{"id":15663,"date":"2023-12-19T07:17:00","date_gmt":"2023-12-19T15:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/?p=15663"},"modified":"2024-02-23T06:13:58","modified_gmt":"2024-02-23T14:13:58","slug":"10-best-books-read-in-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/2023\/12\/19\/10-best-books-read-in-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"The 10 Best Books I Read in 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The past year was good for my reading. I finished around 40-50 books, and there were plenty more that I started but did not finish. (Not finishing books is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/2016\/06\/21\/how-to-read-more-books\/\">a good thing<\/a>!)<\/p>\n<p>Below are some of my favorites I read this year:<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Why-Knowledge-Matters-Rescuing-Educational\/dp\/1612509525\">Why Knowledge Matters<\/a> by E.D. Hirsch<\/h2>\n<div class=\"inline-podcast\">\n<small>Listen to this article<\/small><br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"20\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" allow=\"autoplay\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/1749020241&#038;color=%23219895&#038;inverse=false&#038;auto_play=false&#038;show_user=true\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Why-Knowledge-Matters-Rescuing-Educational\/dp\/1612509525\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"687\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/71W6cSUEYeL._SL1500_-687x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-15666\" style=\"width:153px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/71W6cSUEYeL._SL1500_-687x1024.jpg 687w, https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/71W6cSUEYeL._SL1500_-201x300.jpg 201w, https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/71W6cSUEYeL._SL1500_-768x1145.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/71W6cSUEYeL._SL1500_.jpg 1006w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 687px) 100vw, 687px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>I previously <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/2022\/02\/28\/cultural-literacy-review\/\">reviewed<\/a> Hirsch\u2019s controversial 1988 bestseller, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.ca\/Cultural-Literacy-Every-American-Needs\/dp\/0394758439\/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3KS49SYHHEOG8&amp;keywords=cultural+literacy&amp;qid=1640321962&amp;s=books&amp;sprefix=cultural+literacy%2Cstripbooks%2C134&amp;sr=1-2\">Cultural Literacy<\/a>. In this 2016 book, Hirsch presents a sweeping curriculum change in French schools as evidence that misguided educational theories are undermining our children\u2019s learning.<\/p>\n<p>Hirsch argues that schools have been seduced by three intuitively appealing but ultimately unsound ideas:<\/p>\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>A focus on skills over knowledge.<\/strong> Schools spend more time on reading comprehension \u201cskills\u201d such as \u201cfinding the main idea\u201d or \u201cclose reading\u201d of texts. But the science suggests these skills don\u2019t really exist beyond what can be taught with a few hours of practice. Being a good reader relies on having a lot of background knowledge, which is deemphasized in skills-based curricula.<\/li>\n<li><strong>A focus on the individual over the community.<\/strong> The skill-based focus arises because there is no definitive curriculum or canon for language arts. We\u2019ve abandoned the idea that education ought to teach students a core set of commonly held knowledge, to the detriment of disadvantaged students, Hirsch contends.<\/li>\n<li><strong>A focus on natural development over education.<\/strong> The idea that education ought to be \u201cnatural\u201d has roots as far back as Rousseau. But Hirsch argues it is a mistake\u2014that our nature is cultural, and so a failure to teach a shared culture has harmed students who don\u2019t have access to that culture in their home environment.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Hirsch\u2019s remedy is \u201cdomain immersion,\u201d or, to put it another way, teaching knowledge about the world. What knowledge? Hirsch is open here, but he argues that all students ought to be taught whatever knowledge is expected to be known by members of educated society.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Psych-Story-Human-Paul-Bloom\/dp\/0063096358\">Psych<\/a> by Paul Bloom<\/h2>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Psych-Story-Human-Paul-Bloom\/dp\/0063096358\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"674\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/81QNkeOJobL._SL1500_-674x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-15667\" style=\"width:150px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/81QNkeOJobL._SL1500_-674x1024.jpg 674w, https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/81QNkeOJobL._SL1500_-198x300.jpg 198w, https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/81QNkeOJobL._SL1500_-768x1166.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/81QNkeOJobL._SL1500_.jpg 988w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 674px) 100vw, 674px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>You don\u2019t need to learn the history of physics to understand physics. While learning more about Einstein\u2019s work on the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Photoelectric_effect\">photoelectric effect<\/a> or Maxwell\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Maxwell%27s_equations\">studies of electromagnetism<\/a> can be edifying, you don\u2019t need to know about them to learn the physics these experiments proved. The underlying theory is all that\u2019s required to understand physics.<\/p>\n<p>Psychology isn\u2019t like this. There\u2019s no deep undercurrent of theory that ties everything together. Instead, the picture of psychology as a discipline is like a <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pointillism\">pointillist<\/a> painting, where you can squint to see the totality only through reference to thousands of tiny dots.<\/p>\n<p>Despite having read a few bookshelves worth of academic psychology texts, I enjoyed Yale professor Paul Bloom\u2019s survey of the field. Because understanding psychology cannot be divorced from understanding its history, I enjoyed Bloom\u2019s birds-eye view of the field from the past to the present day.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/How-We-Reason-Philip-Johnson-Laird\/dp\/0198569769\">How We Reason<\/a> by Philip Johnson-Laird<\/h2>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/How-We-Reason-Philip-Johnson-Laird\/dp\/0198569769\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"675\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/81-feB8HPdL._SL1500_-675x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-15668\" style=\"width:150px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/81-feB8HPdL._SL1500_-675x1024.jpg 675w, https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/81-feB8HPdL._SL1500_-198x300.jpg 198w, https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/81-feB8HPdL._SL1500_-768x1165.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/81-feB8HPdL._SL1500_.jpg 989w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 675px) 100vw, 675px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>We reason by creating mental models of the world. That may not sound surprising, but it has plenty of interesting implications for understanding how we think.<\/p>\n<p>I had read Johnson-Laird\u2019s original work, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.ca\/Mental-Models-Philip-Johnson-Laird\/dp\/0674568826\/ref=sr_1_1?crid=QXAJWW7OGNMP&amp;keywords=mental+models+johnson-laird&amp;qid=1647987740&amp;sprefix=mental+models+johnson-laird%2Caps%2C133&amp;sr=8-1\">Mental Models<\/a>, last year. It was nice to see an in-depth follow-up on how the theory has developed in the subsequent two decades.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In a future post, I\u2019m going to have a full summary of Johnson-Laird\u2019s book, and what the theory implies.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Creativity-Science-Chance-Genius-Zeitgeist\/dp\/052154369X\">Creativity in Science<\/a> by Dean Simonton<\/h2>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Creativity-Science-Chance-Genius-Zeitgeist\/dp\/052154369X\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/61ptZr9jz1S._SL1360_-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-15669\" style=\"width:150px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/61ptZr9jz1S._SL1360_-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/61ptZr9jz1S._SL1360_-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/61ptZr9jz1S._SL1360_-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/61ptZr9jz1S._SL1360_.jpg 907w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Creativity is a tricky subject to study. Experimentalists tend to focus on relatively mundane acts of creativity, such as divergent thinking or alternative uses for everyday objects. But this approach is far removed from the great insights of artists, scientists and inventors we typically laud as creative. Theoreticians, in contrast, spend time creating computer simulations of creative thought\u2014often reducing creativity to mechanical problem-solving.<\/p>\n<p>Psychologist Dean Simonton\u2019s work in this field is unusual due to his largely historical focus on creativity. Instead of gathering data from experiments or simulations, he has studied data sets drawn from the works and biographies of creative individuals.<\/p>\n<p>This book surveys theories of creativity, contrasting four competing explanations: expertise, genius, society, and chance, in offering a model for how creativity works. Simonton\u2019s work provides a nice hybrid between the purely anecdotal work of biographers and the data-driven work of experimental scientists.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Cognitive-Behavior-Therapy-Third-Basics\/dp\/1462544193\">Cognitive Behavior Therapy<\/a> by Judith Beck<\/h2>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Cognitive-Behavior-Therapy-Third-Basics\/dp\/1462544193\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"677\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/81DfHA-ikL._SL1500_-677x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-15670\" style=\"width:150px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/81DfHA-ikL._SL1500_-677x1024.jpg 677w, https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/81DfHA-ikL._SL1500_-198x300.jpg 198w, https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/81DfHA-ikL._SL1500_-768x1162.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/81DfHA-ikL._SL1500_.jpg 991w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 677px) 100vw, 677px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is considered the gold standard for psychological therapy. I recently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/2023\/12\/05\/cognitive-behavioral-therapy\/\">reviewed<\/a> Beck\u2019s book, which is written as a practical guide for therapists implementing CBT.<\/p>\n<p>While CBT is undoubtedly effective, it\u2019s unclear exactly what the active ingredient is. The classic theory focuses on the cognitive (or \u201cC\u201d) part, namely that depressed\/anxious people suffer from distorted beliefs, and these cognitive failures tend to form self-sustaining patterns.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>However, some critics argue that these flawed beliefs may be caused by overactive emotional circuitry that operates outside of consciousness. Pure exposure therapy, for instance, tends to do roughly as well as exposure-plus-cognitive therapy for anxiety disorders. If this is true, then it may be the \u201cB\u201d or behavior change component that is more directly responsible for patient results.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/How-Languages-are-Learned-5th\/dp\/0194406296\">How Languages are Learned<\/a> by Patsy Lightbown and Nina Spada<\/h2>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/How-Languages-are-Learned-5th\/dp\/0194406296\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"859\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/71WWUc5wp5L._SL1500_-859x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-15672\" style=\"width:150px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/71WWUc5wp5L._SL1500_-859x1024.jpg 859w, https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/71WWUc5wp5L._SL1500_-252x300.jpg 252w, https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/71WWUc5wp5L._SL1500_-768x915.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/71WWUc5wp5L._SL1500_.jpg 1259w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 859px) 100vw, 859px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Reading summaries of domain-specific research is part of my goal to deepen my understanding of the science of learning. While plenty of books offer theories on learning, in general, it helps to gird those takeaways with more detailed work from different fields.<\/p>\n<p>To that end, I read a few different books from the field of second language acquisition (SLA) over the summer, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/2023\/10\/24\/best-way-learn-language\/\">even wrote a review<\/a> of How Languages are Learned.<\/p>\n<p>Language learning occupies an unusual place in learning theory. People learn their native languages with few failures and little instruction. