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.
Here is a post on LinkedIn by John Corcoran and my comments.
This guy couldn't read and yet was teaching high school for 17 years.
John Corcoran CEO of John Corcoran Foundation Inc. and Education Management
I grew up in the dark shadow of illiteracy. I often think about what my life could have been like if I had learned to read at age 8, instead of age 48.
Today, over 60% of children in the U.S. are not reading at grade level. That is around 44 million children who will never maximize their fullest potential, no matter how smart or clever they may be, unless they learn to read.
We cannot leave them behind.
Our mission is to facilitate the prevention and eradication of illiteracy in adults and children. We call on others to join the mission.
"People for whom English is a second language will understand this better". I understand and empathize with them too, I think of my oral language as my first language and the written language as my second language. The written is the dominant language for success in the school house and in the workplace. Learning how to read and write is a blessing and dream come true for me. John
Shouldn’t we think before accepting anything we read?
Since 2016 when I read that reading is biologically unnatural, I have disagreed with that statement.
This post illustrates that when one researcher says something many follow suit and repeat what they read. Some insist that we should accept these research reports or statements researchers make.
A LinkedIn connection and I discussed on LinkedIn Messenger. Here are extracts of our discussion.
Phillip Chipping:
You are turning off people who could be allies to your cause. In the business world, we know that our most vocal critics can become our greatest customers and supporters. We often make an extra effort to satisfy those customers and answer their problems. These are all smart people - why the attack mode? Why not work with them instead of against them? I'm not saying to adopt what they teach, but why not ask respectfully? Are you looking for clickbait for your blog? Sensationalism over cool-headed discussion?
On my Facebook post on ‘Naïve Ph.D.’s Part 1,’ I received comments that made me think about exposing educators who either do not respond to my answers on LinkedIn or leave the thread without completing the conversation started.
The following are the comments on Facebook.
Harold Rozario
Simply because they are not 'educators' but propagators of their ideology. If something does not align with their narrative, they simply ban it. Further, I doubt she even understood your approach to addressing dyslexia. Your approach is revolutionary.
Kevin TL Low
You have challenged their beliefs therefore you are a threat to their existence as "educators".
Harold Rozario
Luqman Michel You are a threat to their fake fame and income.
This will be the first of many similar posts entitled ‘Expose’.
This is a LinkedIn thread from Ethan Lynn's post
Luqman Michel
Tell us what the difference is between people 'with dyslexia' and kids who can't read. How do you teach a kid 'with dyslexia' and a kid who can't read?
Note: Ethan did not answer.
Dr. Gwendolyn Lavert, PhD (She/Her) • 1st
International Literacy Trainer of Leaders and Teachers, Writer/Researcher, Coaching, Mentoring, Cognitive Mediator
Luqman Michel, Dyslexia and struggling readers differ in their underlying causes and instructional needs. Dyslexia is a neurological disorder affecting reading, writing, and spelling skills, despite average or above-average intelligence, requiring specialized multisensory instruction, phonics-based approaches, and assistive technology. Struggling readers may face challenges due to lack of exposure, limited vocabulary, poor instruction, or environmental factors, benefiting from targeted interventions, small group instruction, reading recovery programs, and vocabulary building. Shared strategies include patient support, progress monitoring, individualized instruction, confidence-building, and collaboration with specialists. Effective teaching involves identifying underlying issues, using evidence-based methods, providing consistent support, fostering growth mindsets, and celebrating progress.
Note: This person is an international Literacy Trainer and researcher.
Luqman Michel
Excellent questions. Thank you. I don't have supporting research by others as no one does this research. What little was done has been suppressed by those with a vested interest. (Remind me later on this.)
NOTE: Here is my answer to ‘Remind me later’. Research has been suppressed. Why isn’t a study that costs taxpayers billions of USD not been widely disseminated? Interviews were conducted with more than 100 experts and many kids who could not read.
I asked David Boulton, the interviewer of Children of the Code, what is his conclusion after his interview of more than 10 years with more than 100 experts and his answer was:
Children of the Code avoided advocating solutions so as not to be dismissed as having an agenda other than learning deeper into the challenge. LINK
Having been informed by experts in the interviews that the main problem with kids being unable to read is teaching the sounds of the letters wrongly David Boulton went ahead and posted 2 videos teaching letter sounds wrongly.
When I questioned him about the videos, he immediately unfriended/blocked me on LinkedIn.
Why did he then delete the two videos?
Read the comments on the link above.
Is there a puppeteer who is directing the puppets? (More on this later)
The following is a dialogue between Ethan Lynn and me on LinkedIn. I am copying the main points here for posterity.
Ethan Lynn, PhD Illiteracy Eradicator | Published Researcher
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. This is my first 'negative' feedback, and I appreciate you taking the time to engage.
That said, I'm unclear on your main points and what specifically you disagree with. We might be talking past each other, and I don’t think we differ as much as your comments suggest.
I’m always open to meaningful, constructive dialogue, but I’m not sure what your aim is here.
My goal is to collaborate, not contend, and I feel like this particular discussion might be missing that mark.
Here is a post on LinkedIn by Jennifer Knopf from Orlando that included the above image.
Jennifer is the President and Founding Director @ REED Charitable Foundation
Her post was reposted by 13 LinkedIn members. I commented on one of the reposts and had a discussion/debate with someone. A day later all our (hers, another member and mine) comments has disappeared. Why members do this is beyond me.
The following are questions I have for Emily Hanford and APM Reports.
