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“Whole language” and moral panic in Australia

Yıl 2007, Cilt: 3 Sayı: 2, 30 - 51, 01.08.2007

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This paper examines the media and political landscapes within which “whole language” is currently constituted in Australia. Through surveying the themes and rhetoric deployed in media texts over recent years, we consider how “whole language” has been taken up as part of a wider media campaign around education generally. We consider how this campaign has been instrumental in constructing a moral panic around literacy education in particular. We begin with an overview of how the literacy standards of Australia's young people compare on international measures with young people elsewhere. We consider how the media has bundled these with populist concerns about literacy pedagogy and other educational issues to create a sense of national crisis about education. We argue that the sociological concept of "moral panic" provides a useful and systematic theoretical framework for reading these discursive tactics of the media. Finally, we examine how a National Inquiry into literacy responded to this panic by reinscribing a familiar – and unhelpful - binary between “whole language” and phonics-based instruction. In the title and in the body of the paper we keep “whole language” in quotation marks to remind the readers that use of the term in the media texts that are analysed differs widely from its usage by literacy specialists

Kaynakça

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  • Anderson, V., Bowey, J., Bretherton, L., Brunsdon, R., Castles, A., Coltheart, M., Coltheart, V., Cupples, L., de Lemos, M., Fielding-Barnsley, R., Fletcher, J., Heath, S., Hogben, J., Iacono, T., Joy, P., McArthur, G., Newell, P., Nickels, L., Smith-Lock, K., Stuart, G.W., Wheldall, K., Byrne, B., Hempenstall, K., Leito, S., Pammer, K., & Prior, M. (2004, March). Reading instruction in Australian schools: An ‘open’ letter to Dr Brendan Nelson, Australian Government Minister for Education, Science and Training. Retrieved from: http://www.rrf.org.uk/the%20australian%20scene.htm.
  • Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) (nd). Programme for International Assessment (PISA) Reports. Available at http://www.ozpisa.acer.edu.au/kf_read.html. Accessed 11/11/06.
  • Buckingham, D. (1993) Children talking television: The making of television literacy. London: The Falmer Press.
  • Cambourne, B. (2006a). Dorothy Dix meets Slim Dusty: Politics and the framing of literacy education in Australia. In B. Doecke, M. Howie & W. Sawyer (Eds.), Only Connect: English teaching, schooling and community. (pp.120-135). Kent Town, SA, Australia: AATE/Wakefield Press.
  • Cambourne, B. (2006b). The marketing of literacy failure in Australia: Why and how. In B. Doecke, M. Howie & W. Sawyer (Eds.), Only Connect: English teaching, schooling and community. (pp. 179-194). Kent Town, SA, Australia: AATE/Wakefield Press.
  • Cook, D. (2001). Exchange value as pedagogy in children's leisure: Moral panics in children's culture at century's end. Leisure sciences, 23(2), 81-98
  • Critcher, C. (2003). Moral panics and the media. Buckingham, UK: Open University Press.
  • Davies, M. M., & Machin, D. (2000). Children’s Demon TV- reality, freedom, panic: Children’s discussions of 'The Demon Headmaster'. Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies, 14, ( 1), 37-49.
  • Delandshere, G. (2006). ‘Scientific’ research in disguise and the threat to a spirit of inquiry. In B. Doecke, M. Howie & W. Sawyer (Eds.), Only Connect: English teaching, schooling and community. (pp.69-82). Kent Town, SA, Australia: AATE/Wakefield Press.
  • Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) (2005). Teaching reading: Report and recommendations. Retrieved from http://www.dest.gov.au/nitl/documents/report_recommendations.pdf 17 April 2007.
  • Donnelly, K. (2004d). Why our schools are failing. Potts Point, Australia: Duffy and Snellgrove.
  • Donnelly, K. (2007). Dumbing down: Outcomes based and politically correct- the impact of the culture wars on our schools. Prahran, Australia: Hardie Grant Books.
  • Freebody, P. & Luke, A. (1990). Literacies programs: Debates and demands in cultural context. Prospect: Australian Journal of TESOL, 5(7), 7-16.
  • Giroux, H. A. (2000). Stealing innocence: Corporate culture’s war on children. New York: Palgrave.
  • Green, B. (1999). Curriculum, literacy and the state: Re ‘right’-ing English? Pedagogy, culture and society, 7(3), 385-407
  • Green, B. & Hodgens, J. (1996). Manners, morals, meanings: English teaching, language education and the subject of ‘Grammar’. In B. Green & C. Beavis (Eds.), Teaching the English subjects: Essays on curriculum history and Australian schooling, (204- 228), Geelong, Australia: Deakin University Press.
  • Kline, S., Stewart, K. & Murphy, D. (2006). Media literacy in the risk society: Toward a risk reduction strategy. Canadian journal of education, 29(1), 131- 153.
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  • Wilkinson, A. (1986). The quality of writing. Milton Keynes: Open University Press.
  • News Articles and Media Releases
  • Albrechtsen, J. (2004a, April 28). Latham stutters over reading revolution. The Australian.
  • Albrechtsen, J. (2004b, November 17). Rhetoric hides the human face of illiteracy. The Australian.
  • Albrechtsen, J. (2006, February 1). Textbook case of making our past a blame game. The Australian.
  • Bockman, M. W. (2006, October 10). Castro's schools first class, say our teachers. The Australian.
  • Bremner, C. (2006, September 6). French teachers plan strike as education goes back to basics. The Australian.
  • Buckingham, J. (2004a, November 10). All teaching methods are not equal. The Australian.
