This week’s TES treats us to yet more phonics fantasy, this time in the ‘Comment’ section of the paper. In a review of the Radio 4 two-part documentary ‘Reading between the lines’ by Michael Morpurgo, Adi Bloom displays the kind of ignorance about phonics and phonics teaching to which the practitioners have become all too… Continue reading Adi’s red physiognomy
There’s an opinion piece published in the TES today (20 04 2012) in the ‘What keeps me awake at night’ column, imploring Mr Gibb to ‘read up on phonics’. Sadly, it’s yet another witless little anti-phonics diatribe from another benighted simpleton who advertises his ignorance of what phonics is from the start. He tells us… Continue reading What keeps the anti-phonics lobby awake at night
As June approaches and more heads across the country realise that, in a little over two months, their Year 1 pupils will be sitting the government’s new phonics screening check, the level of panic is beginning to rise. Yesterday’s TES (‘Heads read the riot act over new phonics test’) was reporting that some heads are… Continue reading Heads’ nervousness increases as phonics check looms
Since its revamp, have you noticed how the TES seems also to be shifting its political alignment? A few weeks ago, it ran a much more sympathetic piece on Chris Woodhead, former chief inspector of schools, than I’d have expected – notwithstanding the fact that Chris has motor-neurone disease. This week, there’s an editorial entitled… Continue reading TES reloaded?
Not content with traducing phonics on its front page, the TES also decided to devote their ‘Insight’ section of Friday’s paper (page 25) to Olivia O’Sullivan in order to do another caricature. O’Sullivan has penned a piece entitled ‘Wood a child tawt to reed using phonix alone notis anything wrong with this hedline?’ Like the… Continue reading Wud a litrasy expurt no a gud cwalitee phonix program if thay sore won?
I’ve long thought that, when it comes to the teaching of reading and spelling, the TES simply hasn’t got a clue what it is talking about. Never does it miss the opportunity to denigrate the teaching of phonics, even though the evidence in favour of a phonics approach is overwhelming. Yesterday (Friday 1 April 2011),… Continue reading Tickelled pink?