Reply to Why are we still teaching reading the wrong way?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote]I strongly advocate decoding as a basis for learning to read but care less about what else is also included. The problem with making this a debate about decoding alone or decoding + other stuff is that you're ignoring that many students just aren't taught to read and they don't learn how to read until they are taught to decode. I know more than the average parent and most of the early ES teachers I've talked to about reading acquisition and I understand what science backs up whole word and what backs up decoding. The scientific studies don't actually disagree, they just show that students who pick up reading easily pick it up in a manner similar to "whole word". The mind boggling situation is why we've tailored ES reading instruction to teach only the kids who learn to read easily and meanwhile teach the teachers to put off parents who are rightly concerned that their child may have a LD and delay evaluation. I know a lot of parents whose kids have dyslexia and I have yet to hear a single story of a K or 1st grade teacher who listened to a parent's concerns, much less raised a flag themself. [/quote]

I'm the PP.  There is another poster on here who seems to think that decoding ONLY should be taught.  That is the person to whom I was responding.

I admit to being retired.  I guess I did not realize that phonics is being ignored today.  My own children went through the "whole language" fiasco.  One child had an inexperienced teacher and did not learn to read until the reading specialist took him in a small group--and he learned in six weeks.  She taught in the structured manner that I had used when I taught.  Once he learned, he took off and never had a problem again.  Of course, he was well prepared from the home environment.

Again, I am for all approaches in balance.  And, believe it or not, there are kids who learn to read without having good decoding skills--but they should be taught them.  My philosophy is to take each child where he is and to push him or pull him in the best approach for him.

There are two philosophies here-one to address the weakness and the other is to capitalize on the strengths.  I believe that you should do both.  But, the main approach should be to use their strengths.

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