Diane McGuinness
Encyclopedia
Diane McGuinness is a cognitive psychologist who has written extensively on sex differences, education
, learning disabilities, and early reading instruction. She currently holds the title of Emeritus Professor of Psychology
at the University of South Florida
.
She received undergraduate and graduate degrees in psychology at the University of London
: a Bachelor of Science at Birkbeck College
(with first class honours), and a PhD at University College London
. Over her academic career, she has published over 100 papers, chapters, and books on a number of subjects in the field of psychology.
McGuinness is an outspoken critic of whole language
instruction but also of phonics
as traditionally taught in the United States. She favors an approach to early reading instruction known as synthetic phonics
or linguistic phonics, in which the starting point for instruction is the 40-odd phoneme
s of English. In synthetic phonics instruction, each sound is introduced initially with a single "basic code" spelling, e.g. the /ee/ sound is connected to the 'ee' spelling. Students are taught to read by blending all of the sounds in the word. Spelling alternatives for sounds (e.g. for /ee/ the spellings 'y' as in funny, 'ea' as in eat, 'e' as in reflex, 'ie' as in cookie, etc.) are taught later. McGuinness has also introduced the term "code overlap" to describe a spelling (or grapheme) that can stand for more than one sound (phoneme), e.g. the spelling 'ow' can stand for the /ou/ sound as in the word now, or for the /oe/ sound as in the word snow.
McGuinness has stirred up controversy for her views on dyslexia
and teaching letter names. She argues that dyslexia is not a biological condition but a socially-created problem that results from a complex spelling code and ineffective teaching methods. She has argued against teaching the letter names in the early phases of instruction on the grounds that letter names can confuse students. What is important, McGuinness argues, is that students be taught the relationships between sounds and letters.
Scholarly reviews of McGuinness' recent books:
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, learning disabilities, and early reading instruction. She currently holds the title of Emeritus Professor of Psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
at the University of South Florida
University of South Florida
The University of South Florida, also known as USF, is a member institution of the State University System of Florida, one of the state's three flagship universities for public research, and is located in Tampa, Florida, USA...
.
She received undergraduate and graduate degrees in psychology at the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
: a Bachelor of Science at Birkbeck College
Birkbeck, University of London
Birkbeck, University of London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It offers many Master's and Bachelor's degree programmes that can be studied either part-time or full-time, though nearly all teaching is...
(with first class honours), and a PhD at University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
. Over her academic career, she has published over 100 papers, chapters, and books on a number of subjects in the field of psychology.
McGuinness is an outspoken critic of whole language
Whole language
Whole language describes a literacy philosophy which emphasizes that children should focus on meaning and strategy instruction. It is often contrasted with phonics-based methods of teaching reading and writing which emphasize instruction for decoding and spelling. However, from whole language...
instruction but also of phonics
Phonics
Phonics refers to a method for teaching speakers of English to read and write that language. Phonics involves teaching how to connect the sounds of spoken English with letters or groups of letters and teaching them to blend the sounds of letters together to produce approximate pronunciations...
as traditionally taught in the United States. She favors an approach to early reading instruction known as synthetic phonics
Synthetic phonics
Synthetic phonics is a method of teaching reading which first teaches the letter sounds and then builds up to blending these sounds together to achieve full pronunciation of whole words...
or linguistic phonics, in which the starting point for instruction is the 40-odd phoneme
Phoneme
In a language or dialect, a phoneme is the smallest segmental unit of sound employed to form meaningful contrasts between utterances....
s of English. In synthetic phonics instruction, each sound is introduced initially with a single "basic code" spelling, e.g. the /ee/ sound is connected to the 'ee' spelling. Students are taught to read by blending all of the sounds in the word. Spelling alternatives for sounds (e.g. for /ee/ the spellings 'y' as in funny, 'ea' as in eat, 'e' as in reflex, 'ie' as in cookie, etc.) are taught later. McGuinness has also introduced the term "code overlap" to describe a spelling (or grapheme) that can stand for more than one sound (phoneme), e.g. the spelling 'ow' can stand for the /ou/ sound as in the word now, or for the /oe/ sound as in the word snow.
McGuinness has stirred up controversy for her views on dyslexia
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a very broad term defining a learning disability that impairs a person's fluency or comprehension accuracy in being able to read, and which can manifest itself as a difficulty with phonological awareness, phonological decoding, orthographic coding, auditory short-term memory, or rapid...
and teaching letter names. She argues that dyslexia is not a biological condition but a socially-created problem that results from a complex spelling code and ineffective teaching methods. She has argued against teaching the letter names in the early phases of instruction on the grounds that letter names can confuse students. What is important, McGuinness argues, is that students be taught the relationships between sounds and letters.
Written Works
- When Children Don't Learn, Basic Books (New York City), 1985.
- (Editor) Dominance, Aggression, and War, Paragon House Publishers (New York City), 1987.
- Evolution: The Transdisciplinary Paradigm, ICUS Books, 1987.
- Why Our Children Can't Read, and What We Can Do about It, Free Press (New York City), 1997.
- My First Phonics Book, Dorling Kindersley (New York City), 1999.
- Growing a Reader from Birth: Your Child's Path from Language to Literacy, W.W. Norton and Co. (New York, NY), 2004.
- Early Reading Instruction: What Science Really Tells Us about How to Teach Reading, MIT Press (Cambridge, MA), 2004.
- Language Development and Learning to Read: The Scientific Study of How Language Development Affects Reading Skill, MIT Press (Cambridge, MA), 2005.
External links
- A synopsis of McGuinness' views on reading instruction can be found in the following article: A Prototype for Teaching the English Alphabet Code Reading Reform Foundation Newsletter (49)
Scholarly reviews of McGuinness' recent books:
- Harvie, Paul. (Review) McGuinness, Diane. Early Reading Instruction: What Science Really Tells Us about How to Teach Reading (2004). Reading in a Foreign Language, Volume 17, No. 1, April 2005 ISSN 1539-05780
- Hellsten, Meeri. (Review) McGuinness, Diane (2005). Language Development and Learning to Read: The Scientific Study of How Language Development Affects Reading Skill. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press. Education Review, University of Michigan.