"The media is missing the essential message contained in the select committee report on the teaching of reading," said sub-committee chairperson , Hon Brian Donnelly MP today.

"The report does not state that we should throw out the baby with the bath water and go back to the old ways of teaching, What it does say is that the development of phonetic, word-level decoding skills is a critical component of learning to read."

The development of such skills must be taught in a systematic and deliberate manner. But it must be connected as closely as possible with engagement with genuine text.

"What the committee is concerned to see is that balanced reading programmes as promoted by the Ministry of Education and teacher training institutions are actually happening in all our classrooms."

Mr Donnelly had a helpful suggestion for the media.

"Read the Report," he said.

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>