Publication Date
4-1-1980
Abstract
Reading and English teachers are often aware that many adults who dislike reading in general and literature in specific learned their dislike through being required to memorize and parrot the teacher's interpretation and evaluation of pieces of writing. Countless articles and books have reported this phenomenon and called on teachers to foster democratic principles by encouraging individual responses and divergent thinking in their classes. These same teachers, however, see many of their students unwilling or unable to offer any response to what they have read. The resulting dilemma requires that teachers either make negative value judgments about the thinking of their students and risk turning them off to reading, or make no attempt to stifle their students' individuality and risk allowing them to get nothing from their reading. Most teachers are unable to allow the latter and insist that students obtain something even if it is the teacher's ideas. The misunderstanding which unites reading comprehension and critical reading leaves the teacher little choice but either to ignore inaccurate and insufficient comprehension to prevent suppressing critical reading or to suppress critical reading to improve reading comprehension.
Recommended Citation
Cunningham, J. W. (1980). Reading Comprehension is Crucial but not Critical. Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts, 20 (3). Retrieved from https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/reading_horizons/vol20/iss3/3
