Stephen Lecce, the Minister of Education for the Ontario provincial government, has announced that they are revamping their kindergarten curriculum to be implemented in the fall of 2025, as evidence-based research indicates that instruction in explicit phonics is critical for teaching children to read. Ontario will now be focused on modernizing the way reading is taught, investing our $77.5 million to support reading intervention and an early reading screening tool.
Todd Cunningham, a clinical psychologist and associate professor at U of T, hopes to see activities that promote phonemic awareness, such as rhymes and singing that allow students to identify and manipulate sound. He also expects there to be expectations around connecting those sounds to symbols.
Cunningham said,
“The research has shown you have to first develop decoding before you can develop orthographic systems.” “It’s exciting! – The research is very clear. Someone who is struggling with reading, if we can intervene by the end of grade one, there is an 80% chance that we can make them a typical reader. But if we wait just to grade two, that drops to 50%. Early is the Key! It’s about re- engaging with the science that’s out there and bringing that back.”
I am personally pleased that government experts in education are finally planning to implement what Verideia has faithfully been practising since its inception and start to follow the science. Even once ‘deadly’ singing, experts are saying may have some educational value. Who knew? Verideia’s early screening and intervention program, headed up by Mrs. Branan is called Search and Teach. S&T has been around for 40+ years but just now government experts want to invest $12.5 million, and use this concept to help students starting in 2025.
Sadly, even if the government does go “Back to Basics” regarding reading instruction, but not “Back to God,” it will continue to reject the Lordship of Christ over all instruction only making students more susceptible to pagan ideologies.
“The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles but to irrigate deserts. The right defense against false sentiments is to inculcate just sentiments. By starving the sensibility of our pupils we only make them easier prey to the propagandist when he comes. Too late!”
– C.S. Lewis, Abolition of Man
