Keep in mind, AR does not give "Rewards", the school districts that run the
program use it as incentives. AR is a reading comprehension program. How
individual schools use it is up to them. As for your nieces, how has AR
damaged their live of reading? If you got them books that are not on an AR
list, apparently that is AR's fault? You are getting back to book selection
here, not AR use. Why not invoke something like for every AR book you read,
you must also read 1 non-AR book?

I'm sure students are excited about using the AR software as many students
are excited about using computers in general and getting perfect scores to
take home to parents. Some may look at a goal or reward, but lets draw the
line here. TEACHERS NEED TO TEACH! You cannot expect the software to teach
your students. If a teacher sets a goal and a student meets that goal,
apparently the teacher has no responsibility to challenge that student with
a new goal? The teacher never thought this could happen and come up with
different levels of achievment to motivate and TEACH students? Sounds like
you are pointing a finger at a software program when you should be pointing
it at the people that are running the software. Be CREATIVE in how you
teach! (Not attacking you, but teachers in general that have simple
solutions in front of them and spend more time pointing a finger at how it
does not work than finding a way to make it work for you. That is one of
the best things about teaching!).

On 6/05/09, reading teacher wrote:
> On 6/03/09, Tom wrote:
>>
>> I disagree. Lets see, if you win a Sport, you get a Trophy/Ring. If
>> you win a spelling bee you get a Trophy. In track and field you get
>> ribbons for 1st, 2nd, 3rd place. Does your same stace still hold true
>> for these reward programs too? I guess I will choose to play football
>> over band as I get a reward if we win? Or I will enter the Spelling
>> Bee Contest to win a trophy? But I suppose, I don't learn anything
>> along the way since all I care about is the trophy.
>
> It concerns me that teachers believe students need prizes in order to
> read. What happens when you remove the prizes. I have refused to use AR
> with my students (within an AR school). At the beginning of the year my
> students cannot believe that they will be able to read any book they want
> and even REREAD it if they choose to. My students (3rd) are able to read
> from their books indenpendently 30-40 min. a day. My room is silent
> during this time (except for my conferencing with indvidual students),
> the students are "in the zone" (Nancie Atwell). If we need to miss our
> independent reading time due to an assembly or other conflicts, the
> students want to negotiate another time for their independent reading. My
> students do not stop reading in the middle of the month because they have
> reached their AR goal (as is the complaint of many AR teachers).
> And when I conference with them they are able to refer to their book
> during our discussion. And I never ask simple recall questions. We
> discuss the book as I would discuss an incredible book with a friend.
> I teach my students how to select a book at their level. That is an
> essential reading skill. When they go into Barnes and Noble they do not
> have an AR sticker on the spine with levels identified inside. We discuss
> our reading diets, many books at our level, some books below our level
> (just because we like the book and want to read it) and a few books above
> our level (many nonfiction books are at a higher level, but if a student
> is passionate about the topic they are able to read parts and grow as a
> reader).
>>
>> Are you suggesting because of the "rewards that points lead to", kids
>> don't actually have a joy for reading? Reading is the reward! Sure,
>> some care about points or levels when CHOOSING a book. But along the
>> way they may learn a thing or two about a topic or a author/story that
>> they enjoy as well. The connection they make with the book is the
>> key, not the searching mechanics to get them there. How can AR be the
>> issue if kids are in the livrary looking for a AR book? They could be
>> at home playing video games or getting into trouble. I guess if AR
>> had a quiz for every book in your library that your story about AR may
>> be different? AR seems like a motivational tool that in the end they
>> can show their parents how good they did. I see nothing robotic about
>> that.
>>
>
> I can think of many examples of how AR has damaged students love of
> reading, but the most heart wrenching example were my own two nieces.
> They have always loved books and reading. The only gifts they recieved
> from me were books. Well... once their school started AR the first words
> out of their mouths when they opened my gifts were,"Are these on the AR
> list at our school?" And if they weren't they were set aside for summer
> reading, but that never happened because they grew to hate reading and
> only did it to meet their goal.
> I have never had a student come into my classroom with a love of reading
> thanks to AR. And I'd like to ask you this, how many books would you read
> if you had to take a test every time and you could only read the books
> which had AR tests available? And then if you failed the test and didn't
> make your point goal, you missed out on the carmel rolls in the lounge
> and had to go to the library and read another AR book while your
> collegues socialized and had a good time. Let's punish our struggling
> readers with reading. SCARY!!! but it happens continuously.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>

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