Full Description
By the late 1980s half the nation's children were receiving eleven years of progressivist schooling that failed to give them even the elementary basis of education that was completed by the age of seven in earlier days. This great reading disaster was caused by the 'look-say' method of teaching, which presented whole words not individual letters. This book explains the causes and provides the solution to this problem. In 2006, the Secretary of State for Education and Skills has ordered schools to use the phonic method but there seems little evidence that its implications are properly understood or that any serious re-training programme for teachers is being put in place. The authors believe their explanations and recommendations in this book are thus needed just as much as ever.
Contents
Part Iscandal; 2. Phonics v look-say; 3. Progressivism; 4. The explosion of illiteracy. Part II: The watchdogs that failed: 5. Watchdogs galore; 6. Teachers; 7. Teacher training; 8. Head teachers; 9. The inspectorate; 10. Local government; 11. Central government; 12. Publishers and the media; 13. Voluntary organisations; 14. Conspiracy theory? Part III: The struggle for reform: 15 Reform and backlash; 16. Progress towards phonics; 17. Testing: a pyrrhic victory; 18. Disintegrating discipline; 19. The price we pay. Part IV: The way ahead: 20. The best way to teach reading; 21. Truly objective teaching; 22. Restoring order; 23. Summary and recommendations.