  • Buckingham, J. (2004b, November 22). Phonics needs more than lip-service. The Australian.
  • Buckingham, Jennifer (2004c, May 24). Putting science into art of teaching. The Australian.
  • Buckingham, J. (2004d, November 29). School tests not catching poor readers. The Australian..
  • Buckingham, J. (2005, May 2). Psychology dominates reading debate. The Australian.
  • Cooper, D. (2004a, April 22). It's still as simple as ABC: Teachers reject reading plan criticism. The Australian.
  • Cooper, D. (2004b, April 21). Phonics at core of new literacy war. The Australian.
  • de Lemos, M. (2004, November 29). For a surprise, revive 1933 reading test. The Australian.
  • Donnelly, K. (2004a, November 13). How we lost the plot in reading. The Australian.
  • Donnelly, K. (2004b, May 3). Ideology at public expense. The Australian.
  • Donnelly, K. (2004c, October 18). Unified approach works against choice, flexibility. The Australian.
  • Donnelly, K. (2005a, February 9). Cannon fodder of the culture wars. The Australian.
  • Donnelly, K. (2005b, February 5). Fads no substitute for teaching. The Australian.
  • Donnelly, K. (2005c, November 25). The literacy and numeracy crisis in our classrooms. The Australian.
  • Donnelly, K. (2005d, December 9). Main questions left unanswered. The Australian.
  • Donnelly, K. (2005e, November 19). Unsound approach won't take us far. The Australian.
  • Donnelly, K. (2006a, April 15). Choice is not a dirty word. The Australian.
  • Donnelly, K. (2006b, May 13). Go back to basics, and put literacy teaching on the same page. The Australian.
  • Donnelly, K. (2006c, May 27). It's wrong if you can't write. The Australian.
  • Donnelly, K. (2006d, May 11). Local schools, global standards. The Australian.
  • Donnelly, K. (2006e, August 15). Look-and-guess teaching not acceptable. The Australian.
  • Donnelly, K. (2006f, January 21). Sciences in subjective mode. The Australian.
  • Editorial/Leader (2004, April 21). A sound approach to reading skills. The Australian.
  • Editorial/ Leader (2005, October 22). Sticking to the book. The Australian.
  • Editorial/ Leader (2005b, December 8). Literacy war is reignited. The Australian.
  • Editorial/ Leader (2005c, December 9). Spelling it out. The Australian.
  • Editorial/ Leader (2006, June 9). Cultural cringe. The Australian.
  • Farrelly, R. (2005, March 25). Let the market decide the best approach. The Australian.
  • Ferrari, J. (2006a, August 1). Spelling fad cost kids 14pc drop in results. The Australian.
  • Ferrari, J. (2006b, May 10). $700 a year for vouchers to get tuition in reading. The Australian.
  • Hempenstall, K. (2004, November 10). Promise of a new chapter for readers. The Australian.
  • Illing, D. (2004, November 12). Back to basics best for black kids. The Australian.
  • Kolker, R. (2006, May 13). Learn to read with feeling. The Australian.
  • Lane, B. (2005a, October 21) ATSIC website in exam ‘an insult’. The Australian.
  • Lane, B. (2005b, November 9). Research decodes the building blocks of literacy. The Australian.
  • Macnamara, L. (2005a, December 2). Reading strategy unsound, says academic. The Australian.
  • Macnamara, L. (2005b, October 29-30). Students compare Keats to SMS text. The Australian.
  • Maiden, S. (2004a, November 30). Inquiry to test best way to read. The Australian. 30 November.
  • Maiden, S. (2004b, November 9) Literacy now matter of prime concern. The Australian.
  • Maiden, S. (2004c, December 1). Turn off TV and tune in to reading. The Australian.
  • Maiden, S. (2005a, December 8). Call for literacy to return to basics. The Australian.
  • Maiden, S. (2005b, November 26). National exams for 5-year-olds. The Australian.
  • Maiden, S. (2005c, November 11) Testing blitz in reading reforms. The Australian.
  • Maiden, S., & Hart, C. (with additional reporting by J. Roberts & R. Emery) (2005, December 9). States back phonics push, but it's not the only answer. The Australian.
  • Maiden, S. & Warne-Smith, D. (2004, November 10). Words fail one in three in remedial reading program. The Australian.
  • McDonald, A. (2004, November 10). Shop's phonics classes fill in the learning gap. The Australian.
  • McIlroy, A. (2005, February 10). Who’s for Shakespeare. The Australian.
  • Meiers, M. (2004, May 5). Polarised views leave teachers in the cold. The Australian.
  • Nelson, Dr Brendan Media Centre (2004a, January 30). Media Release: Australian students achieving essential literacy and numeracy standards. Retrieved November, 11, 2006 from http://www.dest.gov.au/Ministers/Media/Nelson/2004/01/n598300104.asp
  • Nelson, Dr Brendan Media Centre (2004b, November 30). Media Release: National inquiry into literacy teaching. Retrieved November, 11, 2006 from http://www.dest.gov.au/ministers/media/nelson/2004/11/n1016301104.asp.
  • Nelson, Dr Brendan Media Centre (2004c, December 1) Radio transcript: Literacy Inquiry. Alan Jones Programme - Radio 2UE. Retrieved November, 11, 2006 from http://www.dest.gov.au/Ministers/Media/Nelson/2004/12/tran011204.asp.
  • Nelson, Dr Brendan Media Centre (2004d, December 9) Media Release: Address to the first meeting of the Committee of Inquiry into the teaching of literacy. Retrieved November, 11, 2006 from http://www.dest.gov.au/Ministers/Media/Nelson/2004/12/tran091204.asp.
