Making sense of the great reading debate: A guide to the science and practice of helping all children read
The first talk of the Faculty of Education’s new Public Lecture Series will be given by Faculty of Education Dean Robert Savage who will consider his own domain on early reading research, and teaching. The goal of this talk is to help all stakeholders in the community navigate through the complex and sometimes contested space of early reading teaching practices. Savage will review the research on the role of phonics and wider oral and written language in reading acquisition, and its implication for practice and policy.
A key goal is to dismantle unhelpful dichotomies that have held both research and practice back, and to create positions that are ‘research-driven’ but also informed by the complexities of children and classrooms. He will also describe two recent research themes exemplifying this needed balance, delivered at scale in Canada and around the world.
The talk will be of interest to parents, teachers, administrators, policy makers and indeed, anybody interested in aiding all children’s early literacy.
Robert Savage is currently the Dean of the Faculty of Education at York University. Savage is particularly interested in preventing early reading and spelling problems, often using technology. A school-based psychologist and classroom teacher by training, he has an interest in making schools effective learning places for all children. He is the
author or co-author of over 100 highly cited peer-reviewed journal and web articles, chapters, and reviews; and frequently presents his research at international conferences.
The Faculty of Education’s Public Lecture Series will feature leading scholars from the Faculty to share their research and scholarship on key publicly relevant issues in education and society.
