One cause of ineffective reading instruction is the lack of understanding related to the reading process. More specifically, inaccurate information about how the brain creates meaning with print. Old ideas get in the way of new understandings. Un-understandings also get in the way of new understandings.

The traditional view of the scientific process. The traditional view of the scientific process goes something like this. You get two groups. You measure them before the study begins. You do something to one group and you don’t do something to the other. You control everything else so that the two groups are as similar as possible. Then after a bit, you measure them to see if there are differences between the two groups. [slide]. If there are, you can say that the thing you did to the one group was the cause of the difference.

Many think of this as THEE scientific method. This is often called controlled experimental research (CER) or controlled experimental studies (CES). You control all the variables except for one (the treatment or independent variable) in order to find out if something was the cause of something else. However, one big idea I would hope you would take with you is this:

1. There is no such thing as THEE scientific method. Rather, there are methods of science. CER is only one of many methods of science. To insist that this is the only method of science that can be used to understand reading and reading instruction is to insist that we look at reading reality through a tube. Our view and thus our understanding are greatly impeded. Yet this is exactly what the US Department of Education and other groups have done. They have insisted that the only knowledge that counts is that which is derived through controlled experiment research (CER). In reading, they call this scientifically based reading research (SBRR). But this insular view demonstrates a limited understanding of educational research. It insists that we look at reading reality through a very narrow peephole. There’s a lot of data being missed. And how could anything be truly scientific if it chooses to ignore a wealth of very important data.

This is the first in a two-part series looking at grammar instruction. Learning about grammar doesn’t have to be boring and meaningless. This podcast starts by dispelling some myths, otherwise known as silly grammar ideas. It ends by describing the four elements of effective skills instruction: (a) input and modeling, (b) guided practice, (c) independent practice, and (d) review

So why should educators be concerned about educational research? What relevance does it have to our everyday practice? We have all heard the common litany: “It’s just a bunch of theory. You can make research say anything you want. Ivory tower researchers don’t know what it’s like in the trenches. It doesn’t work that way in the real world.” This podcast explains what a theory is, how research-based theories can be used to make good educational decisions, and six common approaches to decision-making in schools.

This is an excerpt from my book: Johnson, A. (2016). 10 essential instructional elements for students with reading difficulties: A brain-friendly approach.

Phonemes are the smallest units of sound within spoken words. English has 41-44 phonemes. Phonemic awareness is the ability to notice, think about, and work with the individual sounds in spoken words. Phonemic awareness is one part of the whole literacy learning system. But not all children benefit from phonemic awareness activities. The rule of thumb is that phonemic awareness activities should generally be discontinued once children are reading comfortably at the 1st-grade level. Some students with severe reading difficulties in later grades benefit from having phonemic awareness activities that are part of their total reading program.

This is an excerpt from my book: Johnson, A. (2016). 10 essential instructional elements for students with reading difficulties: A brain-friendly approach. Corwin

The first podcast provides a sense of what effective literacy instruction might look like at the preschool and kindergarten (emergent) levels. The following podcast describes strategies for developing phonemic awareness.

A teacher’s prime directive is to help students learn or more accurately, to create the conditions whereby students are able to learn. So, what is learning? Learning is the process of acquiring new knowledge and skills. But simply having new knowledge and skills are of little value if they cannot be used. Thus, learning also involves the ability to use new knowledge and skills to solve problems or create products. However, learning also involves new insight. Thus, learning might also be said to include making new connections between pieces of knowledge or different experiences in order to bring about new understanding, new insight, or change.

All well and good, but what is the highest form of teaching?

The highest form of teaching is Teaching as transformation.

This view perceives teaching as creating conditions that have the potential to transform the learner on many different levels (cognitive, emotional, social, intuitive, creative, spiritual, and other). Transformational teach­ing invites both students and teachers to discover their full potential as learners, as members of society, and as human beings. The ultimate transformational goal is to become more nurturing human beings who are better able to perceive the interconnectedness of all human, plant, and animal life (Narve, 2001). Holistic education is an educational philosophy consistent with the transformative view (Miller, 1996). Learning is said to have occurred when these experiences elicit a transformation of consciousness that leads to a greater understanding of and care for self, others, and the environment. Academic achievement from this perspective is seen as discovering and developing your unique talents and capabilities to the fullest extent possible. Academic achievement also involves becoming aware of the multiple dimensions of self and expanding one’s consciousness.

It has been my experience that education is most effective when the prime directive is to do what Maria Montessori proposed in 1946, and that is to help each child discover and then release his or her full potential. The Indian philosopher, Krishnamurti proposed that education’s goal should be to free individuals from the illusion of one’s cultural conditioning so that they can think and value for themselves (Miller, 2001). Thomas Moore (1992), in The Seat of the Soul, recommends that schools strive to develop depth of feeling and imagination, instead of only focusing on knowledge and skills. I agree with each of these, and I would add that our schools should be vehicles for self-actualization. Self-actualization here is the state where one is able to accept and express one’s inner core and begin to actualize those capacities and potentialities found there

When we talk about critical race theory, our goal is not to win the argument. We’ve already done that. Our goal is change. And if change is not occurring, we must consider the causal factors. Now those who would use force to leverage change, simply think about where, how, and how much force to use. But that’s not really change. That’s compliance. We want change. Real change. Ideas cause change. Ideas ultimately cause real change. Ideas. Hence, we must consider the idea delivery system being used.

This podcast explores this question: Do you want to win the argument or do you want change? We've already won the argument, so let's focus on change. In doing so, we need to consider our idea-delivery system.