Is there even one study that says that teaching letter sounds wrongly/ teaching consonants with extraneous sounds, is not the cause of kids shutting down/ disengaging from learning to read?
Is there any one study showing schools teach sounds represented by letters wrongly and that this is one of the causes of kids shutting down/ disengaging from learning to read?
The podcast host asked Emily:
Do you read criticisms and have a strategy for that?
Here is Emily’s response:
I don’t have a strategy to articulate. I have developed a thick skin over the years. I have never muted anyone or blocked anyone on Twitter. People can criticise you and you don’t have to respond.
I believe she has not muted anyone or blocked anyone as she has not blocked me despite many comments I have made about her. Neither have I blocked or muted anyone unlike many who have muted and blocked me.
Here is a post on LinkedIn on 24.12.23 by Donna Lee Fields and our discussion.
Donna Lee Fields's profile on LinkedIn says: 1st International Teacher-Trainer/Podcast Host.
Donna Lee Fields
When I asked Shelly Winterboer to define 'education', these were her first words. How could you expand on them?
For me, education is freedom… education expands my mindset. (Shelly Winterboer)
Note: Shelly Winterboer’s profile states: Providing services Life Coaching, Public Speaking, Team Building, and Interview Preparation.
Here is the fourth and final part of Anna Stokke's podcast with Matther Burns.
Anna Stokke:
About some of the education thought leaders, sometimes you could even call them education celebrities, I think. And we see this in both reading and math. Do you think maybe they get caught up in the positive attention that they're receiving and that this may be why they don't step back on the claims they've made, even when it comes to light that there are problems with some of the ideas they promote?
Matthew Burns:
And I think because of that, people telling you that your stuff is so great and people tell you what you say is true, that you sort of start to believe it.
And you get to the point where you can say, “Well, I think it's true. Therefore, it must be.” So I think we researchers need to be more self-critical and self-reflective. We need to recognize “What I'm thinking based on evidence, or is it something I think is true because I think it's true?” So I really challenge other researchers to engage in that level of self-reflection because you can get caught up in it really easily.
My comment:
Wow! Matthew
has put it very well. Do read his excellent response above, again.
I commented on a post on LinkedIn yesterday on the ongoing teacher shortage. I read many Tweets by teachers complaining about the bad behaviour of students leading to their resigning from the schools.
The author of this article is talking about how to solve the symptom and I tried to share with her how to help reduce bad behaviour in the future. She was courteous in responding to my comments.
From my experience of having taught more than 80 kids who were unable to read when they came to me for tuition and from reading extensively on this subject, I understand that most of the misbehavior stems from kids avoiding shame due to not being able to read like a majority in their classes. This is also what was discovered by the Children of the Code researchers. LINK
This is a follow up to my post yesterday.
Nora Marketos profile says:
Strategic Advisor, Board Member, Facilitator Education, EdTech, Refugees, Migration, Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships
She commented the following on a post on LinkedIn in response to my comment.
There is an extensive set of research showing that learning how to read is not naturally acquired like learning how to speak. This article explores the question of whether this learning process is better in the mother tongue, and there seems to be quite promising evidence for this claim.
Many of the educators on LinkedIn and Twitter ask me for my credentials. So, I thought it best to write and refer them to my post instead of explaining each time I am asked.
I wonder if what is in the image above can be part of my credential in that I am able to think what has never been thought before about what we see every day.
It must be part of my credentials as even when I explain it to others they are unable to see it.
To date many educators who read my book Shut Down Kids which describes why kids are unable to read in English but can read in Malay and Pinyin can't accept the reasons I have detailed as to why kids shut down from learning to read. You may read the book reviews.
Here is a blog post entitled ‘Professors are teachers too’ that I read yesterday. It is a very well thought out post and should be read by anyone interested in education. As usual, I have copied a few extracts and added my comments. This is one of the very few blogs where comments appear on the blog without being moderated and removed after being left under moderation for months.
Ask and empower teachers to tell their stories.
Here are conversations on LinkedIn that those not in the thread may benefit from.
Beverley Sinton (she, her) 1st degree connection 1st President at ADHD, ASC & LD Belgium, Ambassador at Neurodiverse Brains @ Work, & Advisory Board at PWI (Brussels) asked the following question:
Can I ask about the 40% who pick reading up - does that trait continue for the rest of their lives? Or do (some of them) they stumble later on and need help with decoding then?
…. what happens to those 40% after they are 7 or 8 and most people have been taught how to read? Do they continue being able to read (despite being self-taught) - or does their early 'brilliance' fade, and they run into reading problems?
Note: Bear in mind Beverly’s ‘some of them’. Not all but only some of them, and to reduce illiteracy, these are the kids we should be concerned about.
Here is my answer to the question above:
I saw the following image on LinkedIn and commented on it. I
then happened to see that that image was liked by 83 members and was re-posted by
42 of them. I then decided to post this on my blog hoping to get some comments from those who re-posted. Will any of the 42 educators have anything to say? It will be an interesting discussion.
The following are my comments on the LinkedIn post.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/16/us/science-of-reading-literacy-parents.html#commentsContainer
I read a report on Science of Reading in the New York Times dated 16.4.2023.
In the entire report there was no definition of the ‘Science of Reading.’
Why do we keep reinventing the wheel and come up with so-called discoveries which do not improve the level of reading?
Here are some extracts from the article in the New York Times and my comments.
New York Times:
The movement, under the banner of “the science of reading,” is targeting the education establishment: school districts, literacy gurus, publishers and colleges of education, which critics say have failed to embrace the cognitive science of how children learn to read.
