[Reading-hall-of-fame] Re: response from PBS

Wed May 22 22:45:05 BST 2019

RHF Colleagues,
 I’m in favour of some kind of campaign to achieve the two broad aims of  (i) Disseminating credible interpretations of the research, theory, and classroom practice that is continually emerging in our field (ii) Countering ( rebutting) the spurious claims and destructive policies being imposed by bureaucrats, politicians, ignorant journalists, and shonky program designers.

 For the last few years I’ve been involved with groups in USA and Oz trying to organise and implement such campaigns.

So far we’ve achieved very little. One of the issues both groups have is a strongly held “Enlightement" belief that all we need to do is engage in rationale debate, share the research which disproves our adversaries  claims ( and proves ours)  and everything will be OK once we get that information “ out there”.

It’s the “ how we get it out there”  processes  that have worked against either of these groups achieving much change.

My experience of being in such groups is that the traditional letters to the editor, presentations at conferences,  books and chapters in books, articles in refereed journals and/or popular magazines,  etc simply don’t work anymore. Writing them might make us feel good and give us a chance to vent some hubris, but they achieve very little.

Unless we have the time, funds, and personnel to learn how to use social media like neocon ideologues, unless we have narratives based on beliefs and values that resonate with those we’re trying to influence, unless we have an army of trolls and supporters organised and ready to develop , disseminate, (and rebut) the falsehoods they manufacture and disseminate, then we won’t achieve what we’d all like to achieve.

Organising such a campaign means hours of meetings to identify what our values are, expressing these in language that is accessible to many different audiences, developing narratives based on those values, and deciding which platforms ( you tube, FB, Twitter, Blogs, Instagram etc) we use to get those narratives “ out there”.

Have a bunch of elderly scholars like us have the time, energy, or resources to design and mount such a campaign?

I know I suffer from what my family and colleagues call a“glass half empty personality disorder” but I’m willing to be convinced I’m wrong.
 Brian Cambourne

On 22 May 2019, at 10:24 pm, Cathy Roller <rollercm at gmail.com<mailto:rollercm at gmail.com>> wrote:

How about a media campaign, Children learn to read in different ways. PSAs that show how different kids learn.  Feature PSAs with kids and parents and teachers talk about how they learn. Maybe Reading specialists talking about the same topic. Put money into a campaign.

C

On Tue, May 21, 2019 at 2:02 PM Colin Harrison <Colin.Harrison at nottingham.ac.uk<mailto:Colin.Harrison at nottingham.ac.uk>> wrote:
I love this worrying thought from Diane Ravitch’s piece:

“The definitive work on the Reading Wars was written by Harvard Professor (and former kindergarten teacher) Jeanne Chall, titled Learning to Read: The Great Debate in 1967.
Nothing new has been said since then.”

Google Scholar has a different perspective, and offers 1,160,000 publications on reading from 1967-2019 (this of course includes the 17,000 that link ‘Ravitch’ and ‘reading’).

Colin

From: <reading-hall-of-fame-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk<mailto:reading-hall-of-fame-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk>> on behalf of P Pearson <ppearson at berkeley.edu<mailto:ppearson at berkeley.edu>>
Date: Tuesday, 21 May 2019 at 05:56
To: Denny Taylor <Denny.Taylor at hofstra.edu<mailto:Denny.Taylor at hofstra.edu>>
Cc: "reading-hall-of-fame at lists.nottingham.ac.uk<mailto:reading-hall-of-fame at lists.nottingham.ac.uk>" <reading-hall-of-fame at lists.nottingham.ac.uk<mailto:reading-hall-of-fame at lists.nottingham.ac.uk>>
Subject: [Reading-hall-of-fame] Re: response from PBS

I ran across this entry on Diane Ravitch's blog.  A good example of how NOT to approach the issue:

https://dianeravitch.net/2019/05/20/nancy-bailey-shame-on-pbs-for-its-misleading-program-on-reading-instruction/?fbclid=IwAR1bHL7UgG2IIeN7C0DK6ndUxAlFy_GcpMi6IxI1i-PiE7dHV_JfgZPRv1s

On Mon, May 20, 2019 at 1:39 PM Denny Taylor <Denny.Taylor at hofstra.edu<mailto:Denny.Taylor at hofstra.edu>> wrote:
Garn Press could repost if the RHF gives permission.

