Balanced Literacy vs Science of Reading: What's BEHIND this Debate? The Shift to STRUCTURED Literacy

Summary

This video explores the shift from balanced literacy to structured literacy, also known as the science of reading, in English-speaking countries' education systems. It delves into the historical conflict between phonics and whole-word approaches, critiques the flexibility of balanced literacy for potentially neglecting systematic phonics instruction, and advocates for the science of reading, which is grounded in interdisciplinary research. The video also discusses the Simple View of Reading and Scarborough's Reading Rope as frameworks supporting the science of reading, and provides resources for further exploration of evidence-based reading instruction.

Takeaways

• 😀 The two main approaches to reading instruction in English-speaking countries are Balanced Literacy and Structured Literacy (also known as the Science of Reading).
• 📚 Balanced Literacy has been the dominant approach since the 90s and early 2000s, emphasizing a mix of whole language and phonics strategies.
• 🔍 The shift towards Structured Literacy or Science of Reading is gaining momentum due to its evidence-based practices and focus on systematic phonics instruction.
• 🎓 The term 'Balanced Literacy' refers to an attempt to balance the Whole Language and Phonics approaches to teaching reading.
• 📈 The Whole Language approach, which gained popularity in the 1980s, advocates for reading instruction through immersion in text and contextual guessing, rather than systematic phonics.
• 🔠 Phonics instruction, which involves teaching the relationship between letters and sounds, was largely abandoned in the 1930s but regained attention in the 1970s due to poor reading outcomes.
• 🧠 The Science of Reading is an interdisciplinary body of research that provides evidence-based guidelines for reading instruction, emphasizing the importance of word recognition and language comprehension.
• 📊 The Simple View of Reading framework, supported by over 150 studies, posits that reading comprehension is the product of word recognition and language comprehension.
• 📚 Scarborough's Reading Rope is a visual metaphor illustrating the interconnected yet independent components necessary for skilled reading development.
• 🚫 Practices not supported by scientific evidence in reading instruction include emphasis on memorization, guessing from context, and skipping words, which can hinder reading development.
• 📘 Resources such as 'Reading by Design' and 'Language at the Speed of Sight' provide further insights into the science of reading and effective teaching methods.

Q & A

What are the two main approaches that have dominated the school system in English-speaking countries?

The two main approaches are Balanced Literacy and Structured Literacy, also referred to as the Science of Reading approach.

What is the historical context behind the shift from phonics to the whole word method in teaching reading?

Phonics was the primary method for teaching reading until the late 1920s, but an anti-phonics movement emerged, leading to the adoption of the whole word method in the 1930s, which involved memorizing words without phonics instruction.

How did the whole language approach differ from the phonics approach?

The whole language approach rejected explicit and systematic phonics instruction, emphasizing children's innate capacity to learn to read through exposure to literature and context-based guessing, rather than focusing on the code.

What is the self-decoding hypothesis and why was it introduced?

The self-decoding hypothesis, introduced by reading researchers David Pearson and Anthony Dorr, emphasized the importance of independent decoding skills and extensive vocabularies, highlighting the necessity of using letters and their relationships to decode unknown words.

What does the term 'Balanced Literacy' mean and how does it differ from the whole language approach?

Balanced Literacy is a truce between phonics and the whole language approach, incorporating strategies from both. It involves some degree of phonics instruction but lacks clear guidance on how to teach phonics explicitly and systematically, often relying on memorization and context cues.

What are some practices associated with Balanced Literacy that may not be supported by scientific evidence?

Practices that may not be supported include encouraging children to guess words from context, using picture cues, skipping words, and emphasizing speed over accuracy when reading texts.

How is the Science of Reading defined and what does it encompass?

The Science of Reading is defined as a vast interdisciplinary body of scientifically based research about reading and writing. It provides guidelines for best practices in reading instruction based on scientific evidence from fields like psychology, education, linguistics, and neuroscience.

What are the two frameworks that the Science of Reading looks toward to understand how a student develops into a skillful reader?

The two frameworks are the Simple View of Reading and Scarborough's Reading Rope. The Simple View of Reading shows that reading comprehension is the product of word recognition and language comprehension. Scarborough's Reading Rope is a visual metaphor for the development of skills over time, with interconnected but independent strands leading to skilled reading.

What are some instructional practices aligned with the Science of Reading for word recognition?

Aligned practices for word recognition include phonemic awareness, letter instruction, explicit and systematic decoding instruction, connected text reading, and promoting reading accuracy, automaticity, fluency, and comprehension.

How does the Science of Reading approach the teaching of language comprehension?

The Science of Reading promotes practices like read-alouds from complex texts to build background knowledge and vocabulary, as well as explicit instruction in grammatical structures and academic vocabulary within the context of other reading activities.

What are some resources recommended for further understanding of the Science of Reading?

Recommended resources include the Reading Leagues website, books like 'Breaking the Code' by Kayla Whaley, 'Speed to Print' by Louisa Cookman, and 'Equipped for Reading Success' by David Kilpatrick, which provide insights into the brain's role in reading, the logic of the English spelling system, and comprehensive programs for developing phonemic awareness.