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TEACHING READING.
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Background, evolutuion of theory & method, focusing on whole language vs. phonics-based Distar approach. Abstract.... More...
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Paper Abstract:
Background, evolutuion of theory & method, focusing on whole language vs. phonics-based Distar approach. Abstract.
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Abstract
There are competing schools of thought on how to teach reading in the public schools today. Before the beginning of the 20th century, reading was taught using a phonics approach. During this century, other approaches have been tried and have failed to teach a significant portion of the students enrolled in public school to read easily and fluently with comprehension. The popular whole language curricula is contrasted with Distar, a reading program developed in the 60s, which is gaining new acceptance in the educational community. Distar is also known as Direct Instruction. It has been shown to be the most effective method of teaching reading to all children (Benjamin, 1981, p. 71). It meets the criteria for a phonics based, explicit, and systematic curriculum. It is easy for teachers to use including
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Thestudents are not responsible for trying to sound out or spell the wordswhich are recorded. Each lesson focuses on easily recognized objectives. The preeminence of America in the world is at risk. 3). when the teacher feels it is necessary, the teacher may change the sequence to fit student needs. The idea is to control everything in the learning environmentexcept the students' responses. teacher selects the objectives for the student and the objectives are arranged in order of complexity. In 1955, Rudolf Fleschpublished Why Johnny Can't Read. If you don't know how the alphabet works, you can't learn how touse an alphabetic language. The students read(remember) the words with help from the teacher (Marlow, 1996, p. That 44percent of all students in the United States are unable to function ongrade level is dismal, but the scores of black students show that almostthree-quarters (72 percent) cannot perform satisfactorily on grade leveltasks which include reading (Collins, 1997, p. 1).These students are unable to understand the meaning of the text or makesimple inferences about the material (Palmaffy, 1997, p. One of the outgrowths of Flesch's book was theexperimentation with different and new methods. (1996). 6). p. (1997, October 27). The ideas arethen recorded on the blackboard by the teacher. The students, who had difficulty with "look-say" readingcurricula, were now subjected to learning the rules of reading byinference. 1). A student does not proceed unless the lesson hasbeen mastered. 1). 5). This approach would now be labeledas a phonics and basal reader program. The public is not so easily convinced ofthe effectiveness of whole language as is demonstrated by the public outcryin California and Texas mandating a return of phonics instruction inreading. Whole languagecurricula belong in the category of psychological approaches to education.This is in contrast to the structured phonics-based teaching methods whichare classified as logical. Students wereexpected to master each page before they began the next step. The relationship ofprint to spoken language is not explicitly taught. Correction when achild makes a mistake is immediate and the child given the opportunity tocorrect his error (Engelmann, Haddox , & Bruner, 1983, p. School and learningexperiences have been soured. (1996). A student functioning below the "basic" level was defined asa student who exhibited "little or no mastery of the knowledge and skillsnecessary to perform work at each grade level" (Collins, 1997, p. The teacher gives the stimulus--the studentgives the response. The child is to inferand inherently understand and grasp the rules of written english. The need to recognize the sounds of the letters in theword is unnecessary if the student is able to remember the originalsentence which was recorded. This approach was followed by the introduction of "see and say" or"look-say" reading type programs where children were taught to read usingwhole words as the basic unit. The research calls for a strong emphasis on "phonemic awareness"and other elements are necessary for a student to gain understanding of thealphabetic system. Whole language advocates claim that phonics stiflescreativity by forcing children to think about how to spell words during thewriting process. 3. ED 4 2 553) Palmaffy, T. By immersing a child in print, it isassumed that the child will learn to read and write. These students will not be employableat the same level as a literate person. During this century, other approacheshave been tried and have failed to teach a significant portion of thestudents enrolled in public school to read easily and fluently withcomprehension. Least the argument beput forth that minority students are responsible for the lowering of theaverage score, note that 32 percent of students in forth grade with twocollege educated parents, could not read at the basic level. Research on reading instruction has show several components arenecessary for students to learn to read well. All teaching is taught from the scripted lessons whichhave been proven effective. Halfof the children will not read easily without it and it will not hurt theother students. Policy Review, 86, 32-4 . The success or failure of a student can be answered with ayes or no. 4. Making schools work. This approach to teaching reading fails thecriteria put out by NICHD. Collins, J. The student alsoplays a role in determining on what and how he will be evaluated. ED 4 1 528) Mosley, A. M. 2. It is easy forteachers to use including scripted lesson plans to ensure effectiveteaching. Correction isimmediate if an error is made. It approaches the teaching ofreading in a logical and linear fashion teaching one skill at a time. Available: http:hwwilsonweb.com/cgi-bin/webspirs.cgi Engelmann, S., Haddox, P., & Bruner, E. the teacher is responsible for evaluation of the student and modifying the sequence of the initial lesson plans (Marlow, 1996, p. The student is given control over the type ofbook to read, the sequence in which to read several books, individualityand personal satisfaction are goals for this program. The frustration andlowered self-esteem these children experience put them at added risk toleave school before they graduate from high school. (1997, N/D). The recently published, "Every Child Reading: An ActionPlan", calls on educators to use teaching methods backed by research notideology. Allchildren succeed. Individual students who are unable to read at gradelevel suffer defeat and frustration in all subjects. Even with the researchstudies being done, the educational community has been slow to embrace theresults of these studies. Historically, before the 2 th century, the teaching of reading wasbased on the teaching of decoding skills, drill, and practice. 