A Linguist Takes on Literacy Teaching

Children routinely struggle with reading and writing, and linguist Lyn Stone say that it can be traced back to what teachers are being taught during their training, or not.

She doesn’t mince words: “Teachers are graduating without practical knowledge of spelling, handwriting and sentence construction.

“Teacher training institutes, for the most part, are run by academics who have a poor grasp of the up-to-date research on literacy acquisition. They exist in silos, bubbles, and they lack any kind of accountability. It’s perfectly acceptable for these dinosaurs to rattle off the tired, debunked theories of reading from last century and not face the consequences of their malpractice. They need to be defunded.”

Once on the job, teachers contend with other stresses that compound the issue, “Teachers already have a huge amount on their plates from and admin and logistics perspective. They are overworked and not paid as the professionals they are. Added on top of this is the woeful training they get as part of their degree courses,” says Stone.

“This is the only public profession where standards are not rigorous. Imagine realising you’re given blunt tools and now you have to pay to get proper training, on top of your HECs debt. That’s one of the chief factors in the mass exodus from teaching we’re seeing right now. Inadequately trained teachers also have to face the uncomfortable fact that they let their students down. This is a terrible realisation to deal with.

“I believe it's time for a national inquiry into teacher preparation for literacy. We've spent years debating programs, curricula and classroom practices, but we haven't taken a close enough look at what graduate teachers are actually expected to know before they enter the profession.”

Stone believes Universities should ensure every graduate has a sound understanding of English orthography, including phonology, morphology, etymology, and the historical conventions that shape the English writing system. They should understand how children learn to read, spell, and write, how to identify when a child is struggling, and how to provide explicit instruction that builds confidence as well as competence.

This knowledge should be demonstrated in practice. Student teachers need repeated opportunities to teach, receive feedback and refine their craft before they graduate.

“A national inquiry would allow us to examine what is currently being taught, identify examples of excellence, and establish a shared expectation for the knowledge every beginning teacher should possess. The goal isn't to criticise universities or teachers. It's to ensure that every graduate enters the classroom with the strongest possible foundation for teaching literacy,” says Stone.

Stone's book, Foundations for Life, challenges the assumption that Australia’s literacy problem begins when a child enters a classroom and struggles to keep up.

At the heart of Foundations for Life is Elliot, whose early enthusiasm for school began to disappear as reading, spelling, and writing became increasingly difficult.

His mother, Kaeleen Ekin, could see his literacy skills sliding. Harder to watch was the erosion of his confidence.

“I could see his literacy skills slipping, however the hardest part was watching his belief in himself as a learner begin to fade,” Kaeleen said.

Due to extensive travel and other roles in her business, Stone didn’t have time to tutor Elliot but wanted to give him the information he was clearly missing. So, she thought, “What do I want him to know and how do I get his mum to teach him that?”

“It started as some printed sheets that I put together for him and would email through to his mum. When I got the chance, I would go round and see how he was doing and what he needed next. All of this prompted the work that became the book. It’s almost like I wrote it by accident! It just came pouring out.”

The format worked with Elliott and mum rebuilt her son’s reading, spelling, and handwriting through short, structured lessons she could deliver at home.

Stone says, “After 30 years in this business you develop a keen sense of what works and what doesn’t, especially when you’re constrained by time or distance. I had to make it easy for his mum to apply and I had to make the lessons short enough but engaging enough to actually make a difference for him. He could see his progress, he experienced success, he transferred that to reading and writing outside the lessons. You should see the letter he wrote to the Victorian Ed Dept Regional Director asking if he could attend a school he wasn’t in the correct zone for!”

According to an endorser of Foundations for Life, Distinguished Professor Pamela Snow, Professor of Cognitive Psychology and Co-Director of the Science of Language and Reading Lab at La Trobe University, the issue goes directly to teacher professionalism, workforce longevity and classroom success.

“What threatens teacher professionalism and workforce longevity is the creeping realisation that they have not been adequately equipped for classroom practice, using effective approaches for positive behaviour support and instructional success."

“This is not a story about parents replacing teachers,” Stone says, “It shows that complex linguistic knowledge can be made clear, practical and teachable. “If a parent can use it with guidance, every teacher deserves access to it before taking responsibility for a classroom.

“We cannot keep asking children to be resilient while sending teachers into classrooms to fill gaps in their own education.

“Literacy is too important to depend on goodwill, guesswork or professional learning completed at night.

“The question universities must answer is direct: if teachers are qualified to teach literacy, why are so many still searching for the knowledge after graduation?,” Stone says.

Foundations for Life is now available at  https://www.silvereye.com.au/foundations-for-life/prod12426