Saturday, August 5, 2017

Extracts of interview – Dr.Timothy Shanahan in COTC (Part 1)



You may read the full interview here - Children of the Code.



Dr. Timothy Shanahan:  What we really want all systems set up towards is making sure that people are getting more literate. Obviously, more literate means different things. If we’re talking about a third grader it might mean just raising his traditional reading level. If we’re talking about an older student or an adult you very well might be talking about using literacy in an entirely different way than they’ve ever used it before or using it to drive a kind of thinking that they never or rarely engage in. As far as I’m concerned, anyone who wants to increase literacy, I’m on their team. 
Reading, to me, involves some kind of an interpretation of written symbols.

 

My observation: I believe this interview with Dr. Timothy Shanahan was more than 10 years ago. Have the kids got more literate since then? Has the traditional reading level of a third grader improved?

I have written to Dr. David Boulton, Dr. Reid Lyon as well as Dr. Timothy Shanahan as to why kids shut-down and these professors ‘shut-down’. They have no idea as to why a majority of kids disengage from learning to read.
How do we raise the ‘traditional reading level’ of a third grader when he had already disengaged from learning to read as early as in grade one?

Of course when we talk about raising reading levels we not only need to teach phonics but also teach vocabulary, fluency and comprehension. But it starts off with teaching phonics in the correct manner right from kindergarten and grade one. We can’t teach them phonics the wrong way and then when a large number of kids cannot read, we blame Phonics as the culprit or worse still label these kids who can’t read as dyslexics.
What does Timothy Shanahan mean when he says: “As far as I’m concerned, anyone who wants to increase literacy, I’m on their team”?

I have written on his blog some comments which need to be responded to but he has ignored these comments just like Dr. Reid Lyon and Dr. David Boulton did in 2015. 

3 comments:

kevinlow said...

Brother Luqman,

They ignored you because you don't have a Dr. in front of your name. Sad because of their pride, they have stopped learning.

Luqman Michel said...

Welcome back my friend. It has been a long time since you commented in my blog.
I don't think they can ignore me for much longer. As I have always quoted Buddha - the sun, moon and truth can't be hidden for too long.

Thank you for your comment.

Luqman Michel said...

Having considered this in more detail, I believe, it is not so much the ego.

These guys are working for the guys with a vested interest.

Surely Timothy Shanahan and gang cannot be that stupid not to know what I have explained in detail.