I argued that teaching letter sounds without extraneous “uh” sounds is essential. Yet, even schools using Jolly Phonics from day one still produce functional illiterates. Why? LINK
The deeper answer lies in prior knowledge — what children have already absorbed before formal instruction begins.
Dr Naomi Fisher recently reminded us that schools were not designed with child development in mind. Chris Benson added that the rush into formal education is largely an English-speaking phenomenon, noting that his own children thrived in a system where formal schooling began later.
I asked Chris a direct question: What do you suggest we do to reduce the percentage of children leaving schools as functional illiterates? His reply was that this is a societal issue, not one schools alone can fix. ‘Do you have a response?’ he asked.
it has a "shut-off device" that rejects new ideas
once a primary belief or ideology gets in.
Between 4–7 September 2026, I had a series of exchanges on LinkedIn with Dr. Karen Faulds, an educational consultant and assessor in the UK. I am preserving the discussion here for posterity because it illustrates a recurring problem: when entrenched practices are defended despite stagnant outcomes.
Children do not enter classrooms as blank slates. They carry prior learning — sometimes accurate, sometimes flawed — and it shapes how they interpret every new lesson. If we ignore this, we risk teaching content that never lands.
Diagnostic teaching is the practice of continuously probing for prior knowledge, surfacing hidden misconceptions, and adapting instruction in real time. It shifts the teacher’s role from “What did I teach?” to “What did this learner experience — and what must now be revised?”
Early wrong input is hard to undo. Claude Bernard saw it in the 1800s. Thorndike proved it in 1913. Charlie Munger explained why the mind closes the door.
For years I have been warning about instructional videos that teach consonant sounds with extraneous “uh”. These videos don’t just confuse children — they cause many to disengage completely from learning to read.
I have written several articles explaining that many children shut down from learning to read because they have been taught letter sounds wrongly — that is, with extraneous “uh” or “huh” noises tacked on, which makes blending almost impossible.
So here is the obvious follow-up question that almost no one ever asks me: If your hypothesis is correct, then how is it that many children who attend schools where “correct” pure sounds are supposedly taught right from Grade One still leave school as functional illiterates? If wrong sounds are the main culprit, shouldn’t every child succeed?
It's Often the Teaching, Not the Child
In 2010, my mentor, Dr. Richard Selznick, shared a profound insight that has stuck with me ever since: most children on the left side of the bell curve aren't truly "disabled" in the clinical sense. Instead, they are often "teaching disabled" or "curriculum disabled." These kids thrive when given structured, explicit instruction with ample practice and immediate feedback. True dyslexia—where a child struggles profoundly even with the best teaching—is far rarer.
In Part 2, I explained that clarity in instruction—the correct sounds of letters, taught step by step—is the Grail. It prevents confusion and keeps children from shutting down. But even with clarity, some children still struggle. Why?
Because the human mind is like the human egg. Once an idea has entered, it is difficult for a new one to penetrate. This is especially true for curious, intelligent children. They absorb early input eagerly, and when that input is wrong, it embeds itself deeply. Later correction often bounces off. These are the very children who shut down—not because they lack ability, but because their early learning was contaminated.
Children aren’t broken. Our teaching methods are. Discover why decoding is often innate — and how confusion poisons the path to literacy.
Sections:
Most children who read do so by figuring it out — even when phonics is taught incorrectly.
Decoding ≠ comprehension. Let’s stop conflating the two.
Harvard research shows reading relies on smooth neural pathways.
Wrong phonics = stoplights. Correct input = free flow.
Many “dyslexic” children are victims of confusion, not disorder.
Early exposure to wrong sounds (TV, kindergarten) blocks natural decoding.
My first student learned to read without phonics — just Peter and Jane books.
I’ve seen children “unlock” reading overnight when confusion is removed.
Call to Action: Let’s stop blaming children. Let’s start fixing instruction.
Read the full post below
For years, I’ve argued that many children possess an innate ability to decode written language — an ability that’s often overlooked, dismissed, or actively suppressed by flawed teaching methods. This claim has sparked heated debates, especially on Twitter, where educators like Pamela Snow have blocked me rather than engage with the evidence. But the truth remains: many children figure out how to read despite — not because of — formal instruction.
🚸 Decoding vs. Comprehension: Let’s Be Precise
When I say “reading,” I’m talking about decoding — the ability to recognize and sound out words. Comprehension is a separate skill, and I leave that to experts in that field. The confusion between these two has led to widespread misunderstanding about what it means to “learn to read.”
