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What Michael L. Kamil, a reading researcher at Stanford University who was a guest on an _EdWeek_ live chat today on adolescent literacy, has to say about free reading may surprise you. A
transcript is now available. Here was the question: “What is your opinion of allowing students time in class to read what they want, instead of following a rigid, prescribed reading plan?”
Kamil gave the following answer: > The research on free reading, reading practice, or recreational > reading shows that having students read more does NOT lead to better > reading.
Instead it seems to show that good readers read a lot more > than poor readers. Besides, the key to learning is not to read > randomly but rather to obtain both organized and useful
knowledge. > ... If we believe it is important for students to learn mathematics, > history, biology, etc., we have to direct students to read specific > materials. As a supplement,
with appropriate instruction and > feedback, some choice in reading does help, but only with those two > variables added in. Readers, what are your observations about students’ free
reading?