《30校全體學生閱讀不及格 與 數字時代文盲》
刊登後的改良版
https://www1.hkej.com/dailynews/article/id/3395281
許劍昭
2月20日《霍士新聞》(Fox News)報導，芝加哥地區多達
30所學校內，沒有一個學生在閱讀評估中能達到各自的年級水平。
同時，
53所學校內，也沒有一個學生在數學評估中能達到各自的年級水平。
[Note 1]
3月1日《信報》報導:「…內地近年嚴控未成年人『打機』，如今相關措施有機會延伸至短視頻領域。國家廣播電視總局上週召開會議，研究部署加強短視頻管理、防範未成年人沉迷。」
[Note 2]
同一天，芝加哥市長 Lori Lightfoot 競選連任失敗。乃近40年來第一名在任市長未能連任，主因據說是長期居高不下的嚴重罪案率。芝加哥在 2021 年寫下25年來最多的殺戮事件，達797 宗;槍擊案超過 3,500宗(平均每天9.5例)，較2019 年Lightfoot上任時增67%。
[Note 3]
於就業轉介市場具領導地位的「領英」(LinkedIn)，早在2020 年發文，指出目不識丁的舊式文盲雖已不復存在，但「功能性文盲」(functional illiteracy)在數字時代卻日趨嚴重。這類文盲的閱讀及寫作能力不僅低下，還經常對簡單的事實(例如交通事故)有理解混淆的亂象。
[Note 4]
2022年美國教育部數據顯示，約1.3 億成年人識字能力較低，相當於54%的16至74歲美國人的閱讀水平低於小學六年級。
[Note 5]
更駭人聽聞的是，美國的如此劣況在38 個經合組織(OECD)國家的讀寫能力評估仍然可排名第19，處於更後位置的包括希臘、法國、西班牙、意大利。
[Note 6]
自21世紀初，學校不斷增加使用互聯網、電子設備作教學，學生的課餘時間也大量花在電子遊戲、線上玩樂。一些前衛的教育理論家可能會樂觀地認為，這樣有助激發想像、創新;而讀寫能力低的人亦可能會在其他方面（例如運動、繪畫）中表現出色。
但殘酷的現實是，他們當中絕大多數成為社會各種各樣的負擔、禍患。
一是依靠長輩的照顧。
另一是從事簡單的勞動工作，老病後申領政府福利。
第三種是那些懂得逢迎攀附的，可躋身最近變得熱門的「上流寄生族」大軍。主編法國第一部《百科全書》的狄德羅 (Denis Diderot 1713-84) 在其著作《拉摩的侄兒》(1805 年首次出版)中，對這類有小聰明的寄生者有入木三分的心理描述，也對阿諛奉承導致文化墮落有發人深省的警惕。
[Note 7]
第四類是較常人更輕率犯法。1995 年，一項研究發現美國監獄中，高達60%的囚犯是功能性文盲;形成對比的是全國功能性文盲率為23% (香港似乎沒有這方面的數據) 。2021年，美國司法部估計，監獄中70%的囚犯閱讀能力不超過小學四年級，並指出：學業失敗與犯罪、暴力之間的聯繫跟閱讀力低下密切相關。
[Note 8]
30年過去了，西方發達國家仍未能稍微減輕功能性文盲問題。
回顧1980年代關於每天長時間看電視對學童影響的辯論，我們觀察得到的是，自律自理能力較強或較願意接受他律(例如父母、學校）的少年，可以從多媒體學習中獲益;反之，這些方面較弱的少年會沉迷於多媒體娛樂，致讀寫能力不達標。
因此，我們不應該像西方社會因為商業市場自由的信條而作繭自困，放任弱勢學生不管不理。
在宏觀層面，限制少年每天玩網絡遊戲的時間並無不妥。
在微觀層面，每當發現某校有重要比例學生的讀寫能力低於要求時，教育局應予介入;除了提供額外資源(詳見拙文《中小學改革從不均等分配資源開始》刊2017年7月8日《信報》) ，還要安排沉迷於視頻的學生參加戶外運動、閱覽實體書。
[Note 9]
3月7日《新浪網》報導:「針對孩子的電子產品成癮問題，杭州一所中學的400餘名學生全部簽署了一份《電子產品『斷捨離 』協議》。這份協議要求孩子週一至週五不碰電子產品，週末使用不超過1小時，而且讓家長承諾自己不沉溺於手機。」這是覺醒的一大飛躍。
[Note 10]
也許有人會問，當今的教育主流是愉快學習、跨媒體活動形式授課，跑在前方的是結合科學測試、親身體驗、圖像表達的STEM課程;枯燥乏味的閱讀還真的那麼重要嗎?
