blindly 1.adverb

If you say that someone does something blindly, you mean that they do it without having enough information, or without thinking about it.

My friend and educational consultant Dr. Mary Howard has been quite vocal about her concerns about reading mandates in the US these past few months. It would seem as if the “Science of Reading” movement has caused many states to mandate what programs and books can be used in the classroom.

Now don’t misunderstand me. I don’t have a position on this whole SOR thing yet. But what I am mindful of is not to accept it blindly in the name of “science”. The word implies that it is something that is settled and can be trusted implicitly, something as solid as gravity.

That is simply not the case here. What is settled is that there are big publishing companies that stand to make billions of dollars if districts decide to purchase new books and programs. There are politicians who like to sound smart by supporting this “science”.

My friends, I urge you to educate yourselves about what the SOR movement is, who funds it, and who stands to benefit most from it. Take a closer look at what it is about and try to educate yourself about what it means for teachers, students, and what reading instruction will look like in your classroom.

Whatever you decide to take away from it, please do not trust it blindly simply because it has a “science-y” sound to it. You are a professional and you can decide what is best for your students. From what I can gather so far, it has some merits and definitely addresses some areas of teacher education that are lacking regarding knowledge of phonemes and phonics, as well as morphological knowledge. It also has some dark implications for teacher autonomy and decision making, especially around critical literacy and resource use.

Continue to be mindful, my friends.

Education is ever-changing, but one thing remains the same: keeping students at the centre of your instructional practices will always yield the most reliable results.

Enjoy your well-deserved summer break!

Cathy😊

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