When the educational world threw out the baby with the bath water

Did you know that the educational community thinks it is exempt from the scientific method in educational research? Or so say the university PhDs and educational philosophers. Continuing from my last few blogs, much of Mr. House's and Mr. Glass's critiques (of Project Follow Through) were based on a rejection of the use of experimental science in education, saying that for education, “the rationality of science [is] largely irrelevant." 

        Since when? The science and engineering worlds laugh at such ludicrous arrogance, which ignores the true data and embraces the false dogma.

In the scientific world, one forms a hypothesis, sets up an experiment, analyses the results, and adjusts the hypothesis to fit the data. 

In the educational world, one forms a hypothesis, experiments on children for almost 30 years at a cost of over a billion dollars to the government, then throws out all data which disproves the hypothesis, and continues down the wrong road. Absurd. The educational community threw out the baby with the bath water, causing our current educational decline.

        Take it from a scientist and mother of 15 - me - phonics is the only scientifically-proven, healthy method of reading for children.

        It is only phonics that can take a language that uses symbols, such as Chinese, and convert the words into the English alphabet. One has to know the sounds of each letter to convert the sounds of the words into English words. Sight-readers, or whole language advocates, cannot do this. 

        Someone with a knowledge of phonetics had to do the conversions so that we can read Chinese names and words in English. This is also true for translating the Polynesian and other languages into words written with the English alphabet. The world would be at a great disadvantage if everyone read the way the current proponents of sight-words are teaching.

        I am ever grateful that some schools have refused to jump on the whole language bandwagon, although the majority have (causing a major upsurge in dyslexia). I am also thankful that most of the home-schooling world has stuck with phonics for their children, a very wise choice. Done properly, reading should be hearing with your eyes. And only phonics can cure dyslexia.

        Parents who really care about the future of their children will make sure that they learn early reading the right way - The Godfrey Method - whether their children attend public, private, or home school. It's important to start at home long before school age, if possible, to ensure children can overcome the faulty teachings and educational decline in this nation.

        We have to change what universities are teaching the teachers to teach, and what legislators are mandating that they teach. Regardless, with early phonics the right way, parents can place their children on the launch pad of life and watch them soar! You can reverse the educational decline for your child.

        A final note: Stay away from sight-words, at all costs. If your baby can read by sight-words now, s/he may struggle with reading later. Adult sight-readers cannot decipher unfamiliar words, which is embarrassing.

        Give your child the best chance to be ready for the jobs of the future.

http://thegodfreymethod.com/content/SeeingtheEmperorsNewClotheswhentheeducationalworldthrewoutthebabywiththebathwater