Phonics As Education Malpractice – Where Did This Belief Come From?
Surely, everyone would agree that being able to read is key to living a full and useful life. After following the “Reading Wars” issue, I’m still not clear why some teachers resist using phonics as part of their range of approaches to teaching reading. Why is phonics — a proven approach — treated as “malpractice”? Could it be
§ teacher training bias?
§ lack of training in phonics approaches?
§ political ideological agenda?
§ deliberate dumbing down?
§ evidence-based research?
§ conflicting literacy theories?
§ Other
Surely love of reading has to be grounded on the ability to read. To me it verges on professional misconduct for a teacher to deliberately avoid a method that might do the trick for that percentage of students who are not being reached by today’s practices. Couldn’t parents, on behalf of their affected child, sue because of a denial or withholding of services?
So, Bruce, are there articles or books where we can find why there is this resistance? This resistance itself needs to be dealt with? Where do we start? Is there any good news on this front?
This decades-long “Reading War” is unfinished business and needs to be settled. We’ve got urgent challenges ahead with Data Wars lurking. We can’t afford to have mindless, illiterate people trying to make proper decisions in the 21stCentury.