6). Sequence in reading instruction. Research has shown the opposite to be true (Eldredge &Baird, 1996). New York Times. (ERIC) Document Reproduction Service No. [On-line]. student-teacher planning of the curriculum. New York: Continuum. The reading and writingprogram is combined and centered around the child. These children are thought to beneurologically equipped at birth to dissect speech into separate sounds.With little help, these children learn to associate the sounds with lettersand syllables. teachers are the best trained person to teach reading and should be in the best position to determine the sequence of pupil learning. (1983). (Marlow, 1996, p. Groups endorse common-sense approach to reading. It also states that the teaching of phonics "must beexplicit and systematic, not on 'the side' or merely 'in context' during areading or writing exercise (Groups, 1998). At about the same time that Goodman and Smith were formulating thetheory behind whole language, Science Research Associates unveiled aprogram of reading instruction known as Distar. Whole language programs place the responsibility of learning on thestudent and the teacher. This resulted in repetitive and boring textbooks. This method of teaching meets the criteria of the NICHD, andit works. Whole language curriculum attempts to teach alllanguage skills together, in context. 2). There is no argument." (Palmaffy, 1997, p. This program, unlike wholelanguage approaches to reading instruction, required structure. It was postulatedthat once the student's reading ability was at grade level the studentwould be able to maintain their abilities at grade level (Mosley, 1997, p.2). Significant differences were noted in the areas of the numberof words used, the number of unusual or difficult words, and the complexityof the compositions. Reid Lyon, the head of theNational Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), has said,"There is no way to read if you are not very facile in the use of phonics"(Palmaffy, 1997. See Dick flunk. References Benjamin, R. It was notcategorized as psychological but as logical. It has been shown to be the most effective method of teachingreading to all children (Benjamin, 1981, p. The key to fixing the problem lies in the Distar reading programpublished by Science Research Associates. New York: Simon & Schuster, Inc. It is phonicsbased, systematic, and explicit. The next quartile of students will learn to read butwith difficulty unless exposed to phonics early in their readinginstruction (Palmaffy, 1997, p. If students are learning to read, abet badly,learning is taking place and the teacher and method are consideredsuccessful by humanism's standards. The most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress study ofchildren's reading ability showed that 44 percent of the nations elementaryand high school students read at levels below the "basic" level (Collins,1997, p. 3. This means that the reading curriculum shouldinclude the following concepts: 1. Thesound is introduced; the child practices the sound. Before the beginning of the 2 th century, readingwas taught using a phonics approach. If a child needed to learn to read 1 , words the child would have to memorize 1 , individual words (Palmaffy,1997, p. 71). Distar is also known as DirectInstruction. The text wassequentially ordered with students beginning at the alphabet and learningthe sounds associated with each letter. Logical instructionalmethods are based on the following concepts: 1. 1). Whole language follows the principles of holistic philosophy whichapplies the psychological concept of teaching the child as a whole person.Written language is taught in its totality. Either a student has met the clearly stated objective in thelesson, or he has not. American Teacher,83, 3. These are the children who can learn to read with the wholelanguage approach. 3). As school districtsbegin to use Distar to teach reading the nation will be able to maintainits position of world leadership. Abstract There are competing schools of thought on how to teach reading in thepublic schools today. Asthe child becomes fluent and rapid in the use of decoding skills,comprehension and appreciation for literature develop. The student does not progress until each sequentialobjective is met. The reading programconforms to the child; the child does not have to conform to the program'sexpectations. students may choose from among diverse objectives to learn and which objectives they wish to omit. The Distar program utilizes thebest methods of teaching reading. learning centers where students may choose different learning opportunities. 22.----------------------- 12 Itworked. Applying the criteria that at least 5 percent of all school childrenneed to be taught phonics in order to read well, that phonics needs to betaught explicitly and systematically, the two approaches to readinginstruction can be evaluated. [On-line]. KenGoodman, professor at the University of Arizona, and Frank Smith, acognitive psychologist, developed the pedagogy. In the 197 s, the public schoolestablishment embraced the whole language philosophy and began implementingthe theory. Whole language claims to include phonics instruction. p. The public wants to see improved reading scores on objectivemeasures, not just on the teacher's evaluation of their students. 