Chinese scholar whose western alphabet system advanced literacy and comprehension between speakers of different languages A fortune teller once warned Zhou Youguang he would not live past 35. The prediction was plausible, as Zhou himself later noted. Average life expectancy in China was then around 30. He had experienced tuberculosis and depression and within a […]
Zhou Youguang obituary Read More »
Michael Rosen explains the difference between a phonics test and a reading test (Letter from a curious parent, Education, 31 January). In a phonics test, children pronounce words presented to them in a list. In a reading test, children have to understand what they read. Of great interest is the consistent finding that heavy phonics
Invest in libraries, not phonics tests | Letters Read More »
In 2011 the schools minister trumpeted the benefits of phonics teaching. But a quarter of seven-year-olds’ literacy skills still haven’t made the cut Back in 2005, the BBC reported David Cameron (you’ll remember him), then shadow education secretary, saying: “The biggest problem facing education today is the fact that one in five 11-year-olds leaves primary
Dear Justine Greening, whatever happened to ‘eradicating illiteracy’? | Michael Rosen Read More »
Bravo Two Zero author, who didn’t learn to read until he was 16, says his experience working in schools shows that a box-ticking approach to tuition inhibits reading skills of the less privileged Government literacy policy that emphasises grammar over enjoyment is discriminating against poor children and has contributed to England’s position at the bottom
Andy McNab says joyless education is damaging poor children's literacy Read More »