Posted on 02/26/2010 3:00:57 PM PST by BruceDeitrickPrice
To save the country, we first have to save the public schools. Doing this requires that we save reading, the one essential skill.
March, 2010, is the 55th anniversary of Why Johnny Cant Read. This book is just as hot now as it was a half-century ago, because our obtuse Education Establishment insists on using sight-words (or Dolch words) to teach reading. This is the phony method that Flesch exposed and explained in his book.
Rudolf Flesch Rules the World of Reading gives a quick update on why this book is so hugely important.
Maybe you already know all this. That still leaves millions of teachers, parents, and professors of education who dont seem to know anything. PLEASE pass this article along to everybody who is mis-educating children.
--- Late news: I just got a patronizing letter from a genuine Professor of Education, via CanadaFreePress, pushing hard for the Dolch words and demanding to know: "Why would you want a child to look at the word "cat" and say to herself, "cuh - aaa - tuh" and for "dog" say "duh - oww - guh."?
You see? They haven't changed their tune in 75 years. That's what the country is up against.
(Excerpt) Read more at canadafreepress.com ...
I’ve seen that look dozens of times in the eyes of the 6th graders I get that believe that can’t read and then amazingly realize that when taught in the way that makes sense....they can.
Good for you for finding a method that worked for your son.
Yep....I heard that story from two different sources while finishing my masters. The reading professors at UVA are very anti Whole Word and have made great strides in pushing their balanced approach.
In fact, all public schools in VA use the PALS testing and materials, provided by UVA. Look up PALS some time to see what they have put together. It is avaialable to anyone
However, as another funny observation...I don’t know if you know that in the education world the more liberal you are, the more likely you are to endorse Whole Language. Conversely, conservatives are seen to support phonics. The professors at UVA involved with Reading First, Pals, and the specific teaching of balanced literacy with emphasis on phonics. So now the Curry school of education has been accused of being “Right-Wing Bigots,” “Conservative CaveMen,” “in lock step with the Radical right” and “in league with the Christian schools” by Whole Language liberals. Trust me, they are anything BUT conservative politically and have been very uncomfortable with the labels thrown at them. I had an in-depth conversation with one of the big-whigs at the Curry Dept. of Ed about how it felt to be broad-brushed.....Hm....... things that make you think huh?
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