‘Failure of leadership’ in curriculum call on reading

The national curriculum authority has been criticised for its failure to acknowledge the scientific evidence that favours phonics teaching over prevailing approaches.

Cognitive scientist Max Coltheart.

A high-profile group of literacy ­experts has criticised the national curriculum authority for its “weak and misinformed” backing of ­approaches to the teaching of reading, accusing it of a “failure of leadership”.

The Developmental Disorders of Language and Literacy Network, convened by respected ­cognitive scientist Max Coltheart, has called on the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority to abandon its support for balanced literacy teaching methods before it final­ises the new English curriculum.

In an open letter that has so far attracted 300 signatures, the Macquarie University-aligned network argues the so-called “reading wars” have been settled, with evidence backing a phonics-first ­approach.

While the national curriculum does reference phonics, it also ­endorses predictable readers and word-guessing strategies associated with balanced literacy, which have led to “thousands of Australian children not acquiring the all-important skill of reading”, the letter says.

“The direction to teach phonics is obviously welcome but it is not credible … while retaining elements of instruction that undermine the most effective and efficient method of teaching reading — that is, a method firmly based on phonics in the first couple of years of schooling,” it says.

“An ‘and-or’ approach is weak and misinformed … if this is an ­attempt by ACARA to keep everyone moving forward together, it is a failure of leadership.”

According to the scientific literature in recent years, the most effective form of early reading instruction involves systematic synthetic phonics, which first teaches children the relationships between letters and sounds before they attempt to read words or sentences.

In contrast, a balanced literacy approach involves immersing children in literature; with a teacher guiding them to read using picture and context cues. Phonics instruction tends to be incidental.

Several states, including NSW and South Australia, have recently changed their guidance to schools on the issue, recommending systematic synthetic phonics as part of a structured literacy approach that also teaches fluency, comprehension and vocabulary skills.

Professor Coltheart said he was disappointed that the review process seemed to have ignored significant research developments over the past 20 years, which he blamed on ACARA ­failing to consult with reading scientists.

ACARA CEO David de Car­valho said reviewers had consulted with a range of experts in developing the proposed revisions to the English curriculum, including ­national English and literacy teaching associations.