. West, R., and M. Harrison. 1995. Knowledge growth and maintenance across the life span: The role of print exposure. Developmental Psychology, 31(5): 811-826. Sullivan, A. & Brown, M. (2014). Vocabulary from adolescence to middle age. London: Centre for Longitudinal Studies, University of London. West, R., and K. Stanovich. 1991. The incidental acquisition of information from reading. Psychological Science 2: 325-330. West, R., K. Stanovich, and H. Mitchell. 1993. Reading in the real world and its correlates. Reading Research Quarterly 28: 35-50.

The ability to empathize: Kidd, D. & Castano, E. (2013). Reading literary fiction improves theory of mind. Science, 342 (6156), 377-380.

Tolerance for vagueness:  Djikic, M., Oatley, K. & Moldoveanu, M. (2013). Opening the closed mind: The effect of exposure to literature on the need for closure. Creativity Research Journal, 25(2), 149-154.

Reducing Testing: Credit where credit is due

Sent to USA Today, October 25, 2015

The "Obama plan" to reduce testing in schools is welcome, and it is gratifying to know that the administration is taking at least some of the blame for over-testing our children (“Obama plan limits standardized testing to more more than 2% of class time, Oct. 24).

USA Today might consider giving some of the credit for this welcome shift to those who made it happen: United Opt Out, a group of parents, educators, students and activists who have worked tirelessly to inform the public of the problems with over-testing and to inform parents of their right to refuse testing for their children. 

USA Today might also consider giving some credit to scholars who have carefully documented the negative impact of over-testing, including Aflie Kohn, whose book, The Case Against Standardized Testing was published in 2000 and Susan Ohanian, who wrote One Size Fits Few, published in 1999. 

This has been a long struggle.

Stephen Krashen

original article: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/10/24/obama-schools-test/74536886/

Don't ignore vocational education

Published in  South China Morning Post, October 28, 2015 as "Need good plumbers and philosophers"

Paul Yip is concerned about the overemphasis on examinations and preparation for the university in Hong Kong schools, and the lack of emphasis on vocational education ("Poverty rate has fallen, but has quality of life risen in HK?" October 24).  The same unfortunate trend exists in the United States. 

Former US Secretary of Heath, Education and Welfare John Gardner warned us of the consequences of this policy:

"The society which scorns excellence in plumbing as a humble activity and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because it is an exalted activity will have neither good plumbing nor good philosophy: neither its pipes nor its theories will hold water."

Stephen Krashen
Professor Emeritus
University of Southern California



Original article:  http://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1871276/hong-kongs-poverty-rate-may-have-fallen-has-peoples-quality

Has Califronia abolished the high school exit exam? Not quite.

Sent to California State Senator Fran Pavley and State Assembly Representative Richard Bloom, October 10, 2015.

According to news reports, Gov. Brown has "abolished" the high school exam.  Not quite.  The bill Gov. Brown signed (AB 172) does not abolish the exit exam forever.  In fact, it requires that a panel be set up to "provide recommendations" for a new high school exit exam. 

I hope the panel reads the research on high school exit exams.  Several studies have been done showing that high school exit exams do not lead to more college attendance, do not result in increased student learning and do not result in higher employment. In fact, researchers have yet to discover any benefits of having a high school exit exam.

I will be happy to provide the details of the research.

Unsubstantiated claims about common core tests

Sent to US News, October 1, 2015

Contrary to Scott Sargrad's claims ("Tests can be golden," September 30), there is no evidence that the common core tests are a "more rigorous and honest look at students' performance." All the recent California results showed is that the new tests are harder.  As education expert Alfie Kohn has repeatedly pointed out, harder does not necessarily mean better.

There is also no evidence for Sargard's claim that passing the common core high school test means a student is better prepared for college. No study has been done showing a correlation between common core test performance and college success, nor, to my knowledge, are any such studies planned.