  • Pearson, N. (2004, November 12). Reading inquiry welcome. The Australian.
  • Ritchie, D. (2004, December 6). Let's start phonics training with the teachers”. The Australian.
  • Roberts, J. (2004, November 22). Jury out on literacy row. The Australian.
  • Rowbotham, J. (2005, September 23). Attack on critical literacy rings Shakespearean Bell. The Australian.
  • Slattery, L. (2005, July 9). Learning plan `flawed'. The Australian.
  • West, A. (2005, August 16). Parents to get jargon-free reports. The Australian.
  • Yaman, E. (2004, April 21). It's an old debate, but don't dismiss it lightly. The Australian. Notes
  • The OECD (Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development) is an international
  • organisation established in the 1960s with 30 core member countries including most
  • European countries, as well as Canada, USA, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and
  • Korea. Member countries are characterised by their commitment to democratic governance
  • and market economics and provide a stable base for comparative international research on
  • social and economic indicators of national wellbeing amongst member countries and beyond.
  • The OECD conducts research across a range of areas but the most interesting to educators
  • has been PISA. This program began a three year cycle of testing of 15 year olds in 2000 and
  • continued in 2003 and 2006 with between 4,500 and 10,000 students tested in each
  • participating country using equivalent test instruments. The number of countries involved has
  • expanded with each round of testing with fifty-seven countries in the most recent round.
  • Rather than being embroiled in the local politics of curriculum instruction and assessment,
  • PISA measures the extent to which young people have mastered literacies in reading,
  • mathematical and scientific domains of knowledge by this point in their schooling and how
  • well they can apply these literacies to the real world. PISA also collects a vast array of
  • information about student backgrounds.
  • ii Public school education is largely controlled and funded by the states in Australia, who
  • manage most elements of curriculum, assessment and reporting. However the federal
  • (national) government has considerable and increasing control via its capacity to allocate
  • additional special purpose grants to schools and its more general funding of the states.
  • Schools in the rapidly expanding private sector receive direct funding from the federal
  • government (Ryan and Watson, 2004). Universities, and thus teacher education, have always
  • been funded and directly controlled across the nation by the federal government, though
  • recent policies are increasingly forcing “public” universities to depend on private sources of
  • income. In the period 2004-2006, while nationally a conservative Liberal Party government
  • was in power, every state government in the nation was under Labor Party control. Education
  • has thus been one of several sites of skirmishes between these levels of government in recent years.
  • iii For an analysis of the actual announcement of the Reading Inquiry and a discussion of the
  • motivation behind the crisis rhetoric, see Cambourne, 2006a and 2006b.
  • iv It is important to note that the signatories were – and signed themselves as – clinical
  • hospital-based psychologists or neuropsychologists (4), academic psychologists (13), clinical
  • speech therapists (3), general academic researchers (1), special education academics (4),
  • medical researchers (1). Half of the number came from three universities. Thus, none
  • appeared to be, or at least none signed themselves as, academics associated with mainstream
  • schooling. The Macquarie University psychologists, Kevin Wheldall and Max Coltheart,
  • were named by Minister Nelson (2004d) as the key authors of the letter.
  • v With a well-known Sydney-based “shock-jock” and frequent Liberal party advocate.
  • vi For a discussion of the role of “evidence-based” research in literacy teaching, see Delandshere, 2006.
  • vii For example, though now a regular opinion writer in The Australian, Kevin Donnelly was a
  • staffer for another Minister in the current federal government until 2004 when he published
  • the book Why our schools are failing, for the conservative think tank, the Menzies Research
  • Centre. He recently released a companion volume Dumbing down. Outcomes based and
  • politically correct: The impact of the Culture Wars on our schools.
  • viii In the discussion which follows, some of the attacks on “whole language” are made by the
  • article authors and others are simply the relevant journalists quoting the opinions of others.
  • Direct advocates against “whole language” include Albrechtsen, de Lemos, Donnelly and
  • Hempenstall. deLemos and Hempenstall were academic signatories to the Nelson letter,
  • Albrechtsen and Donnelly are neoconservative commentators and Albrechtsen is an
  • Australian journalist. In this section of the paper, extended lists of citations to media articles
  • and press releases have been truncated in the text and shifted to Endnotes for easier reading.
  • ix Also de Lemos, 2004; Donnelly, 2005d, 2005e, 2006f; Ferrari, 2006a, 2006b; Kolker, 2006;
  • Maiden, 2004b, 2004c; Roberts, 2004; Yaman, 2004.
  • x Also Cooper, 2004b; Donnelly, 2004a, 2005b, 2005c, 2005d, 2005e, 2006b, 2006e; Ferrari,
  • a, 2006b; Hempenstall, 2004; Illing, 2004; Kolker, 2006; Lane, 2005b; Maiden, 2004b,
  • a, 2005c; Maiden and Warne-Smith, 2004; McDonald, 2004; Pearson, 2004; Roberts,
  • ; West, 2005; Yaman, 2004.
  • xi This 30% figure surfaces often in attacks on Australian education. It is largely based on a
  • national survey conducted as part of the Longitudinal surveys of Australian youth
  • (LSAY). In 1997, the Australian Council for Educational Research published a study of
  • reading comprehension and numeracy among (largely) 14 year-olds based on a comparison of
  • four large and four small sets of data gathered between 1975 and 1995. The tests were based
  • on "mastery", defined as the "competence... necessary for active participation in society". The
  • percentage of correct items that represented mastery on these tests was approximately 80%.
