READING
continued from page 12
technology enables researchers to
study the developing nervous system
in ways not possible before. The in
stitute funded the Yale and Harvard
studies.
"Both studies clearly indicate that
stimulation of a particular type will
not only influence brain develop
ment, but influence learning," he
said.
"Clearly what the Harvard study
shows is that early experience really
does matter," he said. "The prema
ture infant care environment in that
study really produced some brain
changes that are pretty substantial."
The results of the reading study are
particularly important, he said, be
cause they support the growing con
viction that many school reading
programs may be ineffective, and
that colleges of education often fail
to provide teachers with the latest
findings of how neuroscience can
improve teaching methods.
"What we're seeing is that most of
the kids who come to school at risk
for reading failure, that that failure is
not set in stone," Lyon said. "But it
does require that we bring to bear
the interventions that are scientifical
ly based and found to be effective."
Humans have used speech for tens
of thousands of years, and children
easily learn it by listening to people
talk. But reading is relatively mod
em, only about 5,000 to 6,000 years
old, and it has to be taught. Yet read
ing has become crucial to almost
every aspect of modem society.
A national reading panel mandat
ed by Congress reported in 2000 that
there was sufficient scientific knowl
edge to justify a core curriculum for
teaching reading.
"We know that there are five im
portant elements in teaching a
child to read," said Sally Shaywitz,
a panel member. "1 low do the lines
and circles on a page not just re
main squiggles? How do they take
on meaning? They have to connect
to something that already has
meaning and that's the individual
sounds of spoken language, the
phonemes.
"It's getting from the sounds of
spoken words to learning how letters
represent sounds," she said. "If they
hear a word, they need to be able to
pull apart the word into its individ
ual sounds, so that they appreciate,
for example, that the word bat' has
three sounds, b-a-t."
According to the national panel,
children need to learn: That words
are made up of individual sounds;
that letters represent sounds (phon
ics); how to read words accurately
and rapidly; how to develop a vocab
ulary; and strategies for compre
hending what is read.
In Shaywitz's study of children
aged 6 to 9 years, 37 poor readers
were taught to read using a curricu
lum based on the new principles, 12
poor readers received standard in
struction and 29 good readers served
as controls.
The curriculum based on science
is more systematic, seeking to lay
down each of the important reading
skills in an organized fashion, Sally
Shaywitz said. Common approach
es to teaching reading in schools are
"much more chaotic and haphaz
ard," she said.
Poor readers given the scientifical
ly based instruction pulled way
ahead in reading compared with
those given standard instruction, but
the most dramatic changes occurred
in their brains.
(c) 2004, Chicago tribune. Distributed
by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information
Services.
Your Summer
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September 7-17, 2004
• Short on group requirements?
• Looking for a unique way to wrap up your summer?
• Want to get ahead in your course of study?
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If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you need
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courses you need, and the courses you should take.
Courses are included in Summer 04 DuckHunt.
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temam* Course Tftlg
MfeHStgr_CRM
ANTH161 World Cultures P. Scher 45407
ANTH 170 Intro to Human Origins G. Nelson 45366
GEOG 206 Geography of Oregon M. Power 45365
HIST 382 Latin America C. Aguirre 45364
INTL350 International Leadership K. Carpenter 45361
PSY 330 Thinking H. Arrow 45363
PSY 375 Development J. Measeile 45362
SOC 301 American Society M. Dreilling 45370
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON SUMMER SESSION
SEPTEMBER EXPERIENCE PROGRAM
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Tim Bobosky Photographer
Jey Strangfeld, a negotiator for the Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation, discusses
negotiations for the GTFF contract at a meeting last Friday morning.
STRIKE
continued from page 1
Director of Human Resources Lin
da King, the lead negotiator for the
University's bargaining team, said
she was confident the issue would
be resolved and a strike would be
averted.
"I'm really hopeful that we'll
reach an agreement before it gets to
that point," she said.
At the meeting Tuesday, the Exec
utive Council appeared adamant
about keeping the stipulation out of
the contract, lessening the chances
that an agreement would be reached
anytime soon.
"I don't know how I could sign
(the contract) and not just feel like I
shoved it up the GTFF's ass,"
Strangfeld said at Tuesday's meeting.
The GTFF said it feels the stipula
tion is an attempt by the University
to get an upper hand on negotia
tions when the contract reopens in
two years. If the stipulation is to
stand, the parties would have to ne
gotiate from a $275 starting point
for fees rather than the $230 tenta
tively agreed upon for this contract.
"It's a power play. They want to
ensure that they're in a position of
advantage," said Goff, adding that,
"It's not matter of money; It's a mat
ter of principle."
GTFF negotiator David Cecil said
that if the stipulation stands, the
GTFF will have to ask for the fee sub
sidies again, making it more difficult
for it to get the wage increase it
wants.
King said she was uncomfortable
discussing the stipulation issue be
cause both sides are still bargaining
it.
"I don't want to get into all the
points that are being bargained," she
said.
But King said such stipulations are
not unusual in contracts and added
that the stipulation will make nego
tiations "more flexible" in 2006.
"The University is interested in
not tying its hands when in two
years we may have more options,"
she said.
The union and the University are
still debating three additional issues,
according to the GTFF. The first is
whether the University should be
able to hire graduate students with
out making them GTFs, a practice
that is currently allowed. The second
issue is whether masters students
can be made level 2 GTFs. Level 2
GTFs get higher pay than level 1
GTFs. The University maintains the
position that only doctorate stu- ‘
dents can be made level 2 GTFs, but
the GTFF wants to establish different
criteria for determining who can be
come a level 2 GTF. The third issue
still in debate is University subsidies
for student fees. The GTFF said it be
lieves fees should by fully subsi
dized, but the University has only
offered them subsidies of $45 per
term so far.
Contact the people/culture/faith
reporter •
at moriahbalingit@daityemerald.com.
CAMPUS
BUZZ
Friday
German Music and Culture Symposium, Browsing
Room, Knight Library, 4-6 p.m.
Freeman Lecture by len Ang, professor of cultural
studies and director of the Centre for Cultural Re
search at the University of West Sydney, entitled
“The Predicament of Diversity: Presenting 'Asian
Art’ in the Art Museum,” Alumni Lounge, Ger
linger Hall, 7 p.m.
Oregon Ballroom Dance, Room 220, Gerlinger
Hall, 7:30-11:30 p.m.
University Theatre performance of "Much Ado
About Nothing,” Friday & Saturday, Robinson The
atre, 8 p.m.
The Jazz Cafe, Room 178, Music Building, 8 p.m.
Saturday
Traditional cedar-working demonstrations, Glenn
Starlin Courtyard, Museum of Natural History,
1-4 p.m.
Premier Travel
r.urail Passes issued on-site!!!
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Today’s crossword solution
mninmriinBnnniinBramrafiniin
cIlJaIsIsJi 1 fITTe IdTs
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