You can read a number of threads via the IFERI Forum featuring literacy programmes and training (internationally) that are proving impossible to get out of our schools including for intervention purposes (such as Reading Recovery).Dud teachers? In Victoria, it's the lack of phonics that's the problem[/quote
https://www.theage.com.au/national/vict ... xTPIHQMkAQ
In her piece, Tina also references the Right to Read inquiry by the Ontario Human Rights Commission:It is ironic that the Acting Minister for Education, Stuart Robert, should blame “dud teachers” for the decline in student achievement, as he did last week.
In fact, you would struggle to find a topic that dominates the thoughts of primary school teachers more than how well their students are learning to read. Every teacher, whether they work in the public or private sector, knows this foundational skill is critical, not simply for reading itself, but so that students can access the broader curriculum, discover science and history, communicate a project idea, or read a maths problem.
There is also reference to literacy practices often referred to as 'balanced literacy' which are not informed by the vast body of research findings - and at the heart of this problem is long-established literacy programmes which are proving extremely challenging to eradicate from the classroom such as:Recently, in Canada, the Right to Read Project and Ontario Human Rights Commission released a report on the issues plaguing the teaching of reading and the inadequacy of prevailing “balanced literacy” practices. The report highlights that when children don’t learn to read adequately at school, their human right to participate in society is violated.
These barriers prevented many teachers from shifting their practice to align with the research evidence. As one teacher observed: “We still use Fountas and Pinnell [a literacy company established in 1996 based on the debunked “balanced literacy” approach to learning], but it is not considered best practice for all students. I am frustrated that we … aren’t setting all children up for success.”
Dr Tina Daniel is a researcher at Deakin University and an affiliate of the Deakin University Centre for Humanitarian Leadership.