An Interview with Rick McCallum
Homeschool.com's Editor-in-Chief talks with Dr. Richard McCallum, who is recognized as a pioneer in literacy in early childhood development. In this exclusive interview Dr. McCallum talks about homeschooling, his new revolutionary online reading assessment, and raising children to be life-long readers!
Editor: As the Coordinator of the Advanced Reading and Language Leadership Program at the University of California at Berkeley, you have a lot of interaction with local public schools. What is your take on the incredible growth of the homeschooling movement?
Dr. McCallum: Homeschooling is but one of many options that are open to parents as they plan their children's educational experiences. Parents today have a broader range of options, and are more willing to be proactive and seek what they feel is the right experience for their children. There is no doubt that the general public is far from satisfied with the situation in our public schools. Homeschooling provides parents with another choice among many educational experiences.
Editor: Among your many responsibilities at UC Berkeley, you are the director of the reading remediation program called Cal Reads. Cal Reads work in conjunction with local public schools to provide individualized reading instruction to at-risk readers. As the director of this program, you get a first hand look at the large number of students who have poor reading skills. Why do you think so many of these children are behind in reading?
Dr. McCallum: The largest single factor contributing to this situation is the fact that we (and here I mean we as educators) have missed too many opportunities to provide appropriate instruction for kids. And, there are many reasons for this. Some of these reasons have to do with structural aspects of schooling (the number of kids, the amount of training teachers have, the multiple mandates that teachers must face, etc).
Editor: There are many types of reading instruction; phonics-based, whole-language and global-language, to name a few. What makes the methodologies you have developed different?
Dr. McCallum: The methods we use are commonly found approaches to reading. The difference in our approach is that we acknowledge that each child as a unique individual, and follow their lead. Children come to school with a vast array of cultural resources at their disposal - these resources include knowledge of the world, of print and print conventions, and their own style of learning and reasoning. What we try to do is not let our ideas and belief blind us to what students bring to school. We follow them and work from where they are and in a manner that is consistent with the resources at their disposal. The rest is easy.
For us instruction is a matter of pragmatics not of ideology. By that I mean, we teach them what they need in order to become critical readers and writers. For example, in the area of phonics, the question is not if we should teach it, but rather when we should teach it and how we should do so. But we know that phonics is not an end in itself, but rather a step along the road to becoming a strategic critical reader.
Editor: Your reading instruction methodologies employed at Cal Reads have proven very successful in schools. How do you think homeschoolers can benefit from your methods?
Dr. McCallum: First, we believe that all teachers, be that at home in classrooms, must start with individualized assessment that is model driven and focused on the range of skills and strategies that students must learn to become good readers. Without an adequate assessment of student's existing abilities any instruction we plan is simply guesswork. Sound diagnostic assessment is key for effective focused instruction.
Second, as I mentioned earlier, if a teacher follows the child's lead (i.e. adopts a developmental perspective) rather than imposing their views on children, instruction becomes much more effective and long lasting. Instruction must align with the abilities of the child, if not it is frustrating for both teacher and student. These are just two simple ideas that homeschoolers can take from our work.
Editor: In your article titled "A Renewed Call for Parent Involvement" you state, "The social context of the home plays a critical role in the development of reading and writing ability." Does that mean that homeschool kids will be inherently better readers?
Dr. McCallum: I'm not trying to cop out, but it depends. Student's experiences at home and in their larger communities (be it church, school, sports, or other social activities) play a powerful role in forming students beliefs about themselves and the role of reading and writing. So, yes the home is very important. But, the situation is not that simple. A child can have every opportunity to see, experience and develop a love of reading, yet still struggle with various aspects of the task. So, it's not a simple issue.
Editor: In your career thus far, you always taught in a classroom setting. Why the jump to an on-line format?
Dr. McCallum: For me it's all about opportunities for learning. The on-line format provides a means to extend and reinforce instruction in reading. And, kids need as many opportunities as possible to engage with text in order to become strategic readers. Plus, kids love the on-line environment. It's motivating and exciting. And, as a teacher I want to have kids engage in as many motivating and beneficial activities as I can generate. On-line environments I believe will prove to be a real positive tool for learning to read.
Editor: As a co-founder of Let's Go Learn, Inc. you helped them to develop an on-line reading assessment. Assessment is important to public schools for the purposes of accountability. Why is assessment important to homeschoolers?
Dr. McCallum: As I said earlier, we can't design focused individualized instruction without solid assessment data. All teachers, including homeschoolers, need to know where kids are in order to design appropriate instruction for them. Assessment is the first step toward instruction. But, it's not a one shot deal. We start with diagnostic assessment, and then as instruction develops we use the information we collect from instruction to further tighten and focus our plans. This is on-going assessment, and it is just as important as the initial diagnostic assessment.
Editor: In your opinion, what are the next trends in reading education going to be?
Dr. McCallum: Hmmm. You want me to be a fortune teller? That's tough. OK, I can see you won't let me off the hook. Right now we have a very limited view of the reading process. Folks have a tendency to fixate on one aspect and stage in the process - like in the phonics debate. Phonics is important but it relates mostly to early reading, and is only one tool that kids need in their reading toolbox. The next trend in reading, I hope, is that we'll broaden our perspective and look at reading as a process that evolves over the course of an entire educational career, and one that is not exactly the same for every child. Parents inherently know this, schools are just figuring it out.
Editor: One of the many strengths of homeschooling is that parents can look for signs of readiness in their children for all learning endeavors. What are the signs that a child is ready to learn to read?
Dr. McCallum: As I mentioned, listen and follow your child's lead. What questions do they ask? What do they notice? What are they interested in? It was clear to my wife and I that my oldest son was ready to go when we found him sitting on his potty with the newspaper. Now, he did have it upside down, but nevertheless his actions should us that he was hip to the literacy thing and he wanted to take part in it. He knew that print carried meaning, and that there was information there that he might want. This was a very good sign that he was beginning to develop the knowledge necessary to become a reader.
Editor: What is the best way for parents to raise their children to love reading? Not just to think of it as a way to pass a test or to get information, but as enjoyable, life-enriching activity?
Dr. McCallum: It's a simple fact that kids follow adults' lead. If as a parent literacy and reading are a normal enjoyable part of your life, kids will (for the most part - remember everyone is different) want to engage in those activities as well. The key issue is the enjoyment of the act. Reading isn't painful until teachers or parents make it so. Keep it light and fun. Reread those books with kids that they like and laugh at - even if it means reading it 1000 times. I know this is hard. I had to hide several books that I couldn't take anymore. And, I felt guilty about it. They still ask for those titles! Also, as a parent read those stories YOU like. That will insure that you'll add the appropriate inflection and excitement to the act. Kids know when you mean it and when you're faking. So don't try.
