Jordana, like many others from Australia, seems to have a misunderstanding of the situation. Let’s take a closer look at her article. LINK
Jordana Hunter:
Australia faces a reading crisis, with one-third of children unable to read proficiently. In a typical classroom of 24 students, eight struggle with reading. This represents a failure in our educational system, and it’s a tragedy that could be prevented. The article suggests that the primary reason for this issue is inadequate teaching methods.
My thoughts:
The statistic that one-third of children can’t read proficiently is not new; this has been a persistent issue for decades. If it’s a preventable tragedy, why hasn’t there been a noticeable decrease in the percentage of students who struggle with reading? What are the barriers to effective teaching?
I’ve been
reaching out to Australian education officials since 2010, yet discussions on
this topic seem limited. I would welcome the opportunity for a Zoom meeting
where I could share insights with Jordana and her team.
Jordana Hunter:
Students who struggle with reading often fall behind their peers, may become disruptive, and are at a higher risk of dropping out.
My thoughts:
This is also not a new observation. Disruptive behaviour can often stem from the desire to avoid embarrassment. For more details, please see my post here.
Jordana Hunter:
A significant factor in Australia’s reading challenges is the longstanding debate over reading instruction methods. While the evidence is becoming clearer, the ‘whole-language’ approach, popular since the 1970s, has not been effective for all students. It might be time to phase out its remnants in favor of a ‘structured literacy’ approach that emphasizes phonics from an early age.
My thoughts:
I believe this perspective overlooks the fact that many children successfully learned to read during both the whole-language and phonics periods. It’s important to recognize that many students have struggled with literacy in both contexts as well.
Jordana Hunter:
Students should learn to decode words, and teachers should read aloud rich literature to their classes. Once students can decode words, they need explicit instruction to build their background knowledge and vocabulary for comprehension—the ultimate goal of reading.
My thoughts:
I’ve conveyed to Jordana that many children have difficulty blending letters when extraneous sounds are introduced. Thankfully, numerous children manage to learn to read, but the number of illiterate students could be much higher without this progress.
How can we expect students to decode sounds like "cuh ah tuh" (cat) or "fuh ah tuh" (fat)? It raises questions about how someone in an educational leadership role can overlook these basic concepts.
Jordana Hunter:
I propose a six-step ‘Reading Guarantee’ for all state and territory governments, as well as leaders in Catholic and independent schools:
1. Commit to ensuring that at least 90% of Australian students become proficient readers.
2. Provide principals and teachers with clear guidelines on effective reading instruction based on evidence.
3. Australia needs a transformation in reading instruction to give every child the best chance in life.
My thoughts:
Is simply pledging to achieve this enough? How do we realistically reach that 90% proficiency target? While structured teaching is often suggested, we need clarity on what that entails.
Jordana, what evidence supports effective instruction? What exactly are we looking to transform?
Some may view my comments as harsh, but I am frustrated with the prevailing attitudes among many Australian educators. I have tagged Jordana on Twitter multiple times and even reached out to the Grattan Institute twice in 2018, yet received no response.
Here are two of many of my posts on Australia and education.
1. https://www.dyslexiafriend.com/2020/03/an-arrogant-educator-from-australia-dr.html#more
The above shows the arrogance of some of these Australians.
2. https://www.dyslexiafriend.com/2024/02/a-preventable-tragedy-sarah-duggan.html
The above has a link to my Tweet to Jordana.
Note:
In the last two weeks I have commented on Tweets by Ben Carroll @BenCarrollMP
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