I imagine I will have several people cutting out the front page article from the Sunday Omaha World herald on playing in kindergarten and putting it in my mailbox. Put away the scissors, I already read it and completely disagree with the notion that kindergarten should be spent playing. The World Herald is responding to a statement from the early childhood people at the Nebraska Department of Education, who do not want students taught by direct instruction.I have attended all of the state reading panel meetings organized by Nebraska Reading First and have heard Nebraska Department of Education early childhood specialist Melody Hobson talk about how "play" is just as effective at teaching early literacy skills as other methods. There are no scientific studies to support this idea. Her belief is based on "brain research" and how some cognitive theorists believe the brain operates.
Reading First schools in Nebraska have shown evidence that direct, explicit teaching of phonemic awareness and phonics is an effective way to teach kindergarten students to read. And it is effective with all types of students, i.e. special education students, english language learners, children living in poverty. This was not mentioned in the World Herald article.
There are an increasing number of schools in Nebraska adopting the Reading First methods of instruction in kindergarten and the early childhood people in Lincoln are not happy about it. The early childhood statement that they are presenting to the Nebraska State Board of Education is aimed at countering this trend. Fortunately, there are a growing number of school administrators in Nebraska who are looking at scientific reading research and not "brain research."
The early childhood office is also the group mandating that any child who turns five before October 15 should attend kindergarten, no five year olds in public pre-schools. Age and maturity shouldn't matter if all they are going to do is play. I can't find a school administrator in Northeast Nebraska who thinks this mandate is a good idea.
I am committed to teaching kindergarten students to read using direct, explicit instruction methods, regardless of what propaganda is printed in the World Herald. I will talk about the misinformation that was included in the article in a later blog.
