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We partnered with American Public Media reporter Emily Hanford to dig into a flawed theory that has shaped reading instruction for decades. The theory is that children can learn to read without learning how to sound out words, because there are other strategies they can use to figure out what the words say. Strategies like “look at the picture” or “think of a word that makes sense.”
Research by cognitive scientists has demonstrated that readers need to know how to sound out words. But some teacher training programs still emphasize this debunked theory, including books and classroom materials that are popular around the world.
Hanford looks at the work of several authors who are published by the same educational publishing company. One, Lucy Calkins, was a rock star among teachers. Her books and training programs were wildly popular. Now, Calkins has decided to rewrite her curriculum in response to “the science of reading.” But other authors are sticking to the idea that children can use other strategies to figure out the words.
Since this investigation was first released, at least 22 states have introduced bills to overhaul reading instruction, and several have banned curricula that include cueing strategies. Teachers College at Columbia University announced that the teacher training project founded by Calkins would be “dissolved.” The word “dissolved” was later removed from the statement, and the college instead characterized the move as a “transition” to ensure its “programs are informed by the latest research and evidence.”
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