Four years ago Churchill Primary had, in the words of its principal, “far too many kids who were really not able to read”.
Ms Burrows said she struggled at times to purge the school of its established way of teaching children to read. It was expensive to retrain teachers, and there were few local experts to call on for advice on how to do it. If it is endorsed in its current form, it could put pressure on Victoria to lift the primacy of phonics in schools.mandate its use in the first three years of primary school from next yearSouth Australia, meanwhile, has mandated a year one phonics screening check for all students to test literacy levels.
Emina McLean, a literacy expert, lecturer and senior researcher, said the Victorian government’s “hands-off” approach created a lot of variability between schools. Western Sydney University lecturer Dr Katina Zammit, president of the Australian Literacy Educators’ Association, argues balanced literacy has its own evidence base to suggest it should not be discarded as a literacy technique.
Decodable phonics-based texts, with their focus on sounds at the expense of storyline, also risk undermining a child’s delight in reading, Dr Zammit argues.
adamlcarey Explicit phonics teaching is essential and nonnegotiable in literacy teaching - across the grades and the curriculum.
adamlcarey Reading phonics described as 'unconventional' is a stark reminder of the variation in global approaches.
adamlcarey Surprise surprise! It works and has for eons!!!
BerrinchudaM adamlcarey Well done Churchill. The challenge is on. It’s time all Victorian schools not using SSP reflected on why they are not doing the same as Churchill. Reading proficiency is an equity issue.
adamlcarey Back to the future. 😊 All children need to be able to read, and have the confidence to move forward with their education. BerrinchudaM
adamlcarey Oh wow It's almost like teachers are learning what everyone else knew decades ago