This New York Times article talks about a new pedagogical approach to literacy unfolding currently at Oakhaven High in Memphis. Students taking biology are being taught how to break big words into smaller words, a tactic coming from the phonics movement in the science of reading. The phonics strategy advocates for teaching mechanics and epistemology of words, replacing the previously favored "balanced literacy" approach, where storytelling and context clues are used to acquire literacy. This problem is framed as urgent because of alarming indicators of low levels of literacy in high school students in the U.S.
Sarah Mervosh, "In Memphis, the Phonics Movement Comes to High School (2022)", contributed by Prerna Srigyan, STS Infrastructures, Platform for Experimental Collaborative Ethnography, last modified 22 February 2023, accessed 21 December 2024. https://stsinfrastructures.org/content/memphis-phonics-movement-comes-high-school-2022
Critical Commentary
This New York Times article talks about a new pedagogical approach to literacy unfolding currently at Oakhaven High in Memphis. Students taking biology are being taught how to break big words into smaller words, a tactic coming from the phonics movement in the science of reading. The phonics strategy advocates for teaching mechanics and epistemology of words, replacing the previously favored "balanced literacy" approach, where storytelling and context clues are used to acquire literacy. This problem is framed as urgent because of alarming indicators of low levels of literacy in high school students in the U.S.