Reading

The question of how children are taught to read, especially in their first years in school, is one that is constantly being asked and debated. It is a question that is of interest not only to practitioners but also to the general public, to employers, to politicians and to the media. In 1990 the Times Educational Supplement published a story on reading failure in nine local education authorities that was picked up by the national media. Stories ran (‘Children’s Reading Ability Plummets’, Guardian, 26 June 1990; ‘Scandal of our young illiterates’, Daily Mail, 30 June 1990) that criticised schools, local education authorities and teacher training institutions for their part in this failure. Decline in reading standards was blamed on the unstructured approaches to the teaching of reading linked to a ‘real books’ philosophy and practice. This chapter opens with a brief overview of some of the debates and approaches to ‘beginning reading’ that have existed in the past. It is important that you are aware of these developments because many have informed the approaches that we use today.