Sensible approaches to the teaching of reading

In 2007 we felt very strongly that there was a need to publish research information in relation to the teaching of reading and in support of teachers who were struggling to understand phonics and its place in their pedagogy (Goouch and Lambirth 2007b). This followed a very crowded and enthusiastic conference when teachers, advisors and academics gathered together to challenge the findings of the interim report of the Rose Review (2006). While there had been a plethora of government material instructing teachers about the teaching of reading, there appeared to us then, and now, to be very few voices heard challenging the prevailing phonics discourse and even fewer books available offering a critical perspective. This was particularly the case following the publication of the final version of the Rose Review (2006). We gathered together the work from a number of renowned academics for the purpose of offering a critical and research-informed text about how children learn to read and how we can best help them. Subsequently, in our conversations with teachers and students at all levels, we find there is also a hunger for this research information to be helpfully translated into practice guidance. This book is our attempt to fulfil that requirement. We find, however, that we