kitchen table math, the sequel: an acronym I can live with

Monday, November 10, 2008

an acronym I can live with

DISEC

direct
intensive
systematic
early
comprehensive

National Right to Read Foundation
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7 comments:

ElizabethB said...

And they now link to blend phonics!

I also like their Phonics Primer, it's simple, and warns against guessing and advocates learning all the phonics basics before learning to read.

Their reading grade level test is also good, unlike most tests, it doesn't give false positive scores to children who have memorized a lot of sight words but can't truly read.

(They link to these on their home page, nrrf.org.)

And, I recommend the Robert Sweet interview. I transcribed it! It took way longer than I though it would--I type fast, I thought it would be quick. I didn't realize how fast people talk.

November 10, 2008 at 8:55 PM
palisadesk said...

The NRRF site is a lot like a Salvation Army thrift shop -- there are treasures to be found, but also more than a little junk as well as outright c***. NRRP omits effective products for parents (and schools) that it knows about, for "political" reasons of its own, while promoting products that have a long history of fraud and illegal marketing and advertising, like the "Phonics Game" products and "Hooked on Phonics."

For a sobering look at the former, see an update to Gary Adams' research. Blogger would not allow me to embed the link, but if you google Adams "Phonics Game" and click not on the link to "Phonics Game Original Report" but to the word "cached" underneath, it will come up.

The NRRP knew all of this way back in 2000 and before.

Now, they recommend some quality stuff, but it is definitely "buyer beware."

BTW, my problem with "DISEC" is that none of its proponents could ever, in multiple discussions ad nauseam, be induced to elaborate on what was meant, and the details matter. WHAT would be directly taught, in WHAT kind of systematic manner, HOW early, HOW intensively, and so on. Unfortunately, the NRRF spokespersons dodged, avoided, ducked and bluffed.

If you don't know what the heck you're trying to say, an acronym does not help.

Sorry to rain on the parade of an otherwise good cause, but such nonsense discredits the very important positive goals the NRRF seeks to promote.

November 11, 2008 at 3:58 AM
ElizabethB said...

While the NRRF does recommend The Phonics Game, they don't recommend "Hooked on Phonics" in their recommended phonics products section.

There is an essay or two where people talk about "Hooked on Phonics" positively, but they don't recommend it overall.

November 11, 2008 at 8:35 AM
Catherine Johnson said...

I recommend the Robert Sweet interview. I transcribed it!

Is it on your site?

November 24, 2008 at 6:31 PM
Catherine Johnson said...

NRRP omits effective products for parents (and schools) that it knows about, for "political" reasons of its own

Oh, no!

Boy, I'm sure glad you told us.

I would have had no idea.

November 24, 2008 at 6:32 PM
Catherine Johnson said...

Should I not use "DISEC"?

I guess I'm asking a political question that only someone like you can answer...."DISEC" works in a local context, but if it immediately conjures up these issues amongst people who know the field, then....I'll have to drop it.

Hooked on Phonics: are we "yay" or "nay"?

It's a good thing I write a blog....

November 24, 2008 at 6:34 PM
Catherine Johnson said...

If you ever needed an illustration of a parent's learning curve being speeded up, this is it.

November 24, 2008 at 6:34 PM

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