Oh Dear: Primary reading set for overhaul

[Xerxes]

Did any of you folks do the old "SRA Reading Laboratory" stuff?

It didn't just test your reading ability but your level of comprehension... Splendid stuff!

I think that was the point that the previous Mrs Xerxes was making. She thinks phonics is a good system but it is not a standalone solution. She is concerned that the current NL target chasing obsession means that teachers are being encouraged to pursue phonics to the exclusion of all else so that the school can parade children who can read out loud words off a page and get a tick in the inspector's box, but the kids haven't got a clue what they'd just read out meant (which she quite rightly thought was somewhat missing the point of why we teach kids to read).

[SupremeSpod]

no, sorry Supremo,

we're not all the wrong side of 60

Milan.

Insolent young pup!

[milanbenes]

no, sorry Supremo,

we're not all the wrong side of 60

Milan.

[SupremeSpod]

Did any of you folks do the old "SRA Reading Laboratory" stuff?

It didn't just test your reading ability but your level of comprehension... Splendid stuff!

[Xerxes]

Sorry, I didn't understand that.

[stackpole]

True enough, a girlfriend of mine back in the late 80s was a state primary school teacher and they were using phonics. She did say that the downside was the emphasis on getting kids to be able to "read" (i.e. say out loud) any printed word was compromising to some extent the kids' understanding of what the words meant. In her opinion there were too many kids who could read the words out loud but then couldn't explain what they'd just read meant.

Sorry, I didn't understand that.

[Xerxes]

Nothing New

True enough, a girlfriend of mine back in the late 80s was a state primary school teacher and they were using phonics. She did say that the downside was the emphasis on getting kids to be able to "read" (i.e. say out loud) any printed word was compromising to some extent the kids' understanding of what the words meant. In her opinion there were too many kids who could read the words out loud but then couldn't explain what they'd just read meant.

[G8_Summit]

This is hardly new. schools have been using synthetic phonics for years.

My son is six and he was taught with synthetic phonics - very clever I thought at the time. Now he can read any word at all.

[Dundeegeorge]

Conversely

Maybe my parents were old fashioned, but they taught me to read before I went to school (the local church primary I went to was reknowned as being completely useless) by sitting and reading books with me without any fancy teaching methods. In fact, the teacher used to get some of the other kids to read with me to take the pressure off her. I stress this is more down to the extremely poor reading skills of the other kids than because I was any sort of kid genius. At that school being able to read and write your own name by the age of five put you in the top 10%.

now in any state school, being able to read and write your own name by the age of 10 puts you in the top 5%

[Xerxes]

Maybe my parents were old fashioned, but they taught me to read before I went to school (the local church primary I went to was reknowned as being completely useless) by sitting and reading books with me without any fancy teaching methods. In fact, the teacher used to get some of the other kids to read with me to take the pressure off her. I stress this is more down to the extremely poor reading skills of the other kids than because I was any sort of kid genius. At that school being able to read and write your own name by the age of five put you in the top 10%.

[Chico]

FFS, not again! WTF does the Labour Party try and instill educational reforms that feck up an entire generation? We're only just recovering from the last time.

Errhh I beg to differ - look at current literacy rates - not good. In the private educational sector they teach using the phonics and kids there are reading well from the age of 3. Go to any state primary school and you will find kids up to 10 still struggling to read Year 1 stuff. Its about time I say.

[SupremeSpod]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/4485062.stm

"The way children are taught to read in primary schools in England needs to be changed, says a government review. ",

Milan.

FFS, not again! WTF does the Labour Party try and instill educational reforms that feck up an entire generation? We're only just recovering from the last time.

[milanbenes]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/4485062.stm

"The way children are taught to read in primary schools in England needs to be changed, says a government review. ",

Milan.