2).The theory of whole language learning was adapted from the theories on theacquisition of oral language. The Distar reading program contains all the elements to make it thebest method to teach reading to elementary school children. 21-22). Success is guaranteed as a student does not progress until hehas gained mastery. It also decreases theprobability of the student continuing his education at either college levelor in trade school (Teaching Johnny, 1997, p. 4. If this were indeed true, in aliterate society, there would be no need for any instruction in reading.All children would acquire the knowledge of reading at home, just as youngchildren acquire the ability to speak. 5). Onegroup was taught using a structured approach with phonics and the othergroup was taught using a holistic and whole language curriculum. This ensures the student gains mastery in decoding. [On-line]. Reinforcement for success is automatic. Marilyn Adams, a visiting scholar at the HarvardGraduate School of Education has stated the obvious even more clearly."You can teach children more efficiently and effectively if you usephonics. Language arts are broken into smallobjectives and each taught separately in sequence. 22). It continues to teach children who use it to read. They believed that ifpeople attuned to every word and letter within a word that fluent readingwould not result--reading would be too cumbersome (Collins, 1997, p. In the beginning, it was usedto help students raise their skill level in reading. Distar lessons look quite different from whole language. Likewise, whole language adherentstend to discount scientific studies of the effectiveness of readingmethods. Actual success in reading builds real self-esteem in thechild as the child is able to demonstrate his competence. The lower level of competence, in studentswho are unable to read well, decreases their ability to serve the nation ortheir own interests in any capacity. There is little room creativity within the curriculum for theteacher. 7). All Americans will suffer as theresult. The risk stemsfrom an inability of the public education system to teach its students toread effectively. (ERIC) DocumentReproduction Service No. students are involved in determining their objectives with the use of a system of contracts. Discussion Whole language instruction for reading began in the 196 's. There is no room within the program for astudent to fail. First graders were compared on their writing skills. The whole language adherents believe in a system ofeducation which does a disservice to their students. East Lansing, MI: National Center for Research onTeacher Learning. 1). Humanism is stressed. Distar has concrete objectives forthe students. Studies have shown thatapproximately 5 percent of all children will learn to read no matter whatapproach is used (Palmaffy, 1997, p. These resultstestify to the unproductive state of reading education in this country.The blame can be laid squarely on the introduction of holistic philosophyinto educational curriculum. (1997, January 25). Distar uses logical instruction. In addition to successfully teaching reading, direct instruction ofphonics has also been shown to have a positive influence on the ability ofchildren to write. The effectiveness of "Direct Instruction" onreading achievement. 8). The bestknown of the early reading texts are the McGuffy readers. Children'sreading ability was in decline with this approach. Available: http:hwwilsonweb.com/cgi-bin/webspirs.cgi Teaching Johnny to read. The critical bottom quartile will facea challenge learning to read and will not succeed without phonicsinstruction (Palmaffy, 1997, p. Teach your child toread in 1 easy lessons. Therefore,humanists (including adherents of whole language) exempt themselves fromjudgement by objective criteria. Available: http:hwwilsonweb.com/cgi-bin/webspirs.cgi Marlow, E. The students' responses are also included in themanual. The Distar reading program hasconsistently proven itself successful teaching all types of children toread effectively. E. The teacher gives the student the stimulus andthe student responds. (1997). The reading program must be humane(Marlow, 1996, p. Humanism claims its concepts are qualitative not quantitative, sothe program should not be subject to quantitative analysis. Distar, also known as Direct Instruction, is a return to the past witha structured phonics based curricula taught in a linear-sequential manner. This is in contrast to the methods of evaluation advocated byfollowers of the Distar methodology. Reading Research andInstruction, 35,193-2 3. The popular whole language curricula is contrasted withDistar, a reading program developed in the 6 s, which is gaining newacceptance in the educational community. The teaching of phonics is explicit andsystematic. How Johnny should read. The public outcry, from the book'spublication and distribution, caused research into how children learn toread and the best methods to teach them to begin. (1981). There is no research to document thatliteracy is comparable to oral language. It meets the criteria fora phonics based, explicit, and systematic curriculum. Experiencecharts are commonly used to teach reading and writing in early elementarygrade classrooms which are using whole language instruction. The need for phonics instruction within a classroom is clear. Thewriting samples of the group taught using a systematic, structured phonicscurricula. Instead of stifling creativity, the ability of thechildren to write the word they wished to use by breaking it into phonemesencouraged creativity. The teacheris given a complete lesson including scripted dialogue and questions forthe student. The pupilschoose the ideas and sentences which they want to include. 5). Available: http:hwwilsonweb.com/cgi-bin/webspirs.cgi Eldredge, J. Theevaluation is made by the teacher and the student together in conference(Marlow, 1996, p. Time, 15 ,78-81. 2. [On-line]. The philosophy of humanism permeates the evaluation of students beingtaught with whole language. L., and Baird, J. East Lansing,MI: National Center for Research on Teacher Learning.
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