Unspeakable acts, unnatural practices : flaws and fallacies in "scientific" reading instruction / Frank Smith.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Smith, Frank, 1928-2020.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Reading.

Written communication.

Physical Description:

viii, 103 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Portsmouth, NH : Heinemann, [2003]

Summary:

The very reading instruction that claims to be "scientific," reasearch-based," and" evidence-based"--imposed on teachers and enforced through innumerable mandated tests --is found on activities that are unspeakable and practices that are unnatural. The mandated approach to language teaching is, in fact, linguistically impossible, as Smith proves. Each of Smith's essays in this book helps teachers understand the nature of thinking, learning, and reading. The essays also address the problems arising from pressure on teachers to adopt dubious practices that ignore their own judgment and experience.

Contents:

Why reading is natural

Making a mystery out of a marvel

Clarifying some phon-ey words

How phonics can become an educational hazard

The just so story, obvious but false

A federal fetish

So how do you identify a new word?

Just a matter of time

Going bananas with mathematics

When irresistible technology meets irreplaceable teachers.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 96-100) and indexes.

ISBN:

0325006199

OCLC:

52109184