Can we Afford to Ignore the Science of Reading? | Melissa Hostetter | TEDxUofISpringfield

Balanced Literacy if it’s not broken, let’s break it 😂

I have dyslexia, I don't read by sounds or letters, I see whole words and phrases. I have been tested at 5000 words per minute. I was failing using phonics and letters. It was comic books that taught me how to read.

woddfaloaddacoddswallop ! Let me teach you ABOUT LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

How do the deaf learn to read if they do not hear phonemes? What relationships exist between spoken dialects and phonics instruction?

We had guess the word introduced in Australia in the early 80's-my nephew used to stare at the page looking for a clue. He didn't read properly until he was 8 after I taught him to sound out the words. That was 1986-later my daughter had mild dyslexia and she was being taught guess the word. The teacher even lied to us & said they were doing phonetics-but my daughter told me what they did [a volunteer would just tell her the word] that is not reading. So again I had to teach her phonetically-she loves reading now. I [1970] was taught phonetics in grade one and was reading by age 5.

Agree. The educator should be provided training to know the science of reading in teaching students to be skilled readers.

Go talk to someone..go act it out. Drive to school zone.

I must have been doing balanced literacy all wrong because one of the components of my practice was structured and systematic phonics. When I taught third grade this became more word study that looked at word chunks and chunk meanings. After the decoding children need to make meaning of the connected text to label it an act of reading and not word calling. For example I can teach you German phonics. You’ll be able to decode over 95% of the words. You won’t be able to comprehend a great majority of it. Unfortunately, some people, maybe too many, possibly because they didn’t like teaching phonics, called their practice “balanced” when it was anything but balanced. If you don’t teach phonics you can’t call it balanced.

Great talk, I'm venturing into understanding phonics more, because this made me see a new light of reading, or better still - how to read!

15% cannot read well enough to fill out a job application

I wonder how that phonics instruction those 4th graders were missing was handled? I feel like Science Of Reading is a movement being pushed down teachers throats, not as a result of insufficient scores or adequate research but as a way to corner the market on early literacy. There indeed is not one silver bullet that guarantees a child to be literate and I don’t think any former ideology on early literacy instruction presented itself as such, let alone ignored teaching phonics with a structured and systematic approach. I do not teach my students to remember sight words. I don’t think anyone should. You have to begin with teaching phonemes, manipulating, segmenting, and blending. That’s quality structured and systematic phonics instruction, isn’t it? Assuming that I child will remember is in realistic and if they don’t know, teach them. At some point they will have to learn those words, but I have yet to understand what makes the science of reading vastly different and effective from similar approaches to early literacy that aren’t shaming other educators for using a more comprehensive approach that includes phonics but is not making it the end all be all.

Where can teachers get the SOR training?

😷🖤💀

Let's get some reading momentum! 🙌

As an Orton-Gillingham Fellow and parent of a child with dyslexia, I so appreciate the clarity and passion of your talk! Bravo, bravo! I will share this widely with the teachers who are dedicated to learning the science of reading.

So then what are the best research-based programs out there that incorporate all reading essentials? What trainings should we be asking our admin to send us to that incorporate all 5 portions of SOR?

A good teacher will always use ALL useful strategies to individualize for each child. Don't get me started on the negative impacts of NCLB...

Nobody in my board will listen to me about this. It's so frustrating!

Matt Renwick, you are so right.

The deeper problem is in the system itself that is controlled by profit oriented politicians and businesses, and teachers' degrading mentality as teacher (themselves coming- suffering through the education they have received that does not support budding teachers to grow into real teachers with full of teacher spirit).

There aren't too many real teachers, nowadays, and most of the teachers' mentality is no more than glorified tutors or subject technicians.

As every area of human society has been going down the road into corruption, teachers' way has left the post of being the lantern of the society, too ... long ago ... most unfortunately, for humanity.

