The reading wars between phonics and whole language has returned with new labels for each: the science of reading and balanced literacy, respectively. While the names have changed, the meanings have not.
In short, the phonics-based approach is still the only legitimate approach to beginning reading, but literacy professors have still not adopted it and prefer whole language. This is essentially educational malpractice and another example of failed progressive education in our schools.
By not teaching the phonics-based approach, American children’s reading will be delayed and probably irreparably harmed, which prevents them from attaining the minimum level of literacy necessary for a successful adult life. Fortunately, more than 30 states have passed laws requiring educational preparation programs to teach the science of reading or risk sanctions. This article explains the current reading wars and why the phonics-based approach is the only legitimate approach to beginning reading.
“Reading battle” is part of the Progressive war on American education
The “reading wars” does not exist in isolation. In fact, it should more accurately be referred to as the “reading battle,” because the real war is the takeover of American education by the “progressives.” Indeed, mainstream education is now essentially one and the same with progressive education. Progressive education is a type of so-called “student-centered” educational approach where the curriculum and instruction is centered on the student’s knowledge, values, and perception of reality instead of a carefully predesigned curriculum based on objective facts.[1] Its theory and practice equates to a form of subjectivist epistemology called constructivism, which will be described in more detail below. more
Dick and Jane suck. The look say method of teaching kids to read is baloney and only confuses them. Teaching kids to read phonetically is the only way to go. My first-grade teacher 1959/60 (Mrs. Hamburger, I kid you not) thought that I was retarded because I couldn’t learn to read using the look say method of reading. Fortunately for me my mom and my second-grade teacher taught me to read phonetically. And fuck John Dewey for screwing up generations of kids with his progressive teaching methods.
One of my lifelong pastimes is browsing old bookstores. Many years ago I randomly stumbled upon a set of McGuffey Readers;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McGuffey_Readers
For the 19th and most of the 20th Century, these were the standard for educating our youth. Perusing them was an eye-opener. What kids were learning (and mastering) in 5th grade would most likely cause many collegians today to make a beeline for their comfy couch in whatever safe space they could find.
Our education system is the flip side of Hanlon’s Razor. There is a malevolent purpose to their methods. A stupid population is more easily cowed and controlled, more apt to be fearful and dependent.
OT, Anybody else hearing reports of military currently being deployed onto our streets?
https://twitter.com/WillingWitness/status/1670126273526628353
Brad AT 2:26 PM^^^^ The Pentagon “Secret Service” (wtf) is monitoring the social internet for any negative comments about generals. They have “sophisticated tracking to pinpoint your location.” There’s going to be a lot of Ruby Ridges in the future. Also, saying Ruby Ridge will get you on several lists.
My mother taught me & my brother how to read before first grade.
No kindergarten, didn’t know anyone who’s first school day was the 1st grade.
We knew numbers as well. So did many other kids.
Ironically or perhaps more sadly, we were more educated on day 1 than Dexter Manley the day he was drafted by the Washington Redskins.
@Brad – They may be moving equipment to a different base – perhaps a base closer to Trump supporters…?
*Meant to say “wasn’t the first grade.”
Now I believe kindergarten is mandatory in some states?
WUT? Let a kid be a fucking kid!
Shit isn’t helping anyway…
I don’t know if it’s true or not, but IG is reporting troops deploying in several California cities, Bakersfield, Larksburg, Santa Clara, and a few more. As well as a couple east coast locations.
I remember when my pre-K son excitedly told me he’d figured out a word just by sounding out the letters. That’s the way it’s done! But it takes some days, months, couple years of regular reading with them to get there. Not the Chicka Boom type books either! My kids liked Dr. Seuss in particular.
Phonics was favored by progressives in the 60s and 70s. It was abandoned because it failed spectacularly. It is useful as an option for those who have problems and respond well to it, but it isn’t for everyone.
@ Brad
I heard they were conducting drills in small cities?
My question would be what are the drawing for, it not oil.
Edit: Drilling for?
the more “advanced” the teaching the less the students are learning.
at some point someone will suggest going back to what actually worked.
remember common core math?
Teaching anything but phonics should be considered as child abuse. It is SO EASY to spot people who were taught Look Say, etc. They are completely unable to properly pronounce a new word, and will say a word that looks similar. Child abuse
The first word I learned to read was LOOK. I remembered it because the two O’s look like eyes.
Leftists can’t keep all those letter sounds in their heads, so they memorize a few words and just use them over and over and over.
Teachers who have masters and are Reading Specialists I believe are quite highly paid teachers. Too bad our schools don’t have lots of highly skilled readers.
Some of they may be wonder teachers, I know that but overall??
Hook’d on fonniks phuk’d me up.
You can’t teach children to read English phonetically because English isn’t spelled phonetically. Sorry. I know there was a lot of cool ads implying that it was, but it is too (or is it tu, or is it tue???) easy to prove that it isn’t. Phonics doesn’t work for English.
or maybe it was ‘to’?
ok one quick example.
which is correct phonetic spelling for the long u sound (in English)?
is it:
to like the u sound in to?
tue like the u sound in blue?
too like the u sound in stoop?
tou like the u sound in group?
tew like the u sound in stew?
English is full of ‘easy to come up with’ examples of how English is not spelled phonetically. That is because English is not spelled phonetically.
Non-phonics approaches train kids to recognize words as symbols. It does not let them decode the elements of those words, much less those of unfamiliar words.
That’s why whole language isn’t true reading instruction. they can’t ‘read’ a word they haven’t been taught to recognize on sight.
It’s become clear to me that most people don’t even understand what it means to have a language spelled phonetically.