Early Reading Instruction: What Science Really Tells Us about How to Teach Reading - Softcover

McGuinness, Diane

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0262633353 ISBN 13: 9780262633352

Publisher: Bradford Books, 2004

Synopsis

Early Reading Instruction is a comprehensive analysis of the research evidence from early writing systems to computer models of reading. In this book, Diane McGuinness provides an innovative solution to the "reading war"―the century-old debate over the efficacy of phonics (sound-based) versus whole-word (meaning- based) methods. She has developed a prototype―a set of elements that are critical to the success of a reading method.

McGuinness shows that all writing systems, without exception, are based on a sound unit in the language. This fact, and other findings by paleographers, provides a platform for the prototype. Other elements of the prototype are based on modern research. For example, observational studies in the classroom show that time spent on three activities strongly predicts reading success: learning phoneme/symbol correspondences, practice at blending and segmenting phonemes in words, and copying/writing words, phrases, and sentences. Most so-called literacy activities have no effect, and some, like sight word memorization, have a strongly negative effect.

The National Reading Panel (2000) summarized the research on reading methods after screening out thousands of studies that failed to meet minimum scientific standards. In an in-depth analysis of this evidence, McGuinness shows that the most successful methods (children reading a year or more above age norms) include all the elements in the prototype. Finally, she argues, because phonics-type methods are consistently shown to be superior to whole-word methods in studies dating back to the 1960s, it makes no sense to continue this line of research. The most urgent question for future research is how to get the most effective phonics programs into the classroom.

About this title

From the Inside Flap

"McGuinness separates the facts from the fancies and fads to tell us how to teach reading. It may not be news to educated readers that phonics is the way to go, but the question is, whose version of phonics? McGuinness makes clear what *really* works. A book for everyone interested in reading and early education." --James J. Jenkins, Distinguished Research Professor, Emeritus, Psychology Department, University of South Florida

"*Early Reading Instruction* is an up-to-date, accurate, and highly readable summary of major aspects of the science of teaching reading. It thus deserves to be designated reading for anyone active in reading instruction, from future teachers to school board members." --Patrick Groff, Professor of Education Emeritus, San Diego State University

About the Author

Diane McGuinness is a reading consultant and Emeritus Professor of Psychology at the University of South Florida. She is the author of Why Our Children Can't Read and What We Can Do about It, Early Reading Instruction (MIT Press, 2004), and other books on reading and learning.

About this edition

• Publisher: Bradford Books
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0262633353
• ISBN 13: 9780262633352
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 428