“[H]ard questions need to be asked about what is being taught in the name of “the science of reading”, and why. … It is especially important to examine the tenets of the SoR now because they are being implemented via legislation and regulation. As in these other cases, recognition of the flaws in an approach is an important step toward change….
Marc Seidenberg, About the science in the “Science of Reading”, Reading Matters, March 31, 2023.
“[A]bout the expression “the science of reading”: The term isn’t in wide use among researchers. There isn’t a field called “the science of reading” and people rarely identify as “reading scientists,” in my experience.In reading education, the term has been taken up by a movement (often abbreviated SoR) to reform instruction, teacher education and curricula. This movement/ approach is not the same as the body of research about reading. For one thing, the former has as yet incorporated very little of the latter.”
References:
- A call for rejecting the newest reading wars-
Fifty-eight educators say ‘Sold a Story’ podcast series sells incomplete story about reading instruction. Hechinger Report. November 18, 2022
- About the science in “The Science of Reading”-
Reading Matters (blog) - Marc Seidenberg, March 31, 2023
- Conflict or Conversation? Media Portrayals of the Science of Reading-
MacPhee, D., Handsfield, L.J., & Paugh, P. (2021). Read Res Q, 56(S1), S145– S155
- An Examination of Dyslexia Research and Instruction With Policy Implications-
Johnston, P., & Scanlon, D. Literacy Research: Theory, Method, and Practice (2021)
- Is there really a ‘science of reading’ that tells us exactly how to teach kids to read?-
Valerie Straus, Washington Post, January 6, 2021
- Reconsidering the Evidence That Systematic Phonics Is More Effective Than Alternative Methods of Reading Instruction-
Bowers, J.S. . Educ Psychol Rev 32, 681–705 (2020)
- The Sciences of Reading Instruction-
Rachael Gabriel, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), May 1, 2021 Vol. 78 No. 8
- The Science of Reading and the Media: Does the Media Draw on High-Quality Reading Research?-
Aukerman, M. Literacy Research Association Critical Conversations. (2022)
- The Science of Reading and the Media: How Do Current Reporting Patterns Cause Damage?-
Aukerman, M. Literacy Research Association Critical Conversations. (2022)
- What the Phonics is The Science of Reading?-
George Hruby, 6:00 minute video
- What People Are Getting Wrong About the Science of Reading-
Brooke Wilkens & Lauren McNamara - Education Week - July 7, 2023
