Phonics and Whole Language - Tweets by Londonjohn vs. Dr. Michael Paff

 

The following tweets were exchanged on Twitter. I followed it without commenting as it sounded like kids fighting with one another. It reminded me of the Indian prince who caught a three legged rabbit and insisted that all rabbits are 3 legged.

Here are the tweets and my comments.

Londonjohn @londonjohn9

Michael, I'm the only one who posts videos of my work. Are you saying that my grandson is guessing and experiencing frustration?

 

My comment: I post my videos all over the place but that is not the issue here. I don’t agree with Londonjohn over many things but in this regard I believe his grandson can read and is not experiencing frustration.

 

𝙳𝚛. 𝙼𝚒𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚎𝚕 𝙿𝚊𝚏𝚏

Maybe, I don't know and you don't either. Unless you've explicitly taught him the phoneme-grapheme correspondences in that text, he very well might be. Those skills do not develop naturally.

My comment: This coming from a Ph.D. is ludicrous. I don’t believe he is that naïve. Dr. Michael is simply talking nonsense. Has he not heard of the thousands who learned to read during the whole language period? Diane Ravitch (not that I like this woman) learned during the whole language period just like most of her followers of her blog. Our Sally Shaywitz too is another excellent example of someone who does not know phonics.

How did ‘those skills’ develop in all those who learned during the whole language period?

Londonjohn Replying to @DrMPaff @teachforever54 and 9 others

Were you taught individual GPCs as you learned to read? I wasn't.

My comment: I believe him.

 

𝙳𝚛. 𝙼𝚒𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚎𝚕 𝙿𝚊𝚏𝚏 Replying to @londonjohn9 @teachforever54 and 9 others

Of course! Most kids need it. I remember phonics lessons and I'm forever grateful for them. If you didn't get that kind of instruction, I'm so sorry. You'd likely be a much better reader if you had.

My comment: I am ashamed of such statements coming out of the mouth of a Ph.D. I would ask Dr. Michael to say this to Diane Ravitch.

Idiotic tweets such as the above makes me wonder where in the world this guy got his Doctorate from.

Londonjohn @londonjohn9

And how did you know how to use the GPCs you were taught? How did you know the difference between here, there and were?

𝙳𝚛. 𝙼𝚒𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚎𝚕 𝙿𝚊𝚏𝚏 @DrMPaff

Duh. I practiced. After having been taught. This isn't rocket science. And thank goodness I had teachers who let me practice & provided corrective feedback when needed.

Londonjohn @londonjohn9

So you practiced with books that offered words with a range of GPCs. When were these given is the question. Phonatixs keep key high frequency words away from pupils. I do the opposite, hence my success.

 

James Dobson @jdtdobson Replying to @londonjohn9 @DrMPaff and 10 others

I wasn't either and I can read. But in the jurisdiction where I was taught, nearly 50% of the adult population is functionally illiterate.

So maybe I should have been taught GPCs... Then more of my peers would also be able to read.

 

My comment: James did not learn phonics and yet he can read as well as Dr. Michael. He however, feels for the 50% who were unable to read because they were not taught GPC’s.

Can James or Dr. Michael give me the name of any public schools teaching GPC’s where 100% of kids are able to read?

The facts are there for all to see. A majority of kids learned to read where schools only taught Phonics; whole language; or balanced language. There were kids who did not learn to read under any of the 3 methods.

The question to ask is how to teach so that ‘No child is left behind’. That ‘No child left behind’ policy was mooted in 2001 by President Bush and after 20 years it has yet to be achieved. Shame on these guys fighting over nothing instead of finding ways to improve teaching methods.

Here is a tweet by londonjohn on 5.10.2020

As I've said before, if you are right then relax in what you're doing as truth will prevail. You don't need to go on a witch hunt trying to destroy others who are helping kids read. (London John).