對年幼的小學生而言，修讀語文課本確實是苦多於樂。除了艱苦地誦記生字詞語、文法規則(包括量詞、副詞、形容詞的使用) ，還要重複溫習，面對成績排名。但這個過程不僅是為了務實地幫助他們建立認知、讀寫能力，進而理解別人、表達自己，長大後在現實中社交、工作;更重要的是讓他們逐漸知道生活是苦樂參半，且為此做點心理準備，警覺要控制貪婪懶惰的天性、培養勤奮節儉的情操、敬祖畏天。這些都是科學知識、數理邏輯無法充分傳授的「民智」。
數字時代文盲帶來民智倒退的示例與日俱增。
美國弱勢群體社區的公立學校問題堆積如山，選民和民選政府四十年來都沒頭沒腦地查找不出解決方案。
「黑人的命也是命運動」空有口號，沒頭沒腦地歸於沉寂，一事無成。
英國選民沒頭沒腦地選擇了脫歐，2022年第二季GDP降5.5%，投資降 11%，貿易降 7%。目前更缺乏蔬菜、蕃茄。
[Note 11]
享有全球每週最短工時的法國工人無視政府資金短缺，沒頭沒腦地暴力抗議推遲退休年齡。
[Note 12]
執政者為了撈取選票連任，公帤用於短期福利而非長期基建，結果是列車沒頭沒腦地脫軌或碰撞。
[Note 13]
迷信「晴天是好天、雨天是壞天」的民眾沒頭沒腦地任由灌溉系統失修、水庫乾涸、河道淤塞。
貪方便的民眾亂扔垃圾，致鼠患嚴重，卻沒頭沒腦地只知責備政府。
終生對自由主義、樂觀主義持懷疑態度的伏爾泰(Voltaire 1694-1778) ，在其1759年名著《憨第德》(Candide, ou l'Optimisme)
的結論指出，須專注於現實辛勤耕耘，放棄虛幻的理想，人生才不會那麼痛苦。
[Note 14]
立即動手，拯救身邊被困在虛擬世界的孩子，不要讓文盲主導我們的社會。
Notes
[Note 1]
2020 0220 Fox News
Wirepoints
released the findings that stem from 2022 data from the Illinois Department of
Education, which indicated that in 55 Chicago public schools, no students were
reported proficient in either math or reading.
2023 0214 Wirepoints
[Note 2]
2023 0301
www1.hkej.com/dailynews/headline/article/3381874/內地擬監管未成年人玩短視頻
[Note 3]
2023 0301
CHICAGO — Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot
lost her bid for re-election Tuesday, ending her historic run as the city’s
first Black woman and first openly gay person to serve in the position.
Lightfoot has been dogged by persistent
crime, which has been a top concern among Chicagoans. Crime spiked during her
term, though she has repeatedly touted that it dropped year-over-year in 2022.
On the issue of crime, under Lightfoot,
Chicago in 2021 recorded the most killings in a quarter-century, 797, and more
than 3,500 shootings — which was 1,400 more than were recorded in 2019, when
Lightfoot first took office.
[Note 4]
2020 0319
LinkedIn
Giulio Toscani, “A New Threat to the Digital Age, Functional
Illiterates Will Never See the Whole Picture”
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/new-threat-digital-age-functional-illiterates-never-see-toscani-phd
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Functional_illiteracy
[Note 5]
2022 0316
APM Research Lab
Emily Schmidt, “Reading the Numbers: 130
million American adults have low literacy skills …”
https://www.apmresearchlab.org/10x-adult-literacy
About 130 million adults in the U.S. have
low literacy skills according to a Gallup analysis of data from the U.S.
Department of Education. This means more than half of Americans between the
ages of 16 and 74 (54%) read below the equivalent of a sixth-grade level.
[Note 6]
OECD Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC)
2013-16
https://www.oecd.org/skills/piaac/publications/countryspecificmaterial/#d.en.489838
[Note 7]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denis_Diderot
Denis Diderot (/ˈdiːdəroʊ/;[3] French: [dəni
did(ə)ʁo]; 5 October 1713 – 31 July 1784) was a French philosopher, art critic,
and writer, best known for serving as co-founder, chief editor, and contributor
to the Encyclopédie along with Jean le Rond d'Alembert. He was a prominent
figure during the Age of Enlightenment.[4]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rameau%27s_Nephew
Rameau's Nephew, or the Second Satire (or
The Nephew of Rameau, French: Le Neveu de Rameau ou La Satire seconde) is an
imaginary philosophical conversation by Denis Diderot, probably written between
1761 and 1774.
The recounted story takes place in the
Café de la Régence, where Moi ("Me"), a narrator-like persona (often
mistakenly supposed to stand for Diderot himself), describes for the reader a
recent encounter he has had with the character Lui ("Him"), referring
to—yet not literally meaning—Jean-François Rameau, the nephew of the famous
composer,[6] who has engaged him in an intricate battle of wits,
self-reflexivity, allegory and allusion. Lui defends a worldview based on
cynicism, hedonism and materialism.[7]
Recurring themes in the discussion include the Querelle des Bouffons (the French/Italian opera battle), education of children, the nature of genius and money. The often rambling conversation pokes fun at numerous prominent figures of the time.
