As the Government prepares for a potentially big shift in how Kiwi children are taught to read and write, the Associate Education Minister says she is prepared for the backlash.
Jan Tinetti remarked during a Q&A session as the administration began to implement its literacy and numeracy action plan, “The accomplishment of our young people is too important for us and too critical for me not to be prepared for that reply.”
The government noted in the report that it sought to improve consistency of education across all institutions.
This might involve switching from a whole-language approach to an organised literacy approach.
Most New Zealand schools now employ a balanced literacy strategy that emphasises different teaching strategies tailored to individual students’ abilities. This meant that topics like phonics were not taught in a systematic manner.
The traditional whole language approach encourages children to use the context of a story, personal experiences, and visual cues to choose how to grasp a given word. A organised literacy method, on the other hand, concentrates on the letters and sounds that comprise the word.
Based on how the phrase and story are proceeding, the most popular way has been to figure out, predict, or foresee what an unknown word would be. Or to look at photos.
Meanwhile, when compared to other countries, New Zealand children’s literacy proficiency has continued to decline.
My colleagues and I have long maintained that the way kids are taught to read is a crucial contributing feature, Chapman said of the dropping scores.
And this has been incorrect and strongly engrained in New Zealand for the past 30 or 40 years.
When questioned if New Zealand’s literacy instruction practises were in conformity with the best scientific data, Tinetti answered, “I think it’s moving that way.”
She remarked that while certain aspects of New Zealand’s literacy are compatible with the reality, others are not.
What I mean by a whole language approach is that it must be questioned.
I believe it is problematic at this time because it was formed and is based on rather old information.
However, there is no scientific agreement on the best method for teaching reading. Tinetti, a former school administrator, believes that some children learn best by guessing and using visual clues.
However, too many children and young people are now missing out and being neglected by the system, which is unacceptable.
We require a method that works for all children and adolescents.
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Tinetti is “prepared for criticism” as the government considers reforms to literacy education.
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