Jacqueline Woodson: What reading slowly taught me about writing | TED

Jacqueline Woodson: What reading slowly taught me about writing | TED

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Reading slowly — with her finger running beneath the words, even when she was taught not to — has led Jacqueline Woodson to a life of writing books to be savored. In a lyrical talk, she invites us to slow down and appreciate stories that take us places we never thought we’d go and introduce us to people we never thought we’d meet. “Isn’t that what this is all about — finding a way, at the end of the day, to not feel alone in this world, and a way to feel like we’ve changed it before we leave?” she asks.

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41 Comments

  1. This listens like poetry; absolutely beautiful way of thinking about reading and it's significance. Ted talks never seem to connect the emotional dots to reality or vice versa but this truly did it justice. Excellent visceral presentation and very well said!

  2. "Locomotion" re-introduced me to YA literature which I had not touched since my own youth. That work helped me to connect to students. I seemed like a foreigner to them and they did to me, though only a generation and about three hours of geography separated us. I read it aloud to 9th graders. They were shocked that I comprehended it and read it like a 'real' person. I learned so much more about their lives than I ever expected. Our classroom copy was dog-eared and taped together more than any other. Thank you sincerely, Jacqueline.?

  3. I am a slow reader, because I am a book lover who loves to be invited into the different worlds, that writers create. Take your time and stay awhile. READ SLOWLY AND ENJOY!

  4. Nice Talk but honestly kind of missing the point. Statistics for illiteracy in the USA right now are frightening! Half of the college graduates wont read another book in their whole life after graduating! In many regions the majority is functionally dyslexic, meaning they cant read or write long sentences/paragraphs. Reading slowly is no longer an issue, reading in general is! This is what consumerism and materialism is doing to you America, its consuming you and your citizens from inside out. Instead of mindlessly consuming, read and consume thoughtfully. Who knows, this might actually save this capitalist society from self-destruction.

  5. "And, I read slowly to drown out the noise… I read slowly to pay homage to my ancestors, who were not allowed to read at all; they too must have circled fires, speaking softly of their dreams, their hopes, (pointing to herself) their futures…"

  6. I read “If You Come Softly” slowly. Again and again throughout high school, I read the words of Jacqueline Woodson…

    Thank you for reading slowly, thank you for writing, and thank you for sharing your story ?

  7. I also remember my long gone teachers who told me not to read with my fingers pointing to the words. Like you, I am not angry at them. They simply want me to advance…but if I think about your point, nothing is wrong with children reading and pointing the words.

  8. I love Jacqueline Woodson! I still remember seeing her in person in the sixth grade after she won the Author's Day award in Detroit for her book Feathers. Now I wanna read that book all over again. ❤️

  9. Reading stories, especially the best ones, builds two very important skills: comprehension that requires deep thought and self reflection, and communication that is accurate and authentic. These skills cannot be replicated with video. Can. Not. Just reading the text, just “getting it done, is not the same as experiencing the text. Blow through 1,000 books in a month, then tell me what you remember. It’s like picking up a guitar instruction book, blasting through all the lessons in a week, then expecting to be able to play the instrument. This method fails. Every single time. And we wonder why our education system seems to be failing. Duh.

    I believe this is the single most impactful sacrifice we’ve made to our past. And the most costly. “That’s what a college education does — it makes the world personal.” Carson McCullers. I would add, Only if you do it right. And most college grads don’t. They get enough to answer the bubble questions and miss the really important assimilation of the concepts, the ownership that would allow them to actually use the information, the concepts, the expanded critical thinking skills that come with deep understanding.

    Mastery still takes roughly 10,000 hours — but the quality of those hours matters more now than it ever has. We measure the wrong things in the wrong ways in an effort to speed everything along, as if simply being faster represents some kind of advancement of efficiency. It’s a shame.