Have we been teaching our kids to read in the wrong way for decades?

A caller attack to teaching children however to work has been implemented successful schools crossed the country, with educators seeing a melodramatic betterment successful scores.

Known arsenic the 'science of reading,' this attack to teaching literacy emphasizes phonics, which breaks words down into their idiosyncratic sounds, teaching children to decode words alternatively of memorizing them.

A caller National Assessment of Educational Progress study revealed that a important fig of U.S. 4th graders are struggling with speechmaking comprehension. Specifically, 65% are incapable to work astatine people level. 

This disparity is adjacent much pronounced among students of color, with 80% of Hispanic 4th graders and 84% of Black 4th graders falling beneath grade-level expectations.

After decades of acquisition debates and experimentation with assorted literacy techniques extracurricular of phonics, determination is simply a increasing statement among researchers, educators, and schoolroom teachers that the subject of speechmaking is simply a promising solution to amended aboriginal literacy outcomes.

In summation to the Covid lockdowns exacerbating the diminution successful speechmaking abilities, the propulsion for a 'whole connection learning' during the 1980s has contributed to the wide diminution of speechmaking comprehension abilities, per KHOU.

The 'whole connection learning' is a method that encourages students to place full words alternatively than relying solely connected sounding retired idiosyncratic letters. By utilizing ocular cues similar pictures and analyzing the discourse of a sentence, students tin find the due connection to use

However, this mode of teaching has been criticized for its constricted effectiveness successful teaching students to decode unfamiliar words.

Angelique Schoorens, a peculiar acquisition teacher who goes by the sanction Finally an EdED connected TikTok, has taught for 14 years. She said she blames the widespread adoption of the Lucy Calkins' Units of Study model, which is based connected the full connection approach, connected the acquisition situation that exists today.

'The Units of Study astir wholly eliminated the phonics and phonetic consciousness components of speechmaking acquisition successful favour of utilizing ocular queue,' said Schooners. 'What that looks similar successful signifier is an full procreation of students who were ne'er taught due decoding, and truthful cannot decently work content-level words that are much than 1 syllable.'

'This manifests arsenic a seventh people pupil who can’t work a 2 oregon 3 syllable connection from their subject textbook due to the fact that they don’t recognize that EA unneurotic makes a agelong E sound. 

'In turn, that affects their spelling skills and it besides makes them reluctant readers due to the fact that they don’t cognize however to decently decode.'

'Comprehension is ace important, but you besides person to cognize however to work the words that are connected the leafage successful beforehand of you.'

The teacher concluded that the Units of Study exemplary has harmed students by neglecting phonics acquisition and starring to unnecessary peculiar acquisition referrals.

'Students who whitethorn not person required specialized acquisition for speechmaking if they were taught a phonics-based programme person been referred to peculiar acquisition for years not due to the fact that of a disability, but due to the fact that of mediocre instruction.'