The new beginning point is that the teachers must see this fact by themselves and wake up to regain the original teacher spirit, and unlearn and relearn what it means by being a teacher, individually. Not only no one can help in this way, but rather, whomever or whatever comes forth as helper is/ are traitor or pester, most likely.
Nothing good trying to help them do better.
They must wake up to themselves. Only way ...

factual and informational
thank you

As a teacher of young learners in Taiwan, I teach phonics. I teach it slowly and clearly and always review. My students' progress in reading is amazing. My own children learned reading in a different way. I taught them some phonics but I think the real reason they learned was because we read and read. They loved reading so much and eventually it was obvious that there was no need for all the phonics so I dropped it.

My aunt taught first grade in the sixties and she wanted everyone to teach phonics.

Notice the mention of great gains in “reading accuracy.” Why wasn’t reading comprehension mentioned? Because reading first era overemphasis on phonics failed students in the area of reading comprehension. What happens when students ability to sound out words exceeds their oral language comprehension? Students, especially those who come from poor or linguistically diverse backgrounds, habituate sounding out words without connecting meaning.

Before committing to a "structured" phonics program encouraged by Melissa Hostetter, please read about her educational and professional background. She is currently a trainee in the MSLE (Multisensory Structured Language Education) Practioner program through the Children's Dyslexia Center of Springfield. While "structured" phonics programs are beneficial for children with an identified learning disability, do we really want all students taught phonics as if they have a reading disability? Instead, I would encourage educators to consider a "systematic" word study approach for phonics, vocabulary, and spelling instruction using the resource, "Words Their Way" by Donald R. Bear, Marcia Invernizzi, Shane Templeton, and Francine Johnston. Simply put, "Words Their Way" provides "systematic" phonics instruction through Word Sort activities. Word Sort is a hands-on categorization task in which students decode, recognize, and spell words. Word Sorting takes phonics instruction and spelling to a "thinking level," rather than just a memorization task. Here is just one example of why I value Word Sort as an instructional practice for phonics: 90% of 3rd grade students made at least one year's growth on the Schlagal Spelling Inventory. Of those 90%, 25% made two years' growth, and 10% made three years' growth. Those students not making a whole year's growth, moved from a Frustration Level to an Instructional Level on the Schlagal Spelling Inventory. The last thing we need is our politicians mandating that students be taught phonics through a "structured" approach.

The science of reading (SoR) is not phonics instruction. SoR is an accumulated body of knowledge about what we know right now regarding effective reading instruction; phonics is one part of foundational reading skills, which is a part of teaching and learning how to read. It does not help to conflate the two.

WHEN? Yes, WHEN will the educational "experts" acknowlege that there is no SINGLE way to teach reading. We ALL know about phonics. Not just you, Melissa! And we all know that a "sight vocab" so-called is an integral part of the learning to read process. And context is quite important, don't you think? And how about the development of a "Love for reading"? Not much sign of enthusiasm for reading in this TED talk, to be sure! This Ted Talk should never have been presented! What's needed is a "balanced" approach to the teaching of reading, using the HUGE STRENGTHS of each of the above techniques and areas! And more! And, for heaven's sake, please . . . PLEASE sound a whole lot more ENTHUSIASTIC about the importance of reading in life yesterday, today, tomorrow than this presentation by Melissa suggests. And, PLEASE don't do what Melissa is talking about here. It'll put too many children off reading! Just a thought!

Love this TED Talk. Phenomenal information, which I wish more parents and educators knew. I’m currently writing my personal statement for my doctorate to directly address this issue.

Superbly done Melissa! Your efforts do inspire-

Thank you, thank you!

You hit all the points I hit - economic security, health and public health, and democracy! Ballot initiatives written at 15th grade level. Thanks!

Why don't we teach teachers how to teach reading?

So in the end what is that structured phonics she is talking about over and over again?

Any phonix website or stuff available?

Thank you for this! Wonderfully said! Clear, concise, and a call to action! I will be using this video in our local parent advocacy work!

“Why do we ignore the data?” The ten million (trillion) dollar question about why the system fails for any middle or lower class individual. And even then - One should question the data and from where it is sourced.

Beautiful delivery and confidence in presentation. ❤️

Gracias, Thank you, Merci, ... who follow me?

"we are not hard wired to read" - thank you Melissa for sharing your expertise and advocating for literacy for all