% EARLY, IT JUST SO HANDICAPS THEM
% FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES.
% >> WE'RE JOINED BY RICH
% HALVERSON, PROFESSOR AT THE UW
% MADISON SCHOOL OF EDUCATION IS
% FOR MORE ON HOW READING IS
% TAUGHT.%THANKS VERY MUCH FOR
BEING HERE.
% >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
% >> SO IF WE NEED A LEGISLATIVE
% BILL TO REINTRODUCE PHONICS,
% WHAT HAPPENED TO IT?
% WHEN DID IT FADE FROM FASHION?
% >> WELL, I DON'T THINK IT'S EVER
% REALLY FADED FROM FASHION.
% IT'S ALWAYS BEEN A PART OF
% LITERACY INSTRUCTION.
% I THINK WHAT HAPPENED IS DURING
% COVID TIME, THERE'S PART OF
% LEARNING TO READ AND TEACHING
% READING THAT'S PRETTY TECHNICAL
% THAT REQUIRES A LOT OF SKILL ON
% THE PART OF TEACHERS AND THEN
% THERE'S PART THAT RELIES ON
% USAGE AND HAVING KIDS BE ABLE TO
% EXPRESS THEMSELVES, AND I THINK
% THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED
% DURING COVID TIME IS THAT THE
% TECHNICAL PARTS OF READING THAT
% REQUIRE A LOT OF ONE-ON-ONE
% INTERACTION BETWEEN TEACHERS AND
% YOUNG READERS, THAT'S WHAT FELL
% APART, AND I THINK WE'RE SEEING
% THAT IN OUR TEST SCORES AND I
% THINK THE FOCUS ON BRINGING
% PHONICS BACK TO THE FOREFRONT OF
% OUR INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM IS
% REALLY IMPORTANT.
% >> SO WHICH IS BETTER?
% WHAT'S CALLED THIS SCIENCE OF
% READING OR PHONICS OR THE
% TECHNICAL ASPECTS, AS YOU REGARD
% IT?
% OR BALANCED LITERACY, SOMETHING
% I'VE READ ABOUT, WHICH PERHAPS
% HAS LESS EMPHASIS ON PHONICS?
% >> WELL, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT
% TO UNDERSTAND THAT READING IS
% PART OF BECOMING A LITERATE
% PERSON.
% SO IN ORDER TO BE LITERATE IN
% SOCIETY, YOU HAVE TO LEARN TO
% DECODE, YOU HAVE TO HAVE
% VOCABULARY, YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE
% TO INTERACT WITH FOLKS, AND PART
% OF THE LEARNING TO READ PART IS
% THAT TECHNICAL ASPECT OF
% UNDERSTANDING LETTER PATTERNS,
% UNDERSTANDING HOW THEY FIT
% TOGETHER, UNDERSTANDING
% VOCABULARY.%I THINK OF THIS
A LOT LIKE
% LEARNING TO DRIVE.
% SO SOME YOUNG PEOPLE COME TO
% THEIR DRIVING LESSONS, THEY KNOW
% HOW TO DRIVE AND NEED PATRIARCHS
% BUT SOME PEOPLE REALLY RELY ON
% THE TECHNICAL SKILLS THAT
% DRIVING INSTRUCTORS GIVE IN
% ORDER TO LEARN THE RULES OF THE
% ROAD, TO LEARN HOW TO INTERACTED
% WITH OTHER DRIVERS, AND THAT'S I
% THINK THE ROLE THAT PHONICS
% PLAYS IN OUR READING CURRICULUM.
% >> AND YOU'VE SAID THAT PEOPLE
% WHO HAVE LEARNED TO READ WITH
% THESE TECHNICAL SKILLS, PHONICS,
% TEST BETTER.
% >> WELL, THE TESTS THAT WE HAVE
% ARE -- THAT WE HOLD AS IMPORTANT
% ARE THIRD GRADE READING TESTS.
% THEY REALLY FOCUS ON THE KINDS
% OF SKILLS THAT PHONICS TEACHES.
% SO THERE'S A TRANSITION THAT
% HAPPENS IN LITERACY FROM
% LEARNING TO READ TO READING TO
% LEARN, AND THAT HAPPENS AROUND
% THE FOURTH OR FIFTH GRADE, WHERE
% THEN YOU TAKE YOUR TECHNICAL
% SKILLS AND YOU USE THEM TO
% EXPLORE OTHER DOMAINS, AND WHAT
% WE REALLY NEED IS YOUNG PEOPLE
% WHO CAN MASTER THOSE TECHNICAL
% SKILLS SO THEY CAN GO ON TO
% APPLY THEIR READING SKILLS TO
% BECOME MORE LITERATE FOLKS.
% >> BECAUSE IF YOU CAN'T READ
% BECAUSE YOU HAVEN'T LEARNED
% THOSE TECHNICAL SKILLS, YOU KIND
% OF CAN'T DEVELOP A LOVE OF
% READING, WHICH IS WHAT PEOPLE
% ARE LOOKING FOR.
% RIGHT?
% >> I THINK THAT'S RIGHT.
% I THINK THE DRIVING ANALOGY IS
% REALLY PERFECT HERE.
% LIKE YOU CAN LEARN THE RULES OF
% THE ROAD DOWN THE ROAD, SO TO
% SPEAK, BY DRIVING AND THEN
% MISTAKING MISTAKES, BUT IT'S
% BETTER TO HAVE AS A SENSE OF HOW
% THINGS ARE CONSTRUCTED ON THE
% ROAD, WHAT IS GOOD BEHAVIOR ON
% THE ROAD, AND I THINK THAT'S
% WHAT THE BASIC SKILLS FOR
% READING REALLY HELP YOUNG PEOPLE
% DEVELOP.%>> AND SO IF YOU AR
E A
% KINDERGARTENER OR A FIRST GRADER
% AND YOU ARE BEING TAUGHT WITH
% PHONICS THESE TECHNICAL SKILLS,
% I THINK YOU CALLED IT DECODING,
% IS IT SINGULAR TO THAT?
% OR IS OTHER STUFF KIND OF
% INTRODUCED AT THE SAME TIME TO
% DEVELOP THIS KIND OF BROADER
% RANGE OF LITERACY.
% >> WELL, MOST PEOPLE WHO TALK
% ABOUT THE SCIENCE OF READING,
% THERE'S NINE DIFFERENT PARTS OF
% IT.
% THERE'S VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT,
% THERE'S PATTERN RECOGNITION,
% THERE'S SYMBOL DECODING AND THEN
% THERE'S USAGE AND THEN THERE'S
% THE PRIOR KNOWLEDGE THAT YOU
% BRING TO YOUR ABILITY TO
% INTERACT WITH OTHER PEOPLE, AND
% I THINK IN KINDERGARTEN AND IN
% FIRST GRADE, THE SCIENCE OF
% READING APPROACH REALLY FOCUSES
% ON SOME OF THOSE MORE TECHNICAL
% SKILLS TO PREPARE YOUNG PEOPLE
% FOR THE USAGE-BASED SKILLS,
% COMPREHENSION-BASED SKILLS.
% >> EXP AND ARE WE SAYING THAT NW
% THAT HAS FALLEN OFF THE TABLE
% FOR TEACHERS BECAUSE OF THE
% PANDEMIC?%>> I THINK THAT TH
E IDEA OF
% BALANCED LITERACY IS IMPORTANT
% FOR A SCHOOL.
% A SCHOOL NEEDS TO HAVE
% INSTRUCTORS THAT CAN REALLY WORK
% ON THE TECHNICAL SKILLS WITH
% YOUNG PEOPLE, BUT ALSO REALLY
% WORK ON USAGE AND DEVELOPING A
% LOVE OF READING, AND SO YOU HAVE
% TO HAVE A SCHOOL THAT HAS SKILL
% IN ALL THOSE AREAS, AND I THINK
% WHAT THIS BILL DOES IS IT BRINGS
% RESOURCES INTO SCHOOLS TO
% BOLSTER THEIR ABILITY TO PREPARE
% TEACHERS TO USE THOSE TECHNICAL
% SCHOOLS WITH YOUNG PEOPLE.
% >> LOOKING AT WISCONSIN TEST
% SCORES, THERE ARE MAJOR GAPS
% BETWEEN WHITE AND BLACK
% STUDENTS.%HOW ARE THOSE GAPS
, THOUGH,
% ABOUT MORE THAN HOW READING IS
% TAUGHT IN GRADE SCHOOL?
% >> WELL, READING IS A CORE
% ASPECT OF THE SKILLS THAT ARE
% IMPORTANT ON STANDARDIZED TESTS.
% IF YOU CAN'T INTERPRET AND
% DECODE THE TEST, IT'S VERY
% DIFFICULT TO DO -- HAVE AN
% EFFECTIVE RESULT SO IT'S REALLY
% IMPORTANT THAT ALL OF THE
% CHILDREN IN WISCONSIN ACQUIRE
% THOSE BASIC READING SKILLS.
% HOWEVER, THE TESTS ARE ONE
% MEASURE OF HOW YOUNG PEOPLE
% INTERACT IN THE WORLD.
% THERE'S THEIR ABILITY TO MIKE
% THINGS, THEIR ABILITY TO EXPRESS
% THEMSELVES, THEIR ABILITY TO
% ENGAGE IN POLITICAL DISCOURSE,
% IN INTERACTION WITH ONE ANOTHER.
% ALL OF THOSE ARE IMPORTANTLY
% INDICATORS AS WELL.
% SO I THINK WHILE IT'S IMPORTANT
% FOR US TO LOOK AT THE TEST
% SCORES, WE HAVE TO BE CAREFUL
% NOT TO EXCLUSIVELY FOCUS ON TEST
% SCORES AND TEST CORE GAPS WHEN
% WE MEASURE THE SUCCESS OF
% EDUCATION.%THE IMPORTANT THIN
G TO REMEMBER
% IS THAT TEST SCORES LARGELY
% REFLECT SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS.
% SO THEY REFLECT THE SKILLS AND
% THE ABILITIES TO PARTICIPATE IN
% SCHOOL THAT YOUNG PEOPLE BRING
% INTO THE SCHOOL AND SO WE HAVE
% TO ALSO THINK ABOUT HOW OUR
% SCHOOLS HELP KIDS WHO DON'T HAVE
% THOSE SKILLS COMING IN TO
% ACQUIRE THEM SO THEY CAN BE
% SUCCESSFUL IN SCHOOLS.