Book Review: Teaching Reading is Rocket Science

Unlike learning to speak, reading is a highly complex linguistic achievement. Teaching Reading IS Rocket Science debunks the popular misconception that any literate person should be able to teach children to read.

Prepared by Louisa Moats for the American Federation of Teachers, the report summarizes current research on effective reading instruction and recommends improvements to teacher preparation, in-service, and classroom practice. Moats is project director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Early Interventions Project, and a clinical associate professor of pediatrics, University of Texas.

"Teaching children to read is the most fundamental responsibility of the school. Research now tells us what works…but it will require changes in the way teachers are prepared to teach reading," said AFT President, Sandra Feldman, in her press release accompanying the report.

Moats emphasizes the science of instruction. Reading acquisition is the mastery of a series of underlying processes of code translation. To understand printed language sufficiently to teach it well requires disciplined study of its systems and forms. Teachers of reading must be guided by detailed knowledge and skill, acquired over several years through focused study and supervised practice. Moreover, for the best results, teachers must instruct students directly, systematically, and explicitly.

Although primarily a discussion paper for teachers, Teaching Reading IS Rocket Science is equally directed to faculties of education and providers of professional development. One major section fleshes out an ideal reading curriculum for teacher preparation and in-service. With a language level suitable for a broad audience, Rocket Science is also accessible to parents and education policymakers.

Moats reports that scientists now estimate that 95 percent of all children can be taught to read well. Yet our success rates fall well below this figure. While 20% of all students have significant reading problems, reading failure rates for minority and poor American children range from 60%-70%. Canadian reading assessments (1998) suggest about 40% of our 13 year-old students perform at the lowest two levels of reading skills on a five-point scale.

Even children at high risk for reading failure can learn, if their teachers know how to use the right teaching strategies:

• Systematic and explicit instruction in the code system
• Direct teaching of decoding, comprehension, and literature appreciation.
• Phoneme awareness instruction
• Daily exposure to a variety of texts and incentives to read independently
• Vocabulary instruction that emphasizes the relationships among word structure, origin, and meaning
• Comprehension strategies that include predicting outcomes, summarizing, clarifying, questioning, and visualizing
• Frequent opportunities to write

However, Moats observes that few teachers are sufficiently well prepared to carry out such instruction. Teacher preparation programs have failed to adequately prepare teacher candidates to teach reading. Moats argues that schools of education must do a better job of transmitting knowledge about language and learning to teacher candidates.

Reading teachers already in the system would benefit from exposure to the recent research-based findings on language, reading and writing. Their professional development should be linked to continuous in-class coaching. Moats suggests teachers who know they can achieve results because their programs and training have prepared them will stay in the profession, experience a high degree of job satisfaction, and boost confidence in public education through their success

Moats concludes that while parents, tutors, and the community can contribute to reading success, classroom instruction must be viewed as the critical factor in preventing reading problems and the primary focus for change:

"Just about all children can be taught to read and deserve no less from their teachers. Teachers, in turn, deserve no less than the knowledge, skills, and supported practice that will enable their teaching to succeed. There is no more important challenge for education to undertake."

Copies of Teaching Reading IS Rocket Science are available from the American Federation of Teachers @ $5 per copy (Item No. 372) or from the educational issues section on the AFT website: http://www.aft.org.