  • Thus, in 1995, 70% of 14-year-olds gained 80% or better on tests of reading comprehension
  • and, given that this result remained static since 1975, as the Australian population became
  • composed of far more NESB students, it ought to be seen as a net improvement over similar
  • results in 1975.That would seem to be the most accurate interpretation of the levels of reading
  • among Australian school students over that 20 year period, as represented by this research.
  • Readers are left to decide for themselves to what extent this constituted a "crisis". cf Sawyer, 1999.
  • xii Also implied in Albrechtsen, 2004b; deLemos, 2004; Donnelly, 2004a, 2005b, 2005c, 2006b.
  • xiii In one rather odd argument, the lack of interest in a national spelling bee was regarded as
  • “ominous” and indicative of Australians valuing education less than Americans (again,
  • despite the relative PISA results) (Roberts, 2004). The same article did reveal, however, that
  • the alleged “lack” of interest was due to “only” 25,000 students entering a national spelling
  • bee, while 800 students entered a state-based spelling bee at the same time.
  • xiv Also implied in Albrechtsen, 2004b; Buckingham, 2004b, 2004c; Donnelly, 2004a;
  • Maiden, 2005b, 2005c; McDonald, 2004; Roberts, 2004
  • xv Nelson called for mandatory literacy testing of trainee teachers on both entry and
  • graduation (Maiden, 2005a, 2005c) and Donnelly (2005e) added that they should also be
  • tested on knowledge of methods for teaching reading - teachers who had not been taught to
  • teach reading, nor experienced proper teaching of literacy themselves, were having to “make
  • it up as they go along” (Maiden 2004b)
  • xvi Also Donnelly, 2004a, 2005e, 2006c; Editorial 2005b, 2005c Hempenstall, 2004; Maiden,
  • b, 2005a; Maiden et al, 2005; Ritchie, 2004.
  • xvii Also Donnelly 2006f; Farrelly, 2005; Editorial, 2006.
  • xviii Also Donnelly 2006e, 2006f; Farrelly 2005; Slattery, 2005.
  • xix Also Donnelly 2006a, 2006f; Editorial, 2006; Slattery, 2005.
  • xx Green himself, Cambourne, Luke and Sawyer , amongst other educationalists, have been
  • repeatedly named in media articles in ways that might be considered as attempts to construct 'folk devils'.
  • xxi An example of the ideologically loaded and bizarre nature of these attacks can be seen in
  • one particular article (Bockman, 2006), which slams Australian teachers for daring to suggest
  • that Cuba had a high literacy rate. No argument is put forward to deny the claims – it is
  • apparently enough to deserve criticism to suggest that a communist nation might be
  • Australia, the education system doesn't serve you as well as it does in a number of other
  • countries, countries that we'd like to think we're similar to…The biggest problem is perhaps
  • the extent to which we are now depending on private investment in education. If you look at
  • the proportion of national wealth, of GDP spent on education Australia ranks 18th in the
  • OECD, if you look at the proportion spent from private sources, we rank 3rd …so we're
  • shifting balance of expenditure towards private capacity which I think reinforces the capacity
  • of people who are socially advantaged to care better for their own children" (Broadcast ABC
  • RN, 8.15am, Nov 20th).
  • xxv We surveyed submissions from individuals and teacher education faculties at: the
  • Australian Catholic University, University of Technology Sydney, University of New
  • England, University of Ballarat, Deakin University, Curtin University, Monash University,
  • Finders University, Sydney University, Charles Sturt University and Macquarie University
  • (where the Education faculty made a separate submission to that provided by the
  • psychologists associated with the Nelson letter). Most of the 453 submissions are available
  • online at: http://www.dest.gov.au/nitl/submission_index.htm
Yıl 2007, Cilt: 3 Sayı: 2, 30 - 51, 01.08.2007

Öz

Kaynakça

  • ALEA/AATE (2002) My Read: Strategies for teaching reading in the middle years. Retrieved from http://www.myread.org/ Accessed 24/11/06.
  • Apple, M. W. (2001). Educating the "right" way: Markets, standards, God and inequality. New York and London: Routledge Falmer.
  • Anderson, V., Bowey, J., Bretherton, L., Brunsdon, R., Castles, A., Coltheart, M., Coltheart, V., Cupples, L., de Lemos, M., Fielding-Barnsley, R., Fletcher, J., Heath, S., Hogben, J., Iacono, T., Joy, P., McArthur, G., Newell, P., Nickels, L., Smith-Lock, K., Stuart, G.W., Wheldall, K., Byrne, B., Hempenstall, K., Leito, S., Pammer, K., & Prior, M. (2004, March). Reading instruction in Australian schools: An ‘open’ letter to Dr Brendan Nelson, Australian Government Minister for Education, Science and Training. Retrieved from: http://www.rrf.org.uk/the%20australian%20scene.htm.
  • Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) (nd). Programme for International Assessment (PISA) Reports. Available at http://www.ozpisa.acer.edu.au/kf_read.html. Accessed 11/11/06.
  • Buckingham, D. (1993) Children talking television: The making of television literacy. London: The Falmer Press.
  • Cambourne, B. (2006a). Dorothy Dix meets Slim Dusty: Politics and the framing of literacy education in Australia. In B. Doecke, M. Howie & W. Sawyer (Eds.), Only Connect: English teaching, schooling and community. (pp.120-135). Kent Town, SA, Australia: AATE/Wakefield Press.
  • Cambourne, B. (2006b). The marketing of literacy failure in Australia: Why and how. In B. Doecke, M. Howie & W. Sawyer (Eds.), Only Connect: English teaching, schooling and community. (pp. 179-194). Kent Town, SA, Australia: AATE/Wakefield Press.
