Let’s Use Common Sense to Find More Common Ground in the Reading Wars by Dr. Sam Bommarito

Next week, I’m off to the MARRE Conference, where I will speak about the current state of the world of reading. I’m also scheduled to speak at the Write to Learn Conference in the spring on the same topic. Both these conferences are held in my home state of Missouri. Considering the current polarized state of our country, does it still make sense to try to find common ground in the various positions folks are taking on the important issue of best ways to teach reading? I think it does. I think it does because the fact remains that different kids have different needs. If we ignore that fact and try to go to one-size-fits-all approaches, we are bound to help some kids and not help others. Consider this quote from a Washington Post Newspaper article LINK. The authors of that article are all top researchers in the literacy field and are convinced that taking polarized positions hurts kids in the long run.

Nuanced. Remember that word

That is why, when it comes to reading wars, I am a centrist, and I continue to be a centrist. What do I mean by the term centrist? This is taken from one of the slides I’ll be using in my upcoming presentations:

Let’s remember there is plenty of evidence to demonstrate that failure to include enough phonics instruction can result in students having ongoing problems reading LINK. It is clear that for various reasons, many students didn’t get the kind of instruction they needed. However, it has also become increasingly clear that the jury is still out on what constitutes a strong and appropriate phonics program. There is also doubt about what constitutes an effective program for promoting comprehension.

SOR is not the monolithic group that some make it out to be. Some SOR advocates call for using speech-to-print phonics rather than print-to-speech phonics, which synthetic phonics advocates champion. LINK

On the other hand, it is clear that the use of synthetic phonics is not the cure-all it is sometimes made out to be. Synthetic phonics does improve decoding but does not always produce gains in comprehension. A number of folks have found the exclusive use of synthetic phonics questionable. They base their concerns on things like the less than stellar results using that approach has had in England over the last decade. LINK.

For yet another view about things, consider these two slides from Seidenberg’s presentation at the Accelerated Literacy Conference this summer. (Here is a link to more information about that conference LINK).

I interpret what Seidenberg is getting at in these two slides as follows: He is saying there comes a time when the need for direct, explicit instruction diminishes (ends?). His use of the term “achieve escape velocity” is revealing. In the end game of reading instruction, skilled readers “continue to increase reading skill, knowledge of language, knowledge of the world. Entirely implicit. No Teacher. Feedback is self-generated:” (bolding is mine).

It is in this newest development that I find some hope. If one views the extremes of the current reading wars discussion, one group essentially underemphasizes phonics and overdoes comprehension. The other group overemphasizes phonics and underemphasizes comprehension. The time has come for those of us in the center to say both sides are right AND both sides are wrong. If we make our voices heard on this point, there may be real hope for finally finding a middle ground, a common ground we can all agree on.

At the start of this essay, I reminded the readers of the importance of the word nuanced. We need a nuanced approach. What fits one child and one group of children doesn’t necessarily fit the other. Folks have to consider ALL the research. They must see how that research might best be applied in their particular settings. In sum, both sides (all sides) have gotten some things right and some things wrong. I strongly feel that we must reject each side’s extreme views and start conversations about what works for each child.

I will explore that topic in depth at these upcoming conferences. After doing those presentations, I’ll have much more to say about finding common ground. I think we can and will find it if we are willing to avoid extremes and move to the center. Dare to dream.

So until next week- Happy Reading AND WRITING!

Dr. Sam (the guy in the middle happily taking flak from all sides)

Copyright 2024 by Dr. Sam Bommarito. Views/interpretations expressed here are solely this author’s view and do not necessarily reflect the views of any other person or organization.