Whatever Happened to the Art of Teaching Reading?

With the publication of the report of the National Reading Panel as well as the Common Core Standards, reading instruction has been viewed as a science. Scientific inquiry has identified phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension as key critical reading competencies for students to master. Teachers have been mandated to follow reading instruction protocols that are based on scientific research. While not denying the need for scientifically validated approaches to teaching reading, it is important to note that teaching reading is also an art. Yet, the emphasis on the science of teaching reading has diminished artful approaches to reading instruction. In his presentation, Dr. Rasinski will make the case that effective teaching reading is both an art and science, and he will use reading fluency as an example of ways that reading instruction can be taught as both an art and a science.