We are a no-profit press supporting teachers and scientists. We publish below cost to make sure teachers have access to GP books.

We also have a large network of educational bloggers who repost with Garn on a regular basis. I am sure many would also repost the letter. Add GP's social media reach and the letter would be widely distributed.

You can access GP here: https://www.garnpress.com/

Denny

________________________________
From: reading-hall-of-fame-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk<mailto:reading-hall-of-fame-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk> <reading-hall-of-fame-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk<mailto:reading-hall-of-fame-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk>> on behalf of Risko, Victoria J <victoria.j.risko at Vanderbilt.Edu<mailto:victoria.j.risko at Vanderbilt.Edu>>
Sent: Friday, May 17, 2019 1:40:18 AM
To: Norman Stahl; reinkin at clemson.edu<mailto:reinkin at clemson.edu>; reading-hall-of-fame at lists.nottingham.ac.uk<mailto:reading-hall-of-fame at lists.nottingham.ac.uk>
Subject: [Reading-hall-of-fame] Re: response from PBS

EXTERNAL MESSAGE
Good suggestion, Norm.  Very important for us to be proactive.  Vicki

Professor Emerita, Language, Literacy, Culture
Vanderbilt University
2011-2012 President, International Literacy Association
http://www.readinghalloffame.org/victoria-risko-inducted-2011<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.readinghalloffame.org%2Fvictoria-risko-inducted-2011&data=02%7C01%7Cdenny.taylor%40hofstra.edu%7C5261cbfd75d74fdcac0708d6da68b551%7Ce32fc43d7c6246d9b49fcd53ba8d9424%7C0%7C1%7C636936540610451290&sdata=YU4pySt8CzFVnlGl3ryB3Pg6l8gpFSezKJBaP9IeHe4%3D&reserved=0>
Co-author, Professional Learning in Action: An inquiry approach for teachers of literacy. (Risko & Vogt), 2016.  NY:Teachers College Press.

________________________________
From: reading-hall-of-fame-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk<mailto:reading-hall-of-fame-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk> [reading-hall-of-fame-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk<mailto:reading-hall-of-fame-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk>] on behalf of Norman Stahl [flowercjs at aol.com<mailto:flowercjs at aol.com>]
Sent: Thursday, May 16, 2019 11:36 AM
To: reinkin at clemson.edu<mailto:reinkin at clemson.edu>; reading-hall-of-fame at lists.nottingham.ac.uk<mailto:reading-hall-of-fame at lists.nottingham.ac.uk>
Subject: [Reading-hall-of-fame] Re: response from PBS

Folks

I tried to post this when the discussion of this issue first popped up...let's try once again as it may be even more appropriate now.

We spend so much time in a reactive role as with the recent NPR piece.

The need is...of course...to be a great deal more proactive as a group (at least within the legal requirements impacting the RHF).

We each need to become active with the EWA (https://www.ewa.org<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ewa.org&data=02%7C01%7Cdenny.taylor%40hofstra.edu%7C5261cbfd75d74fdcac0708d6da68b551%7Ce32fc43d7c6246d9b49fcd53ba8d9424%7C0%7C0%7C636936540610451290&sdata=pEe2KKC7p7G7rrjcj41lJL2DnCvhaJ8y%2F39r9ATPkUk%3D&reserved=0>).

The good Dr. Pearson once noted that he made a presentation to the group back during the midst of the Reading Wars.

Even your signing up for their daily news release would make sense so as to have the lay of the land at least somewhat before certain topics hit more general release.

Just a thought.....

Norm

Norman Stahl
flowercjs at aol.com<mailto:flowercjs at aol.com>
https://www.readinghalloffame.org/node/658

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