April 17, 2010

A Fine Mess

In teaching language, errors of commission like those above are pretty common. Even more common, however, are errors of omission. If teachers simply omit any information about the morphological structure of words (often because they are unaware themselves), then students persist in approaching words as whole pieces, or as units analyzable by sound only. If teachers commit the error of omitting instruction in favor of memorization, then students will come to think of words and spelling as things to be memorized, rather than as things to be studied, investigated and understood.
March 21, 2011

A Measured Respose to Crazy Rumors

I’ve been a bit of a lunatic about the moon this winter.  Its bright fullness through my unadorned windows, especially “on the breast of the new-fallen […]
January 10, 2012

Simply Put: Part I

This past fall, I attended the annual conference of the International Dyslexia Association (IDA), as I have nearly every fall for the past dozen years. I […]