How the Reading Wars Are Destroying Our Schools
Alright – so today we’re talking about the Reading Wars, the historical debate about how to teach literacy. Specifically we’re talking about the Science of Reading movement, a faction of the so-called Reading Wars. The Science of Reading movement is connected to other similarly named movements aimed at “going back to basics” in teaching, such as the Science of Math movement, or the more general “Science of Learning” movement. Especially in the last few years, these movements have taken storm as test scores have dropped and a narrative has been formed that schools are, once again, failing our children.
First, we want to give an overview on how the Science of Reading, steeped in this “Reading Wars” debate, is shaping our classrooms, student literacy, and teacher professional development. We’re going to talk about how this movement is not only changing reading classrooms, but the general ideas of school itself.
And two: to make the claim that the Science of Reading, like many of the factions that have formed around the Reading Wars or Math Wars more broadly, does more harm than good. And that our obsession with these labels and factions on teaching reading is dangerous and harmful to young people and teachers alike, for many many reasons.
But before we talk specifically about the Science of Reading movement, let’s take a look at the ongoing debate surrounding literacy that’s been fought for nearly 100 years...
What're we getting ourselves into... 00:00:00-00:02:25
Dewey v. Thorndike 00:02:25-00:06:05
The Reading Wars 00:06:05-00:24:10
"The Science of Reading" 00:24:11-00:32:36
Cultural Literacy 00:32:37-00:41:10
The Knowledge Gap 00:41:11-00:50:26
The Dismal Deans 00:50:27-01:14:12
Beyond The Reading Wars 01:14:13-01:29:38
Huge thanks to Megan Figueroa for speaking with us, you can learn more at her website & podcast https://meganfigueroa.com/ and https://vocalfriespod.com/
All of our sources are referenced throughout the video, and you can find other specific study links here: https://www.humanrestorationproject.org/writing/who-is-being-sold-a-story-unsettling-the-science-of-reading
Beyond Pavlov's Perfect Student: https://www.humanrestorationproject.org/writing/going-beyond-pavlovs-perfect-student
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