Until recently in New Zealand the teaching of reading has been dominated by a whole language approach. This has focussed on the teaching of complete words in the context of sentences, their natural environment, and has worked for the majority of our children. However, for a significant group of young people, particularly boys, this approach has failed as it lacks the systematic rigour required to furnish them with the skills to decode symbols and gain meaning from print. (Comments by Deputy Principal R. Oswin to the Select Committee inquiry into reading in N.Z Schools)

Consequently these people experience significant reading, recall/spelling and word attack deficits which affect them throughout their lives. They are unable to relate the sounds of words that they know, to print. This programme shows them how to do so. Hence the title.

 

Select Committee Inquiry

"Submission to the Select Committee Inquiry( May 2000 )into the teaching of reading and spelling in New Zealand.

Until recently in New Zealand the teaching of reading has been dominated by a whole language approach. This has focused upon the teaching of complete words in the context of sentences, their natural environment, and has worked for the majority of our children. However, for a significant group of our young people, this approach has failed as it lacks the systematic rigour required to furnish them with the skills to decode symbols and gain meaning from print."

At Elmwood Normal School, we have employed the services, on a part-time basis, of Peter Tucker for Terms III and IV of the year, 2000, to trial his Word Attack Skills programme.

Children who have experienced difficulty learning to read under current reading methodology, have been selected to participate in his logical and systematic approach to the teaching of sounds and their related structures in the English language.

Initially, Peter has worked with children on an individual basis for daily sessions lasting thirty minutes. The latest development is to trial the programme with a group of three children who are functioning at a similar level.

Initial results from the trial suggest spectacular results. One child, who has already been discontinued from the trial after ten hours tuition, has experienced a growth of two years in his ability to read material with established comprehension.

The boy can now read at his chronological age, having been tested on a PROBE running record, with great accuracy and a comprehension rate of 90%. The other two boys are making rapid progress having begun the programme with severe needs. The group of three girls, having only entered the programme this week are thriving under the specialist attention.

The key ingredient to the programme is its emphasis on base sounds.

The programme is unashamedly phonic in its approach, but is grounded in Peter’s desire for the children to glean meaning from print. This is not an either/or method; it is a both - and one where Peter teaches the logic of our sound/symbol units and places them into situations which have meaning for the children.

Another key ingredient in the recipe for success is Peter’s willingness for parental involvement. Indeed, before any child has entered the programme, they and their parents meet him in a social setting to discuss his work and the needs of the child.

Parents are then encouraged to attend as many of the half-hour teaching sessions as possible so that they can understand the approach and can follow up the work with the child at home.

While this work is in its infancy at Elmwood, Peter comes with a long anecdotal history of his success in enhancing the literacy levels of people of all ages and backgrounds.

While he has worked predominantly with students who have struggled to lean to read, this approach, however, should not be viewed solely as a remedial tool. How much better might the literacy levels of our able readers and writers be, should they be exposed to this programme through our general classroom teaching and learning programmes?

I believe that with financial backing and the requisite rigorous and systematic research of this method, together with governmental support to increase Peter’s sphere of influence, you, the members of this Select Committee, have the opportunity to do something great for the literacy levels of the children of New Zealand.

Signed.
Richard Oswin
Deputy Principal
Elmwood Normal School.