Hi Elisa, I appreciate your question. There is a helpful report from the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute that is worth looking at if you would like several specific examples regarding the research supporting Direct Instruction. In addition to listing some independently reviewed research, it also summarizes the highlights of Project Follow Through. If you are not familiar with this study, Follow Through is often described as the single most expensive education experiment in history. The experiment lasted from 1967 to 1976 and on-going data was collected all the way through 1995 on literally thousands of students. Please see Bonnie Grossen's Overview: The Story Behind Project Follow Through. You can find Grossen's article on-line if you google it. I would encourage anyone who is being asked to teach Direct Instruction, willingly or not, to take a look at this info. The Wisconsin Policy Research Institute also can be found by googling it. Once there, Go to the index and click on "education k-12". That will take you to the list of articles. Look for Direct Instruction and the Teaching of Early Reading. Wisconsin's Teacher-led Insurgency (March 2001, Volume 14, number 2.) It's near the bottom of the page. There are other more current articles on Direct Instruction, but I am fond of this one because it begins with a really good description of Direct Instruction. Samples from the research are sited on pages 6-10. There's a list of references on page 25. Something to think about... A common criticism of the research supporting Direct Instruction and Reading Mastery is that this research comes from the author, meaning Zig Englemann. Indeed there is plenty of research out there that was not conducted by Englemann at all. But let's stick with the critique used on Direct Instruction: that if the research comes from the author or creator, it is somehow not valid.
In an attempt to draw some comparisons between authors/creators and their research, please respectfully consider this: Marie Clay ...Teacher/ Researcher....she spear headed the research that eventually became Reading Recovery. Fountas and Pinnell are considered the creators of Guided Reading.... They did 9 years of research. This is according to their book: Guided Reading: Good First Teaching for All Children. Stephanie Harvey and Anne Goodvis wrote Strategies that Work. They are listed in the back of their book as researchers. I think we may be able to agree on two things: First, that all the teacher/researchers listed above have only the best of intentions: which is to help children learn to read and to support teachers in their quest to make this happen. Second, (and this is a bit more harsh, but true non-the-less) that someone profits financially from selling their well researched books and workshops. Food for thought. I hope this information helps. Amy > Date: Wed, 18 Feb 2009 15:21:21 -0700 > From: [email protected] > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] heartbreak /response to Reading Mastery > > Amy, > With all due respect, this is exactly what Gail says isn't happening. Can you > explain how you can justify your comment below? Whose research data are you > referring to? > Elisa > > Elisa Waingort > Grade 2 Spanish Bilingual > Dalhousie Elementary > Calgary, Canada > > The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even > touched. They must be felt within the heart. > —Helen Keller > > Visit my blog, A Teacher's Ruminations, and post a message. > http://waingortgrade2spanishbilingual.blogspot.com/ > > The research supporting Reading Mastery stretches back 40 years. In my > opinion, it keeps showing up because there are schools that do it well and > get results. Please feel free to ask any additional questions, I am happy to > share some ideas--though that may be more appropriate in personal emails. > Respectfully, > Amy McGovern > > > > > > > My school has had school wide reading mastery for 10 years --and we still > > aren't testing in the upper half of the nation! _________________________________________________________________ Get more out of the Web. Learn 10 hidden secrets of Windows Live. http://windowslive.com/connect/post/jamiethomson.spaces.live.com-Blog-cns!550F681DAD532637!5295.entry?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_domore_092008 _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
