school classrooms (was visibility)

[Steve Kl.]

On Thu, 27 Sep 2001, Lynne Murphy wrote:

> Erin McKean did a study on what teachers feel they do/need for dictionary
> skills teaching, which is published in last year's _Dictionaries_.  The
> problem, of course, is that teachers are already expected to do way too
> much in their limited time, so dictionary skills often fall through the
> cracks.

My sister and my mom both teach in public schools for middle-of-the-road
students (ie, not remedial, but not advanced, either).Most of their
students have enough difficult with reading comprehension that the
concept of using a dictionary is sadly beyond their ken.

I think this has been pointed out before, but if we're going to raise
awareness with kids, we have to start them when they're young and first
learning to read. Many of the younger teachers themselves were a product
of school systems from a time when dictionaries were abandoned, so *they*
need to be instructed in how to use a dictionary, too.

On the other hand, I started using the 1966 unabridged Random House (hi,
Enid!) when I was 5, and look what's happened to me... :)

-- Steve