I don't really know anything about the history of phonics as a teaching tool, or how it might affect boys specifically. What are the key points in your mind?
phonics was the modern approach to reading from the 1950s until the 1990s. It involves teaching the brain to decode phonemes (sound-symbol combinations), which, in English, requires memorizing hundred and hundreds of confusing phonemes (and how they shift inside of words). My son is dyslexic, so we watched him fail in 1st grade and pounced. I'm an anthropologist with linguistic training so I knew he was using words every day verbally that he couldn't decode on the page. The secret with these kids (who represent probably 15-20% of all students) is to drill them incessantly as a scientific practice. Ouor child went to a specialit skill that uses phonics and a intensive drilling class format with no more than 8 kids. What modern scientists have discovered - Sally Shavitz MD - is that the human brain did not evolve to learn how to read. So, a specific area in the back of the brain is used to store phonemes as they get learned. Dyslexic kids literally have a problem in this brain region. For neurotypical learners like me, reading is naturally acquired using the normal brain region. So, phonics over-delivers. It's tedious and boring. But, for dyslexic kids it is absolutely essential because they have to make use of a different brain region to overcome the deficit they have. In the 1990s, Whole Language took over most district curriculums in the U.S. Invented spelling. Just memorize whole words. Get them to evolve faster toward literary reading. This is OK for the 80% but the 20% got f*fked. So, America went from a reading protocol that accidentally worked for the bottom 20% and over-delivered for the majority to one that threw the 20% under the bus. It's so infuriating that I could spend all day screaming from my rooftop. We went from a system that included dyslexic to an explosion of kids who can't learn to read, fail in school, wind up failing in life. Boys generally overindex for dyslexia for genetic reasons not fully understood, so this entire problem has been under-reported and ignored. I suspect the 100% female teaching staff dealing with boys who can't read is a huge part of the problem. it's part of the tragedy of boys and men in this country which originated in the academic research of one professor (who fomented the Whole Language revolution). Read a brilliant take-down on her work in the New Yorker - https://bit.ly/3P7k4yH
Fascinating, I had no idea there was such a schism in reading education, that New Yorker article is very interesting. Now that I think about it, it seems like my elementary schools used whole language curriculum as described, but at home my parents supplemented with phonics. It seems from the article though that things are swinging back in the direction of phonics? At least for dyslexic and special needs students specifically in New York?
I was one of those boys (NY state). It was very rough on me until 11th grade. Late bloomer, but made up for it. Needless to say, my three kids did phonics...
You know, those struggles were part of what made me who I am. My cohort of blue collar lower middle class friends probably had it better than 98% of the worlds population. So who am I to complain? Never went hungry, got lots of freedom, fresh air, and only was held back once.
we need to outlaw whole language and bring back phonics so our learning disabled children, especially boys, can learn to read again.
I don't really know anything about the history of phonics as a teaching tool, or how it might affect boys specifically. What are the key points in your mind?
phonics was the modern approach to reading from the 1950s until the 1990s. It involves teaching the brain to decode phonemes (sound-symbol combinations), which, in English, requires memorizing hundred and hundreds of confusing phonemes (and how they shift inside of words). My son is dyslexic, so we watched him fail in 1st grade and pounced. I'm an anthropologist with linguistic training so I knew he was using words every day verbally that he couldn't decode on the page. The secret with these kids (who represent probably 15-20% of all students) is to drill them incessantly as a scientific practice. Ouor child went to a specialit skill that uses phonics and a intensive drilling class format with no more than 8 kids. What modern scientists have discovered - Sally Shavitz MD - is that the human brain did not evolve to learn how to read. So, a specific area in the back of the brain is used to store phonemes as they get learned. Dyslexic kids literally have a problem in this brain region. For neurotypical learners like me, reading is naturally acquired using the normal brain region. So, phonics over-delivers. It's tedious and boring. But, for dyslexic kids it is absolutely essential because they have to make use of a different brain region to overcome the deficit they have. In the 1990s, Whole Language took over most district curriculums in the U.S. Invented spelling. Just memorize whole words. Get them to evolve faster toward literary reading. This is OK for the 80% but the 20% got f*fked. So, America went from a reading protocol that accidentally worked for the bottom 20% and over-delivered for the majority to one that threw the 20% under the bus. It's so infuriating that I could spend all day screaming from my rooftop. We went from a system that included dyslexic to an explosion of kids who can't learn to read, fail in school, wind up failing in life. Boys generally overindex for dyslexia for genetic reasons not fully understood, so this entire problem has been under-reported and ignored. I suspect the 100% female teaching staff dealing with boys who can't read is a huge part of the problem. it's part of the tragedy of boys and men in this country which originated in the academic research of one professor (who fomented the Whole Language revolution). Read a brilliant take-down on her work in the New Yorker - https://bit.ly/3P7k4yH
Fascinating, I had no idea there was such a schism in reading education, that New Yorker article is very interesting. Now that I think about it, it seems like my elementary schools used whole language curriculum as described, but at home my parents supplemented with phonics. It seems from the article though that things are swinging back in the direction of phonics? At least for dyslexic and special needs students specifically in New York?
Yes, but only in progressive school districts...Washington State where we were had horrible legacy of underserving all special needs children...
I was one of those boys (NY state). It was very rough on me until 11th grade. Late bloomer, but made up for it. Needless to say, my three kids did phonics...
Sorry you went through this absurd national experiment...
You know, those struggles were part of what made me who I am. My cohort of blue collar lower middle class friends probably had it better than 98% of the worlds population. So who am I to complain? Never went hungry, got lots of freedom, fresh air, and only was held back once.