  • Cook, D. (2001). Exchange value as pedagogy in children's leisure: Moral panics in children's culture at century's end. Leisure sciences, 23(2), 81-98
  • Critcher, C. (2003). Moral panics and the media. Buckingham, UK: Open University Press.
  • Davies, M. M., & Machin, D. (2000). Children’s Demon TV- reality, freedom, panic: Children’s discussions of 'The Demon Headmaster'. Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies, 14, ( 1), 37-49.
  • Delandshere, G. (2006). ‘Scientific’ research in disguise and the threat to a spirit of inquiry. In B. Doecke, M. Howie & W. Sawyer (Eds.), Only Connect: English teaching, schooling and community. (pp.69-82). Kent Town, SA, Australia: AATE/Wakefield Press.
  • Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) (2005). Teaching reading: Report and recommendations. Retrieved from http://www.dest.gov.au/nitl/documents/report_recommendations.pdf 17 April 2007.
  • Donnelly, K. (2004d). Why our schools are failing. Potts Point, Australia: Duffy and Snellgrove.
  • Donnelly, K. (2007). Dumbing down: Outcomes based and politically correct- the impact of the culture wars on our schools. Prahran, Australia: Hardie Grant Books.
  • Freebody, P. & Luke, A. (1990). Literacies programs: Debates and demands in cultural context. Prospect: Australian Journal of TESOL, 5(7), 7-16.
  • Giroux, H. A. (2000). Stealing innocence: Corporate culture’s war on children. New York: Palgrave.
  • Green, B. (1999). Curriculum, literacy and the state: Re ‘right’-ing English? Pedagogy, culture and society, 7(3), 385-407
  • Green, B. & Hodgens, J. (1996). Manners, morals, meanings: English teaching, language education and the subject of ‘Grammar’. In B. Green & C. Beavis (Eds.), Teaching the English subjects: Essays on curriculum history and Australian schooling, (204- 228), Geelong, Australia: Deakin University Press.
  • Kline, S., Stewart, K. & Murphy, D. (2006). Media literacy in the risk society: Toward a risk reduction strategy. Canadian journal of education, 29(1), 131- 153.
  • Hooley, N. (2005). Let’s be clear about student-centred learning. Education review, 15 (45), 4.
  • Lakoff G. (2004) Don't think of an elephant Know your values and frame the debate. Vermont: Chelsea Green Publishing.
  • Lather, P. (2004). Scientific research in education: a critical perspective 1. British educational research journal. 30(6), 759-772.
  • Lather, P. & Moss, P. (2005) Introduction: Implications of the Scientific Research in Education Report for Qualitative Inquiry. Teachers College Record, 107(1), 1- 3.
  • Lokan, J., Greenwood, L., & Cresswell, J. (2001.) How literate are Australia’s students?: The PISA 2000 survey of students’ reading, mathematical and scientific literacy skills. Camberwell, Melbourne, Australia: ACER. Retrieved November, 11, 2006, from http://www.pisa.oecd.org/dataoecd/29/35/33683381.pdf.
  • Luke, A. (2005) Evidence-based state literacy policy: A critical alternative. In N. Bascia, A. Cumming, K. Leithwood & D. Livingstone (Eds.), International Handbook of Educational Policy (pp. 661-677). Dordrecht: Springer.
  • Luke, A., & Freebody, P. (1999a). Further notes on the Four Resources model. Reading Online. Retrieved November, 16, 2006, from www.readingonline.org.
  • Luke, A., & Freebody, P. (1999b). A map of possible practices: Further notes on the four resources model. Practically Primary, 4(2), 5-8.
  • Luke, A., & Kapitzke, C. (1999). Literacies and libraries: Archives and cybraries. Pedagogy, culture and society, 7 (3), 467-491.
  • Marsh, J. (2000). Teletubby tales: popular culture in the early years language and literacy curriculum. Contemporary issues in early childhood. 1(2), 119-133.
  • McGaw, B. (2006). Achieving quality and equity education. Lecture to Melbourne Education Research Institute. Retrieved March 29, 2007 from http://www.unisa.edu.au/hawkecentre/events/2006events/BarryMcGaw_prese ntation_Aug06.pdf
  • OECD. (2006). Are Students Ready for a Technology-Rich World? What PISA Studies Tell Us. Paris: OECD Publications. Retrieved January, 6, 2007 from http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/28/4/35995145.pdf
  • Ryan, C. & Watson, L. (2004). The Drift to Private Schools in Australia: Understanding its Features. Discussion paper 479. Canberra: Australian National University, Centre for Economic Policy Research. Retrieved January, 6, 2007 from http://dspace.anu.edu.au/bitstream/1885/42681/1/DP479.pdf.
  • Sanacore, J. (2007). Needed: Critics of literacy education with a more inclusive perspective. International journal of progressive education. 3(1), 1-28. Retrieved January, 6, 2007 from http://inased.org/v3n1/sanacore.pdf.
  • Sawyer, W. (1999). Literacy in Australia: the facts. Sydney: Australian Education Network.
  • Sawyer, W. (2006). Just add ‘progressivism’ and stir: How we cook up literacy crises in Australia. In B. Doecke, M. Howie & W. Sawyer (Eds.) Only Connect: English teaching, schooling and community (pp. 236-262). Kent Town, SA, Australia: AATE/Wakefield Press.
  • Thompson, K. (1998) Moral panics. London: Routledge.