Here is a Tweet I read this morning and commented as I have in hundreds of similar tweets since I joined Twitter.
Michael Strong @flowidealism
If your child is bright, alert, energetic and so forth, and you gradually see the light leaving their eyes, they are starting fewer projects, they are less excited about school, they do not do all the cool things, when they start to be, I don't know, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, pull them out.
Pull them out of traditional schooling and into homeschooling, or join a virtual K-12 school like ours, but don't let the light in their eyes fade.
Below is a tweet by Brett Benson (@SoLInTheWild).
Here are my thoughts:
How does a child prone to disengaging from reading connect concepts when they've been taught the sounds of letters incorrectly from the start?
Below is an article on LinkedIn I have copied followed by my thoughts.
We are quick to judge and blame because it takes time to get to the root of the problem.
We also like to see the complex picture of things when it can be simple right in front of our eyes!
That makes me wonder why we always try to complicate.
I am
recording this in my blog for posterity. This shows the irresponsible people
who write whatever comes to their minds without thinking about how it affects
others.The irresponsible comments below refer to a Heinemann Reading Curriculum.
Kathleen Seeman, MEdKathleen Seeman, MEd • 1st • 1st Dyslexia Specialist and Interventionist, Master Teacher, Educator, AdvocateDyslexia.
WOW!! About time this wrong is righted! “The case could also break new legal ground. Stuart Rossman, who oversaw litigation at the National Consumer Law Center for 25 years, said he wasn’t aware of any previous class-action lawsuits over literacy curricula”
In education, the terms Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 refer to different levels of intervention and support that students may require to achieve academic success. These tiers also represent levels of prevention.
In my previous post, I posed a critical question: Can researchers, organizations, and government foundations be influenced or controlled by external powers such as funding sources, political agendas, or institutional pressures?
This inquiry leads us to consider who is behind BabyTV, the producer of Charlie and the Alphabet, which I believe negatively impacts children's learning.
Consider this question with what Edward Thorndike and Charlie Munger said. LINK
Recently I posted a video broadcasted in over 100 countries that teaches the wrong sounds of the letters. Many toddlers listening to this video will shut down/disengage from decoding and blending. Those promoting this video claim it to be an entertainment video.
You can find the video here. LINK
I made a comment
According to some, this is an entertainment programme, not an educational one so it does not matter. These clowns have made many believe that kids can differentiate between what is entertainment and what is academic.
Is this how to teach the sounds of the letters? The British are the main culprits in creating 'dyslexic' kids.
Suri Charles commented as follows:
After 14 years of arguing/discussing with many educators/researchers on social media, I have discovered that the human mind's tendency to cling to accepted ideas can serve as both a protective mechanism and a barrier to growth.
The human mind is a complex and fascinating entity, often resistant to change once it has settled on a particular understanding or belief. This phenomenon can be likened to the biological processes of reproduction, where the human egg has a protective mechanism that allows only one sperm to fertilize it, effectively shutting out others. Similarly, once our minds accept a plausible explanation, it can become a framework through which we interpret all subsequent information.
Learners generally fall into two categories: approximately 80% of children accept what their teachers present without question, often learning to read through patterns and analogies. In contrast, about 20% are logical thinkers who question everything they encounter. When their lessons conflict with prior knowledge or fail to make sense, these children may shut down or disengage from the learning process. This was already discovered by Thorndike in 1913 (More than 100 years ago). LINK
I recently shared some thoughts with Ethan Lynn regarding a pervasive issue in education: many educators struggle to understand why some children cannot read. They either don’t understand or refuse to accept that the reason is confusion caused by teaching consonants with extraneous sounds.
This brings to mind a response I received from some ‘experts’ in Australia in 2020 regarding phonics instruction. You can read more about it here. LINK
The following are comments on a LinkedIn post by Dr Martin Bloomfield.
Emma Hartnell- Baker, whose profile states that she connects spoken and written English with ‘Phonemies’ from birth commented on the post by Dr Martin.
Here are extracts and my comments/questions.
Dr Martin Bloomfield Author - Relentless optimist
Unless you're taking kids through your programme who have never had a reading difficulty, you have an ideal opportunity to research based on kids who have a reading difficulty but received early intervention.
My comment now:
