> Hi Eugene,
> Actually your analogy of mandated whole language as mandated love struck a
> chord. I had distributed our exchange on the topic to a small group of
teachers
> I have ongoing work with and they were commenting that when they were
mandated
> to use whole language , what they learned was how to view reading
instruction
> from the eyes of the learner as they chose trade books that interested
kids.
> This in turn got students to read more- they always had books in their
hands and
> they took books home to read. Students developed a love of reading and
> developed skills because they "practiced" more.
>
> The past two years this town has been implementing a regimented reading
program-
> only Scholastic- in response to the standards movement in Massachusetts.
Few
> are happy and there is a lot of finger pointing and lack of ownership.
These
> teachers lament that their students don't love reading anymore, but are
frankly
> worried about varying from the town mandate and what might occur if the
children
> don't measure up in testing. I try to point out that if they beleive the
kids
> aren't learning, why is it better to say "But I did the program so I am
not
> accountable." The kids still can't read and you don't feel good about
that.
>
> Breaking up this regimented view of teaching and refocusing on the
learning is
> my challenge.
>
> As for your view as a parent, I am not certain I have understood the part
about
> Diary of Anne Frank, did you mean that your child hates Anne Frank for
some
> reason?
>
> But I can comment on your love for phonics. Many parents and teachers
take
> comfort in recitation of rules as evidence of learning. That is what they
> likely experienced in the 50s and 60s when they went to school themselves
so it
> seems right. We continue to respect memory and speed as evidence of
> intelligence- God knows why!
>
> I as a parent insisted that my child participate in a first grade that had
some
> phonics, but I was deeply distressed in what phonics was in those
classrooms
> (recitation of rules) so supported that aspect of development in one
daughter
> with private tutoring because she had a history of ear infections, hearing
loss,
> and expressive language lagging behind receptive language.
>
> When she went to first grade in 1988, whole language was being mandated
for the
> first year in her school. Having seen what had happened in a wave of
other
> towns and dialoguing with the teachers in her school, they didn' thave a
clue
> about what whole language was. So I suggested that there be a variety of
> classroom styles that first year and the school adopted that - probably
just to
> shut me up! But the teachers expressed gratitude for my efforts.
>
> When that cohort went on to second grade, guess where almost all the sped
> students came from? They came from those classrooms that were forced to
do
> whole language without support and training. I asked the question in
November
> of second grade seeing the alarming increase in sped (special education)
in that
> whole second grade.
>
> Being sped based, I have seen this over and over. Whenever we converge on
one
> practice, obviously, "difference" increases. Teachers see more kids as
"not
> fitting in."
>
> I meet with adminstration to review progress in reading in that town I
first
> spoke about in a couple of weeks. They are alarmed at seemingly good
teachers
> increasing their rate of referrals. I hope I can lead them to see the
> connection and then act on empowering teachers if they want empowered
kids.
>
> Ilda
>
>
>
> Eugene Matusov wrote:
>
> > Hi Ilda and everybody--
> >
> > Ilda, reading your description of the situation in Massachusetts, I
could
> > not keep myself from a comment on the policy matter:
> >
> > >Here in Massachusetts, teachers were also
> > > mandated to use whole language.
> >
> > "Mandated whole language approach" sounds for me as a contradiction in
terms
> > like "mandated love."
> >
> > I'm not a specialist in language art but as a parent of a child in an US
> > public school, I prefer good old phonics approach (or whatever it is
called)
> > when kids memorized rules. Why? I prefer that my son hates grammar and
> > phonics rules than The Diary of Anna Frank (as it is now after going to
> > California school with "mandated whole language approach.")
> >
> > What do you think?
> >
> > Eugene
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Ilda Carreiro King <kingil who-is-at bc.edu>
> > To: <xmca who-is-at weber.ucsd.edu>
> > Sent: Tuesday, March 23, 1999 11:22 PM
> > Subject: Re: some joint activity re contextless reading?
> >
> > > Ken,
> > > I find this interchange somewhat ironic. I would think you would be
> > > sensitive to superficial representations of methodologies given what
> > > happened to whole language. Here in Massachusetts, teachers were also
> > > mandated to use whole language but at the city or town level since we
do
> > not
> > > have centralized state control of education in Massachusetts. They
were
> > > sometimes given a book to read or a one day to one week summer
workshop to
> > > attend.
> > >
> > > Primarily what I experienced as a consultant was the same horror you
are
> > > envisioning with phonics mandates. School boards were thrilled
because
> > they
> > > could stop buying expensive basals with supporting workbooks and saved
a
> > lot
> > > of money by buying the teachers 5 Big Books for the year- no
exaggeration-
> > > and they could share them among all first grade teachers since the
kids
> > > didn't need them! And I remember lots of circles of 20 children choral
> > > reading after the teacher holding the Big Book. And I got lots of
> > teachers
> > > telling parents that one day, their child would read- don't worry- it
> > would
> > > just happen. Just like one day they talked. I think you would be as
> > > appalled as I was at viewing this as what whole language was all
about.
> > >
> > > What teachers told me and I observed was that no training or
understanding
> > > went with this mandate. Their books and materials needed to be put
away
> > or
> > > taken away and they were supposed to improvise on creativity. Most
were
> > > embarrassed to take out a basal, even if it contained a good story, or
a
> > > phonics worksheet, even if the child expressed a request to learn
about a
> > > phonogram. It was the same disaster I have seen whenever any one
system
> > of
> > > reading instruction is mandated.
> > >
> > > What I learned was that teachers need in-classroom, ongoing support to
> > adopt
> > > new practices and that mandating a teacher to use one thing doesn't
work
> > for
> > > kids or teachers.
> > >
> > > I have taught kids reading successfully for over 25 years. I have
been
> > > fortunate to have supervised experiences with flexible instructors who
> > > taught me to put the learner first and learn many techniques.
> > >
> > > I share your outrage at mandating anything but agree to disagree about
> > > phonics.
> > >
> > > Ilda
> > >
> > >