Empirical evidence

An educator who had worked in several positions for 45 years and who is 80 years old and now retired – said on 11.1.2020 in a comment on one of my posts;

“As long as it is empirical, Americans are comfortable

but if it isn't empirical it is suspicious stuff.”

What has happened to the common sense of the American people?

What I have written is logical and verified by my observation and experience and interview of my students on an on-going process while teaching them. 

I read a response from Timothy Shanahan on a tweet on 19.1.2020 which said, “I’d wait for the research evidence showing that it is beneficial to kids. Until then, no.”

I wrote to Mark Anderson, a teacher, a lengthy email, early this month, explaining that pronunciation of phonemes are taught wrong by most schools and his response was that there are no research reports to back up my findings.

I had written emails to David Boulton, Timothy Shanahan, Reid Lyon, Andrew Johnson and many others and cannot imagine why they cannot think logically and have to wait for empirical evidence backed up by ‘scientists’?

Again, common sense should guide all people, educators or ordinary folks, to ask as to why many smart kids are leaving school as illiterates.

Common sense should make us ask as to how come intervention of a short period can bring kids, who were unable to read, to grade level and maintain them at grade level.

Someone, anyone, please tell me why we need research reports to tell us that consonants should not be taught with extraneous sounds.

Back in 2017, Timothy Shanahan had told me that the 50 so-called dyslexic kids I had tutored successfully (as at 2017) cannot be applied globally. 

I had observed and interviewed these students while I taught and Timothy brushes it off as not good enough for him to consider. What does he think he is? 

Could it be that there is a concerted effort by some people with a vested interest to ensure that the really smart kids leave school as illiterates?

All these so-called educators can’t be naïve, or can they?

At the end of all of Timothy Shanahan’s post it states;

What Are your thoughts?

Leave me a comment and I would like to have a discussion with you!

I have asked several simple questions based on his posts and they are never responded to. What discussion is he talking about?