TEDx Talks: Can We Afford to Ignore the Science of Reading? (Melissa Hostetter, TEDx U of I Springfield)

Description:

We currently teach reading as if it is a skill to absorb rather than a skill to be taught. Research has proven again and again that the most effective way to teach children to read is phonics- the method of connecting sounds with letters or groups of letters in an alphabetic writing system. However, for the past 40 years, we have used an approach known as balanced literacy, a method that aims to guide children into reading with minimal phonics, context clues and memorized sight words. Melissa Hostetter is a 7th grade language arts teacher in Springfield, Illinois and a graduate student in the Masters of Education program at University of Illinois Springfield. She is also a trainee in the MSLE (Multisensory Structured Language Education) Practitioner program through the Children’s Dyslexia Center of Springfield. She received her teaching certificate from the University of Illinois Springfield in 2010 and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from Asbury University in 1998. She is passionate about advocating for equity in education and sound instructional practices. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.