Stephen Krashen

Original article: http://www.usnews.com/opinion/knowledge-bank/2015/09/30/california-colleges-are-realizing-common-cores-promise


Twitter exchange:
1. I sent link to my letter to Scott Sargrad via twitter.
2. His response: @skrashen @JoanneSWeiss CCSS developed based on college readiness and 232 colleges agree tests show readiness, incl entire Cal State system
3. My response: @scottsargrad @JoanneSWeiss The 232 colleges took a vote? "Looks good to us."? Please provide link to methodology.
4. His second response: @skrashen @JoanneSWeiss See all the higher ed agreements for PARCC http://bit.ly/1MK5TsR  and SBAC http://bit.ly/1Gl1O9H
5. My second response. @scottsargrad @JoanneSWeiss Thank you for the links. The colleges agreed to use them, but there is no data showing validity.

In other words: "No study has been done showing a correlation between common core test performance and college success, nor, to my knowledge, are any such studies planned."

Scott Sargrad is the director for standards and accountability on the education policy team at Center for American Progress. Prior to joining American Progress, Sargrad served as the deputy assistant secretary for policy and strategic initiatives in the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education at the U.S. Department of Education.
Joanne Weiss, included in this exchange, is Former Chief of Staff at U.S. Department of Education.
These are Arne Duncan people.  I am surprised and happy that Mr. Sargrad responded to me.

See also Susan Ohanian’s penetrating analysis: http://susanohanian.org/core.php?id=847

Is pre-K just test prep?

Submitted to the Daily Herald, Columbia, TN, Sept. 29.

According to a recent study from Vanderbilt University, children who voluntarily participated in a pre-K program did better on kindergarten readiness tests than children who did not do pre-K, but the pre-K advantage was gone by the end of third grade ("Pre-K expansion remains iffy after intensive study of benefits," Sept. 29). The pre-K advantage at entering kindergarten was greatest on tests of literacy, especially on skills-oriented tests such as letter-word identification and spelling. But by the end of grade 2, those without pre-K actually did slightly better on the same kinds of tests as well as on a test of reading comprehension.

The 51-page report does not tell us what methods of instruction were used in the pre-K program, but it is likely that literacy instruction was "training" for the kindergarten readiness test with an emphasis on direct and intensive phonics instruction, judging by the test performance.  The results of previous studies show that this kind of training does not contribute to performance on tests in which children have to understand what they read.  The Vanderbilt results are consistent with this research.

In addition, the pre-K students also "had poorer work skills …" and felt more negative about school in kindergarten. This could also be a consequence of focusing on test-preparation and not real literacy.

Stephen Krashen

The full report: Lipsey, M. W., Farran, D.C., & Hofer, K. G., (2015). A Randomized Control Trial of the Effects of a Statewide Voluntary Prekindergarten Program on Children’s Skills and Behaviors through Third Grade (Research Report). Nashville, TN: Vanderbilt University, Peabody Research Institute.
Previous research summarized in: Krashen, S. (2009). Does intensive reading instruction contribute to reading comprehension? Knowledge Quest 37 (4): 72-74.  (Available for free download at: http://sdkrashen.com/articles.php?cat=1).
Original article: Pre-K expansion remains iffy after intensive study of benefits - http://columbiadailyherald.com/news/local-news/pre-k-expansion-remains-iffy-after-intensive-study-benefits#sthash.LrT8q76M.dpuf

Stages of language aquisition and a different view of academic language

Sent to Language Magazine, Sept. 29, 2015

It should be pointed out that the five stages included V. Williams' proposals on developing academic language ("Building to code," Language Magazine, 9/26: http://languagemagazine.com/?page_id=124487) were originally developed by the late Tracy Terrell, and were presented in our co-authored book, The Natural Approach: Language Acquisition in the Classroom (1983).  (Dr. Williams may have been unaware of this because the book is out of print.)

Readers may also be interested in exploring proposals about the acquisition of academic language other than the plan Dr. Williams presented. See, for example, the arguments that we acquire academic language primarily through self-selected reading, with lighter reading providing the competence and knowledge that makes "heavy" academic reading more comprehensible. (e.g. Krashen, S. 2012. Developing academic proficiency: Some hypotheses. International Journal of Foreign Language Teaching, (2): 8-15, available at ijflt.com.). This view is more consistent with the theory underlying Prof. Terrell’s five stages.

Stephen Krashen
Professor Emeritus
University of Southern California