  • Thomson, S., Cresswell, J., and de Bortoli, L. (2004) Facing the future: A focus on mathematical literacy among Australian 15-year-old students in PISA 2003. Camberwell, Melbourne: Australian Centre for Educational Research. Retrieved November, 11, 2006 from http://www.pisa.oecd.org/dataoecd/59/36/34624327.pdf.
  • Thurlow, C. (2006) From statistical panic to moral panic: The metadiscursive construction and popular exaggeration of new media language in the print media. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 11(3), article 1. Retrieved December, 12, 2006 from http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol11/issue3/thurlow.html.
  • Vinson, T. (2007) Dropping off the edge: The distribution of disadvantage in Australia. Catholic Social Services Australia/ Jesuit Social Services.
  • Wilkinson, A. (1986). The quality of writing. Milton Keynes: Open University Press.
  • News Articles and Media Releases
  • Albrechtsen, J. (2004a, April 28). Latham stutters over reading revolution. The Australian.
  • Albrechtsen, J. (2004b, November 17). Rhetoric hides the human face of illiteracy. The Australian.
  • Albrechtsen, J. (2006, February 1). Textbook case of making our past a blame game. The Australian.
  • Bockman, M. W. (2006, October 10). Castro's schools first class, say our teachers. The Australian.
  • Bremner, C. (2006, September 6). French teachers plan strike as education goes back to basics. The Australian.
  • Buckingham, J. (2004a, November 10). All teaching methods are not equal. The Australian.
  • Buckingham, J. (2004b, November 22). Phonics needs more than lip-service. The Australian.
  • Buckingham, Jennifer (2004c, May 24). Putting science into art of teaching. The Australian.
  • Buckingham, J. (2004d, November 29). School tests not catching poor readers. The Australian..
  • Buckingham, J. (2005, May 2). Psychology dominates reading debate. The Australian.
  • Cooper, D. (2004a, April 22). It's still as simple as ABC: Teachers reject reading plan criticism. The Australian.
  • Cooper, D. (2004b, April 21). Phonics at core of new literacy war. The Australian.
  • de Lemos, M. (2004, November 29). For a surprise, revive 1933 reading test. The Australian.
  • Donnelly, K. (2004a, November 13). How we lost the plot in reading. The Australian.
  • Donnelly, K. (2004b, May 3). Ideology at public expense. The Australian.
  • Donnelly, K. (2004c, October 18). Unified approach works against choice, flexibility. The Australian.
  • Donnelly, K. (2005a, February 9). Cannon fodder of the culture wars. The Australian.
  • Donnelly, K. (2005b, February 5). Fads no substitute for teaching. The Australian.
  • Donnelly, K. (2005c, November 25). The literacy and numeracy crisis in our classrooms. The Australian.
  • Donnelly, K. (2005d, December 9). Main questions left unanswered. The Australian.
  • Donnelly, K. (2005e, November 19). Unsound approach won't take us far. The Australian.
  • Donnelly, K. (2006a, April 15). Choice is not a dirty word. The Australian.
  • Donnelly, K. (2006b, May 13). Go back to basics, and put literacy teaching on the same page. The Australian.
  • Donnelly, K. (2006c, May 27). It's wrong if you can't write. The Australian.
  • Donnelly, K. (2006d, May 11). Local schools, global standards. The Australian.
  • Donnelly, K. (2006e, August 15). Look-and-guess teaching not acceptable. The Australian.
  • Donnelly, K. (2006f, January 21). Sciences in subjective mode. The Australian.
  • Editorial/Leader (2004, April 21). A sound approach to reading skills. The Australian.
  • Editorial/ Leader (2005, October 22). Sticking to the book. The Australian.
  • Editorial/ Leader (2005b, December 8). Literacy war is reignited. The Australian.
  • Editorial/ Leader (2005c, December 9). Spelling it out. The Australian.
  • Editorial/ Leader (2006, June 9). Cultural cringe. The Australian.
  • Farrelly, R. (2005, March 25). Let the market decide the best approach. The Australian.
  • Ferrari, J. (2006a, August 1). Spelling fad cost kids 14pc drop in results. The Australian.
  • Ferrari, J. (2006b, May 10). $700 a year for vouchers to get tuition in reading. The Australian.
  • Hempenstall, K. (2004, November 10). Promise of a new chapter for readers. The Australian.
  • Illing, D. (2004, November 12). Back to basics best for black kids. The Australian.
  • Kolker, R. (2006, May 13). Learn to read with feeling. The Australian.
  • Lane, B. (2005a, October 21) ATSIC website in exam ‘an insult’. The Australian.
  • Lane, B. (2005b, November 9). Research decodes the building blocks of literacy. The Australian.
  • Macnamara, L. (2005a, December 2). Reading strategy unsound, says academic. The Australian.
  • Macnamara, L. (2005b, October 29-30). Students compare Keats to SMS text. The Australian.
  • Maiden, S. (2004a, November 30). Inquiry to test best way to read. The Australian. 30 November.
  • Maiden, S. (2004b, November 9) Literacy now matter of prime concern. The Australian.
  • Maiden, S. (2004c, December 1). Turn off TV and tune in to reading. The Australian.
  • Maiden, S. (2005a, December 8). Call for literacy to return to basics. The Australian.
  • Maiden, S. (2005b, November 26). National exams for 5-year-olds. The Australian.
  • Maiden, S. (2005c, November 11) Testing blitz in reading reforms. The Australian.
  • Maiden, S., & Hart, C. (with additional reporting by J. Roberts & R. Emery) (2005, December 9). States back phonics push, but it's not the only answer. The Australian.
