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Re: Prof Pamela Snow: 'An open letter to students' and then from others & Emily Hanford's piece resulting in wide intere

Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2018 12:54 pm
by Debbie_Hepplewhite
Here is another letter sent to the editor of The Conversation - apparently awaiting a response:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DrcjT42X4AAOOVm.jpg:large

Re: Prof Pamela Snow: 'An open letter to students' and then from others & Emily Hanford's piece resulting in wide intere

Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2018 9:58 pm
by Debbie_Hepplewhite
Here is another response to Emily Hanford's journalism describing the lack of evidence-based reading instruction in a Western Australian university:
I'm a recent grad from a major WA university, having just completed a 4 year Primary Bachelor of Education.

I can tell you that in those 4 years we were very rarely exposed to any sort of evidence-based practice, and when we were it was explicit instruction being glossed over in the one special ed unit we did, as an "alternative" sort of practice. We may have spent one week on the topic.

It wasn't until my final semester this year that I was exposed to explicit instruction, SSP and the science behind reading - despite having completed four literacy units throughout my degree. The only reason I was even exposed to this was that I chose to complete two ELECTIVE units as part of my special education specialisation. Lucky for me, these units were run by one of the very best in this area, so not only was I exposed to it, I was receiving seriously eye-opening quality instruction.

Of the nearly 200 grads from my primary cohort, only about 40 of us will have taken these units. I've got friends who have graduated with me who will be teaching next year with no knowledge at all of evidence-based reading instruction.

I know that many of my peers turn up their noses at the mention of explicit instruction and evidence-based practice because a constructivist ideology was so privileged throughout our studies. Ultimately, they turn up their noses because many of the school of education faculty we have studied under have done the same.

Since the release of Emily Hanford's audio documentary I've seen and heard more and more stories of the same.

Re: Prof Pamela Snow: 'An open letter to students' and then from others & Emily Hanford's piece resulting in wide intere

Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2018 7:12 pm
by Debbie_Hepplewhite
Here is more commentary in the USA following Emily Hanford's piece on the state of play in schools and teacher-training:


http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/teacherb ... ading.html
Teachers Criticize Their Colleges of Ed. for Not Preparing Them to Teach Reading

Re: Prof Pamela Snow: 'An open letter to students' and then from others & Emily Hanford's piece resulting in wide intere

Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2019 5:26 pm
by Debbie_Hepplewhite
Here is an Emily Hanford article again - with links to important information and evidence:
How Better Teaching Can Help Kids Who Can't Read
https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/52796/ho ... -cant-read

Re: Prof Pamela Snow: 'An open letter to students' and then from others & Emily Hanford's piece resulting in wide intere

Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2019 1:01 am
by Debbie_Hepplewhite
Pamela Snow follows up her original 'open letter to students...' with one from a teacher who acknowledges the lack of research-informed reading instruction in initial teacher-training of fellow students and teachers:
An open letter to faculties of education
https://pamelasnow.blogspot.com/2019/02 ... l?spref=tw
In 2018, I wrote an open letter to student teachers, which I published on this blog. With over 32K views so far, this has been one of my most-accessed blogposts, and I was contacted by a number of student teachers and recent graduates, who told me that my letter precisely encapsulated the way they were "socialised" at university about how to teach reading.

The following letter was penned by Eleanor, a new-graduate from an Australian university. Eleanor has asked me to share her letter on my blog so that the voices of emerging teachers may be heard in the ongoing debate about how best to prepare teachers to do their life-changing work of teaching children to read. Eleanor's letter is the subject of a piece by West Australian journalist, Bethany Hiatt, published today.

"Eleanor" is the chosen pseudonym of this newly-minted teacher. Her views come from the coalface and contribute a vital perspective on this most important of public discourses.

Re: Prof Pamela Snow: 'An open letter to students' and then from others & Emily Hanford's piece resulting in wide intere

Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2019 5:23 pm
by Debbie_Hepplewhite
Jennifer Buckingham and Linda Meeks reveal the state of play of teacher-training in Australia:
SHORT- CHANGED:
PREPARATION TO TEACH READING IN INITIAL TEACHER EDUCATION


Jennifer Buckingham & Linda Meeks
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1272