Reading Wars are Pointless
After thirty-five years of teaching reading, I can absolutely say we need to quit fighting over which method is “the science of reading” or “research-based.” Information on reading outcomes for every imaginable method is available if you care to read it. I have. I actually enjoy reading dissertations and meta-studies. Weird, I know. What the reading wars miss is that EVERY method has mixed results. EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. So it’s wrong to pick one method and assume every child will learn to read that way if they try hard enough. Blaming the child when they give up is a total pedagogical cop-out.
Children Want to Read
I’ve never met a child who didn’t want to read. I’ve met many who have been shamed, and so they act out to avoid reading. If a child says they hate to read, please translate that to “I want to avoid anxiety, embarrassment, and failure.” Then find a way to teach reading that involves joy, success, and accomplishment.
The Crime of Limiting Teachers to One Method
Some curriculum companies and some government studies require teachers to use only one reading method. It’s usually a phonics-based approach of some sort. The reasoning behind the government studies is that they want pure results for the research. The reasoning behind the curriculum sellers is that they want lots of dollars for their stuff. Some companies require schools to use only their curriculum, fining them large amounts of money if a teacher is caught using anything outside their purchased program. Inexcusable! I call this GREED, not “the science of reading.”
Let’s Talk About Dyslexia and Phonics
There’s a lot of noise about intensive multi-sensory phonics for dyslexics. Phonics taught well is a powerful reading tool. I use it with every student I teach. The point I want to make is that it is not the ONLY tool. Students need phonics instruction in order to realize that letters can represent sounds. What they don’t need is years and years of slowly sounding out words. Once the connection between sounds and letters is made, about 80% of students start reading. The 20% that don’t are probably dyslexic. Whether they are diagnosed or not is irrelevant. They obviously need some other form of instruction. They should not be tortured with repeated phonics lessons for years before being offered something else. Why use only the hammer when you have a whole toolbox?
What’s the Next Step?
When a student knows that letters make sounds, but doesn’t start reading, immediately add another tool. The next tool I add is tracking. This simply means teaching the child to look at the words while someone else reads. I start by reading orally, using simple sentences, while pointing at the words. I slowly increase the length of text until a student can follow along with material at their interest level. Then I show them how to use an app or e-reader, or how to check out a book and a recording at the library. Because I quickly move the student to books at their intellectual level instead of their tested reading level, the student isn’t bored. This works for students of any age, kindergarten to adult. Because we have read-aloud technology, the student soon becomes independent in choosing reading material. Thus, reading becomes self-rewarding.
Where to Find More Tools
Phonics and Tracking are two of the 27 tools I discuss in Dyslexia Tool Kit: What to do when phonics isn’t enough (Expanded Edition). These tools can be used in conjunction with phonics or in any constellation that suits the student. Children like to say which tools are their favorites if they are given permission to do so. For kids learning to read, “my favorite” means “I learn and feel successful when I do this.” Of course, my book isn’t the only one to offer an array of tools for reading. It’s just the shortest and easiest to use! Check out the brilliant work of Dr. Marion Blank in the Reading Kingdom or her book, The Reading Remedy, or the tactile phonics with storytelling of Ron Davis in The Gift of Dyslexia. Ignore the reading wars and teach the children!
by Yvonna Graham, M.Ed.
www.dyslexiakit.net
@GrahamYvonna
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