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This story was originally published on RNZ.co.nz and republished with permission.
Schools across the country are paying tens of thousands of dollars to private consultants to change the way they teach reading.
The so-called “structured literacy” approach is backed by 30 years of educational research, but schools are not entitled to any funding from the Ministry of Education to do so.
Wanaka principal Jo McKay said the problem with the current system was that he expected children to fail and then tried to do something about it.
She and her colleagues at Holy Family School integrated state school were frustrated by the lack of progress of some students, despite what she calls a hodgepodge of interventions.
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“We kept getting the same data, it wasn’t working for us, so we really needed to stop what we were doing and take this risk and make this change.”
The school, which has 225 students, has spent about $ 30,000 on professional development for its teachers and another $ 15,000 on resources to complement the structured approach to literacy.
This involves systematic instruction in phonetics and phonemic awareness – teaching children the 44 unique sounds that distinguish one word from another.
Josh Applegate / Unsplash
Balanced literacy is based on the idea that learning to read should be as natural as learning to speak, and if you place children in a book-rich environment, they will learn to read in their own time.
McKay said some teachers were initially hesitant to do something that seems so contrary to the way they have been taught to teach.
However, they were quickly conquered.
“I have seen teachers working within our school who have told me personally … ‘I feel like I now have the ability to make changes … whereas before I felt like I was scratching the surface.’
Most New Zealand schools teach “balanced literacy”, also known as the “full language” or constructionist approach, developed by pioneering New Zealand pedagogue Dame Marie Clay.
It is based on the idea that learning to read should be as natural as learning to speak, and if you place children in a “book-rich” environment, they will learn to read in their own time, referencing pictures and context. .
However, proponents of structured literacy say that all children benefit from explicit instruction.
And for the estimated one in seven children who are neurodiverse, particularly those with dyslexia and other learning disabilities, they won’t easily learn otherwise.
McKay said her school had seen phenomenal improvements for all students, including those with dyslexia.
Kaiapoi North School in Canterbury has invested around $ 20,000 and Principal Jason Miles said it was worth every penny.
“After two years of those children taking the structured literacy approach, 68 of the 72 children are at or above the curriculum standards, and it is at 90 percent instead of 65 to 70 percent.” .
CDC / Unsplash
Proponents of structured literacy say that all children benefit from explicit instruction.
Schools were frustrated by the lack of government support, he said.
The ministry funds the Reading Recovery program, started by Marie Clay, at a cost of just over $ 29.1 million this year.
Schools that didn’t want Reading Recovery should be able to use those funds for something else, in his opinion.
Canterbury Principal Penny O’Brien agreed that it was unfair for schools to be funded for Reading Recovery but not alternatives.
“We know there is no point in putting students through a program that won’t really benefit them in the long run. That is a waste of resources and it is very stressful for a child and his family. “
Ladbrooks School on the outskirts of Christchurch converted to structured literacy three years ago.
O’Brien estimates that it has cost “hundreds of thousands of dollars” for a specialist teacher, six learning assistants and professional development for all teaching staff.
He said that, however, you couldn’t put a price on what the students had earned, the impact went beyond literacy.
“I heard a little person call their parents today to tell them how successful they have been with their literacy and that smile and confidence … that’s what we’re here for.”
It had been a massive pedagogical change for the staff, but they would never look back.
“It’s about doing the right things for our children. Once you know it, you can never ignore it, you don’t want to ignore it. “
MARTIN DE RUYTER / THINGS
Speech therapist Catherine Campbell says that the stresses of poverty, such as living in a car or motel room, means that parents don’t talk enough to their children, causing delays in language development.
Professor James Chapman, a literacy expert at Massey University, said it was great that principals were taking the lead.
“It’s a shame they have to pay for it, but the principals who have chosen this structured literacy approach are absolutely on it in terms of the best reading scientific evidence at the moment.”
The Ministry of Education said that it was currently not an option for Reading Recovery funds to go elsewhere, but that schools could use their own resources to implement alternative programs if they so wished.
In a written statement, Undersecretary for Early Learning and Student Achievement Ellen McGregor-Reid said the ministry had always supported a variety of research-based approaches to teaching young children to read, including phonics.
“We are enhancing our Ready to Read text series to include a systematic approach to teaching phonics in the early years of learning and will support schools and kura to implement these new resources next year.
“Reading Recovery provides students with effective literacy support. We will be making improvements to Reading Recovery next year to strengthen the focus on phonics in early literacy learning to ensure the program continues to meet the diverse needs of students. “
This story was originally published on RNZ.co.nz and republished with permission.
