Wyse, D., & Bradbury, A. (2022). The passion, pedagogy and politics of reading. English in Education, 56(3), 247-260.
This article is a very useful piece that provides evidence for educators and researchers about the politics of current debates about reading. While Wyse and Bradbury discuss the case of England, the article has much to say that is relevant to educators in Australia, as it provides a balanced view of what we know about teaching phonics and reading in the contemporary literacy field. Interestingly there is a strong discussion about assessment of reading, and how this is positioned within broader debates about reading and literacy teaching and learning. The overarching message provided is one of the importance of balance. Children’s progress in learning to read is reliant on educators, researchers and political commentators making progress toward reconciling the evidence we have about quality early reading instruction and moving beyond notions of ‘warring’ in the pursuit of one best method. This article provides an evidence-informed foundation to support this goal.
Link: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/04250494.2022.2091987