[Note 8]
2003 Dynaread
Hans J.A. Dekkers, “The Crime Risk of
Illiteracy”
https://www.dynaread.com/the-crime-risk-of-illiteracy
The 2003 NAAL reported significantly
different ( = lower) literacy performance by prison inmates as compared to
average free Americans.In 1995, Daniel Karpowitz and Max Kenner reported in
their research paper "Education as Crime Prevention" that inside our
(USA) prisons, 19% percent of adult inmates are illiterate, and up to 60% are
functionally illiterate. In contrast to this, our national adult illiteracy
rate stands at 4%, with upto 23% functionally illiterate.
202 1 1218 Albuquerque Journal
Rick Nathanson, “Officials: Literacy
failure connected to crime, violence”
https://www.abqjournal.com/2455357/officials-literacy-failure-connected-to-crime-violence.html
The U.S. Department of Justice estimates
that 70% of inmates in America’s prisons cannot read above a fourth grade
level, noting: “The link between academic failure and delinquency, violence and
crime is welded to reading failure.”
[Note 9]
《信報》 2017年7月8日 A21頁)
許劍昭:《中小學改革從不均等分配資源開始》
http://www1.hkej.com/dailynews/article/id/1603833/
[Note 10]
2023年03月07日
電子產品成癮，需孩子家長一起“斷捨離”
https://finance.sina.com.cn/jjxw/2023-03-07/doc-imyiyvxe0322471.shtml
[Note 11]
2022 0921
Centre for European Reform
The Cost of BREXIT to June 2022
2023 0304
Yahoo News
Tomato shortage: How far is Brexit to
blame?
https://news.yahoo.com/tomato-shortage-far-brexit-blame-003625677.html
Lots of people on social media have also
been posting pictures of empty shelves in the UK and contrasting them with
plenty of fresh produce…
[Note 12]
2015 0930
CNN News
https://money.cnn.com/gallery/pf/2015/09/30/cities-with-shortest-work-hours/index.html
Residents in the French capital work just 1,604 hours each year, according to a UBS report that analyzes work and earning patterns in 71 global cities.
"Those who like time off should consider finding a job in Paris, where people work only around 35 hours per week ... and have 29 days of paid vacation," wrote UBS analysts.
2023 0310
France 24 News
France braced for a new round of protests
against a plan to overhaul the pension system on Saturday. More than a million demonstrators marched in cities
across France this week in open-ended strikes against the government's plans.
French President Emmanuel Macron insisted on the need for raising the retirement
age from 62 to 64 in order to make the French pension
system financially sustainable in the coming years, in a letter to
workers’ unions released Friday.
[Note 13]
2023 0304
NBC News
A spokesperson for Norfolk Southern told
WDTN, the NBC affiliate in Dayton, approximately 20 cars of a 212-car train derailed
while traveling south through the city of Springfield. The company said no one
was injured in the derailment and that no hazardous materials were involved.
The Clark County Emergency Management Agency is asking residents living within 1,000 feet of the derailment to shelter in place "out of an abundance of caution," but isn't making evacuations mandatory.
2023 0305
CNN News
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/03/05/europe/greek-prime-minister-apologizes-intl/index.html
Fresh protests broke out in Greek on
Sunday over a deadly train collision, despite an apology from the prime
minister.
In a statement, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said “we cannot, will not, and must not hide behind human error,” following the crash, which left 57 people dead.
A passenger train carrying more than 350 people collided with a freight train on Tuesday evening in Tempi, near the city of Larissa, the worst railway disaster in the country for years.
The collision has sparked fury over safety standards on the Greek railway network. Sunday’s protests were only the latest, with police using tear gas on demonstrators who gathered outside parliament in Athens.
[Note 14]
Wiki, Voltaire
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voltaire
Wiki, Candide
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candide
Candide, ou l'Optimisme (/kɒnˈdiːd/
kon-DEED,[5] French: [kɑ̃did] (listen)) is a French satire written by Voltaire,
a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment,[6] first published in 1759. The
novella has been widely translated, with English versions titled Candide: or,
All for the Best (1759); Candide: or, The Optimist (1762); and Candide:
Optimism (1947).[7] It begins with a young man, Candide, who is living a
sheltered life in an Edenic paradise and being indoctrinated with Leibnizian
optimism by his mentor, Professor Pangloss.[8] The work describes the abrupt
cessation of this lifestyle, followed by Candide's slow and painful
disillusionment as he witnesses and experiences great hardships in the world. Voltaire concludes Candide with, if not rejecting Leibnizian
optimism outright, advocating a deeply practical precept, "we must
cultivate our garden".
