Phonics International

These great writers are from various countries - literacy, reading instruction, special needs, research, leading-edge practice, politics, teacher-training: - these are international issues:


Susan Godsland

http://dyslexics.org.uk


Pamela Snow

http://pamelasnow.blogspot.co.uk

Gordon Askew

http://ssphonix.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/ ... e-and.html

Mike Lloyd-Jones

http://www.phonicsblog.co.uk

John Walker

http://literacyblog.blogspot.co.uk

Alison Clarke

http://www.spelfabet.com.au/about-spelfabet/

Kevin Wheldall

http://www.kevinwheldall.com

Kerry Hempenstall

http://www.nifdi.org/news/hempenstall-blog

As for me, I do not as yet have a great blog because I have utterly failed to keep up with my original postings and promises having been overtaken with work and having been so busy reading up on the work of others. I have added my blog here, however, because of the particular posting below which illustrates the lack of universal knowledge and understanding about reading instruction in England - even of our official inspectorate, Ofsted! So, the link below flags up just a few points which matter a great deal:

1) The lack of shared knowledge and understanding of research-informed reading instruction amongst teachers, teacher-trainers and Ofsted - even in England where Systematic Synthetic Phonics is now embedded in the 2014 National Curriculum for English

2) The mistake (in my opinion) of presenting 'Letters and Sounds' (DfES 2007) as a 'six-phase high quality phonics programme' when it is nothing of the sort - it's a detailed framework. This has caused considerable hardship to teachers, and continues to do so as they try to equip and deliver the guidance in 'Letters and Sounds' - and what is worrying is that the uptake of 'Letters and Sounds' is international and therefore the lack of understanding that it is (arguably) not fit-for-purpose when described as a 'programme' needs raising as an issue:


http://debbiehepplewhite.com/?p=48

Here is Susan Godsland's list of top bloggers and websites which includes other great educationalists, not just the phonics and literacy folk:


http://www.dyslexics.org.uk/web_sites.htm

Alison Clarke from 'spelfabet' has produced an information video:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3vFNzjihQA&app=desktop

Harry Webb is another great writer about all things to do with education. Here is a good blog posting about reading instruction via his 'Webs of Substance' blog:


https://websofsubstance.wordpress.com/2 ... education/

The Trouble with Education

Posted on February 8, 2015 by Harry Webb

The trouble with education is a casual regard for evidence.

There is a reason why this has arisen. Evidence is not clear-cut in the way that it is in the physical or life sciences. Even when it is, it can be hard to agree on objectives; if we disagree about what we are trying to achieve then we cannot possibly weigh the evidence on how to achieve it. However, this necessary complexity is accompanied by a moral failure. Those who have political or philosophical agendas to pursue are quite entitled to do so but they dress them up as something else.

Education is a strange thoughtworld. Educationalists make assertions that they claim to be be based on evidence and we are all meant to act as if we agree. But we really don’t. There are some critical, manifest differences between us and yet, when you point these out, people become angry and then try to pretend that there really is no debate to be had. “I am tired of the knowledge versus skills debate,” they claim, “I am bored with phonics.” And yet the arguments rage in my Twitter timeline. Not that bored, perhaps.

Do read the full posting and look at the readers' comments too!

Very sadly, for rather mysterious reasons, Harry Webb's blog has now been closed down and will no longer be available.

Heather Bella F's blog is great too:

Esse Quam Videri - a blog about education

https://heatherfblog.wordpress.com/2015 ... -the-work/

Bruce Dietrick Price in 'The American Thinker' merits a place on my 'must reads' - and he deals on the state of affairs in America which could well be much worse (generally) than here in England where the current Government, and the past Government, have worked to promote, and now make statutory, Systematic Synthetic Phonics.

I have heard that rates of 'dyslexia' in the US can be described as 25% of the population - well, that has certainly got to be 'dysteachia', not dyslexia! Or, one could say that 'dysteachia' causes or exacerbates 'dyslexia'.

Here is one of Bruce's pieces 'Is Georgia the dumbest state?' - this is particularly relevant to England too in that some teachers are still overly concerned about 'sight word lists' to the detriment of their phonics provision - and 'Reading Recovery' is still live and kicking in this country - as in so many other countries around the world:

Is Georgia the dumbest state?


http://www.americanthinker.com/articles ... state.html

Revealingly, the state of Georgia is phonics-phobic. Almost all school websites in Georgia specifically brag that they teach sight-words, or Dolch words. These sites talk about Dr. Dolch, a quack from 50 years ago, as if he were a god.

Here is a quote from a typical school website: "Essential Sight Words – Reading skill (fluency, accuracy and understanding) is increased when common or high frequency words used in text becomes automatic in a readers [sic] internal lexicon. ... Edward William Dolch, Ph.D. published a book in 1948 called Problems in Reading which devoted an entire chapter on sight words. Dolch identified a need for a sight word list as opposed to a standard word list[.]" Note that if sight-words are not quickly mastered, and that is what typically happens, the child is subjected to Reading Recovery, an expensive and mostly useless intervention. When that doesn't work, the child is subjected to psychiatric intervention, possibly including Ritalin.

The money's flowing, and the fix is in. Kids in Georgia don't have a chance. Inevitably you will have tens of thousands of children performing way below their potential. Common sense would suggest that Georgia start using the method that works best – i.e., systematic phonics.

If what Bruce states is correct, and who would write in this manner and detail if not, then how does one hold those in authority to account in this scenario?

I can tell you there will be no way to hold anyone to account - there never is - or the mechanisms put in place for upwards accountability never work transparently and honestly. I speak from experience.


As an aside, The American Thinker reflects 'right wing' ideas and phonics is often associated with 'right wing' politics.

I want to assure folks that phonics is nothing to do with 'right wing' ideas or politics and is certainly not reflective of those in England known to be phonics proponents!

Greg Ashman writes great postings via his blog 'Filling the Pail' - see this one 'On Balance'...


http://phonicsinternational.com/forum/v ... =2170#2170