  • Maiden, S. & Warne-Smith, D. (2004, November 10). Words fail one in three in remedial reading program. The Australian.
  • McDonald, A. (2004, November 10). Shop's phonics classes fill in the learning gap. The Australian.
  • McIlroy, A. (2005, February 10). Who’s for Shakespeare. The Australian.
  • Meiers, M. (2004, May 5). Polarised views leave teachers in the cold. The Australian.
  • Nelson, Dr Brendan Media Centre (2004a, January 30). Media Release: Australian students achieving essential literacy and numeracy standards. Retrieved November, 11, 2006 from http://www.dest.gov.au/Ministers/Media/Nelson/2004/01/n598300104.asp
  • Nelson, Dr Brendan Media Centre (2004b, November 30). Media Release: National inquiry into literacy teaching. Retrieved November, 11, 2006 from http://www.dest.gov.au/ministers/media/nelson/2004/11/n1016301104.asp.
  • Nelson, Dr Brendan Media Centre (2004c, December 1) Radio transcript: Literacy Inquiry. Alan Jones Programme - Radio 2UE. Retrieved November, 11, 2006 from http://www.dest.gov.au/Ministers/Media/Nelson/2004/12/tran011204.asp.
  • Nelson, Dr Brendan Media Centre (2004d, December 9) Media Release: Address to the first meeting of the Committee of Inquiry into the teaching of literacy. Retrieved November, 11, 2006 from http://www.dest.gov.au/Ministers/Media/Nelson/2004/12/tran091204.asp.
  • Pearson, N. (2004, November 12). Reading inquiry welcome. The Australian.
  • Ritchie, D. (2004, December 6). Let's start phonics training with the teachers”. The Australian.
  • Roberts, J. (2004, November 22). Jury out on literacy row. The Australian.
  • Rowbotham, J. (2005, September 23). Attack on critical literacy rings Shakespearean Bell. The Australian.
  • Slattery, L. (2005, July 9). Learning plan `flawed'. The Australian.
  • West, A. (2005, August 16). Parents to get jargon-free reports. The Australian.
  • Yaman, E. (2004, April 21). It's an old debate, but don't dismiss it lightly. The Australian. Notes
  • The OECD (Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development) is an international
  • organisation established in the 1960s with 30 core member countries including most
  • European countries, as well as Canada, USA, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and
  • Korea. Member countries are characterised by their commitment to democratic governance
  • and market economics and provide a stable base for comparative international research on
  • social and economic indicators of national wellbeing amongst member countries and beyond.
  • The OECD conducts research across a range of areas but the most interesting to educators
  • has been PISA. This program began a three year cycle of testing of 15 year olds in 2000 and
  • continued in 2003 and 2006 with between 4,500 and 10,000 students tested in each
  • participating country using equivalent test instruments. The number of countries involved has
  • expanded with each round of testing with fifty-seven countries in the most recent round.
  • Rather than being embroiled in the local politics of curriculum instruction and assessment,
  • PISA measures the extent to which young people have mastered literacies in reading,
  • mathematical and scientific domains of knowledge by this point in their schooling and how
  • well they can apply these literacies to the real world. PISA also collects a vast array of
  • information about student backgrounds.
  • ii Public school education is largely controlled and funded by the states in Australia, who
  • manage most elements of curriculum, assessment and reporting. However the federal
  • (national) government has considerable and increasing control via its capacity to allocate
  • additional special purpose grants to schools and its more general funding of the states.
  • Schools in the rapidly expanding private sector receive direct funding from the federal
  • government (Ryan and Watson, 2004). Universities, and thus teacher education, have always
  • been funded and directly controlled across the nation by the federal government, though
  • recent policies are increasingly forcing “public” universities to depend on private sources of
  • income. In the period 2004-2006, while nationally a conservative Liberal Party government
  • was in power, every state government in the nation was under Labor Party control. Education
  • has thus been one of several sites of skirmishes between these levels of government in recent years.
  • iii For an analysis of the actual announcement of the Reading Inquiry and a discussion of the
  • motivation behind the crisis rhetoric, see Cambourne, 2006a and 2006b.
  • iv It is important to note that the signatories were – and signed themselves as – clinical
  • hospital-based psychologists or neuropsychologists (4), academic psychologists (13), clinical
  • speech therapists (3), general academic researchers (1), special education academics (4),
  • medical researchers (1). Half of the number came from three universities. Thus, none
  • appeared to be, or at least none signed themselves as, academics associated with mainstream
  • schooling. The Macquarie University psychologists, Kevin Wheldall and Max Coltheart,
  • were named by Minister Nelson (2004d) as the key authors of the letter.
  • v With a well-known Sydney-based “shock-jock” and frequent Liberal party advocate.
  • vi For a discussion of the role of “evidence-based” research in literacy teaching, see Delandshere, 2006.
  • vii For example, though now a regular opinion writer in The Australian, Kevin Donnelly was a
  • staffer for another Minister in the current federal government until 2004 when he published
  • the book Why our schools are failing, for the conservative think tank, the Menzies Research
  • Centre. He recently released a companion volume Dumbing down. Outcomes based and
  • politically correct: The impact of the Culture Wars on our schools.
  • viii In the discussion which follows, some of the attacks on “whole language” are made by the
  • article authors and others are simply the relevant journalists quoting the opinions of others.
  • Direct advocates against “whole language” include Albrechtsen, de Lemos, Donnelly and
  • Hempenstall. deLemos and Hempenstall were academic signatories to the Nelson letter,
  • Albrechtsen and Donnelly are neoconservative commentators and Albrechtsen is an
  • Australian journalist. In this section of the paper, extended lists of citations to media articles
  • and press releases have been truncated in the text and shifted to Endnotes for easier reading.
  • ix Also de Lemos, 2004; Donnelly, 2005d, 2005e, 2006f; Ferrari, 2006a, 2006b; Kolker, 2006;
  • Maiden, 2004b, 2004c; Roberts, 2004; Yaman, 2004.
  • x Also Cooper, 2004b; Donnelly, 2004a, 2005b, 2005c, 2005d, 2005e, 2006b, 2006e; Ferrari,
  • a, 2006b; Hempenstall, 2004; Illing, 2004; Kolker, 2006; Lane, 2005b; Maiden, 2004b,
  • a, 2005c; Maiden and Warne-Smith, 2004; McDonald, 2004; Pearson, 2004; Roberts,
  • ; West, 2005; Yaman, 2004.
  • xi This 30% figure surfaces often in attacks on Australian education. It is largely based on a
  • national survey conducted as part of the Longitudinal surveys of Australian youth
  • (LSAY). In 1997, the Australian Council for Educational Research published a study of
  • reading comprehension and numeracy among (largely) 14 year-olds based on a comparison of
  • four large and four small sets of data gathered between 1975 and 1995. The tests were based
  • on "mastery", defined as the "competence... necessary for active participation in society". The
  • percentage of correct items that represented mastery on these tests was approximately 80%.
  • Thus, in 1995, 70% of 14-year-olds gained 80% or better on tests of reading comprehension
  • and, given that this result remained static since 1975, as the Australian population became
  • composed of far more NESB students, it ought to be seen as a net improvement over similar
  • results in 1975.That would seem to be the most accurate interpretation of the levels of reading
  • among Australian school students over that 20 year period, as represented by this research.
  • Readers are left to decide for themselves to what extent this constituted a "crisis". cf Sawyer, 1999.
  • xii Also implied in Albrechtsen, 2004b; deLemos, 2004; Donnelly, 2004a, 2005b, 2005c, 2006b.
  • xiii In one rather odd argument, the lack of interest in a national spelling bee was regarded as
  • “ominous” and indicative of Australians valuing education less than Americans (again,
  • despite the relative PISA results) (Roberts, 2004). The same article did reveal, however, that
  • the alleged “lack” of interest was due to “only” 25,000 students entering a national spelling
  • bee, while 800 students entered a state-based spelling bee at the same time.
  • xiv Also implied in Albrechtsen, 2004b; Buckingham, 2004b, 2004c; Donnelly, 2004a;
  • Maiden, 2005b, 2005c; McDonald, 2004; Roberts, 2004
  • xv Nelson called for mandatory literacy testing of trainee teachers on both entry and
  • graduation (Maiden, 2005a, 2005c) and Donnelly (2005e) added that they should also be
  • tested on knowledge of methods for teaching reading - teachers who had not been taught to
  • teach reading, nor experienced proper teaching of literacy themselves, were having to “make
  • it up as they go along” (Maiden 2004b)
  • xvi Also Donnelly, 2004a, 2005e, 2006c; Editorial 2005b, 2005c Hempenstall, 2004; Maiden,
  • b, 2005a; Maiden et al, 2005; Ritchie, 2004.
  • xvii Also Donnelly 2006f; Farrelly, 2005; Editorial, 2006.
  • xviii Also Donnelly 2006e, 2006f; Farrelly 2005; Slattery, 2005.
  • xix Also Donnelly 2006a, 2006f; Editorial, 2006; Slattery, 2005.
  • xx Green himself, Cambourne, Luke and Sawyer , amongst other educationalists, have been
  • repeatedly named in media articles in ways that might be considered as attempts to construct 'folk devils'.
  • xxi An example of the ideologically loaded and bizarre nature of these attacks can be seen in
  • one particular article (Bockman, 2006), which slams Australian teachers for daring to suggest
  • that Cuba had a high literacy rate. No argument is put forward to deny the claims – it is
  • apparently enough to deserve criticism to suggest that a communist nation might be
  • Australia, the education system doesn't serve you as well as it does in a number of other
  • countries, countries that we'd like to think we're similar to…The biggest problem is perhaps
  • the extent to which we are now depending on private investment in education. If you look at
  • the proportion of national wealth, of GDP spent on education Australia ranks 18th in the
  • OECD, if you look at the proportion spent from private sources, we rank 3rd …so we're
  • shifting balance of expenditure towards private capacity which I think reinforces the capacity
  • of people who are socially advantaged to care better for their own children" (Broadcast ABC
  • RN, 8.15am, Nov 20th).
  • xxv We surveyed submissions from individuals and teacher education faculties at: the
  • Australian Catholic University, University of Technology Sydney, University of New
  • England, University of Ballarat, Deakin University, Curtin University, Monash University,
  • Finders University, Sydney University, Charles Sturt University and Macquarie University
  • (where the Education faculty made a separate submission to that provided by the
  • psychologists associated with the Nelson letter). Most of the 453 submissions are available
  • online at: http://www.dest.gov.au/nitl/submission_index.htm
Toplam 213 adet kaynakça vardır.

Ayrıntılar

Diğer ID JA49KN36RZ
Bölüm Makaleler
Yayımlanma Tarihi 1 Ağustos 2007
Yayımlandığı Sayı Yıl 2007 Cilt: 3 Sayı: 2

Kaynak Göster

APA “Whole language” and moral panic in Australia. (2007). International Journal Of Progressive Education, 3(2), 30-51.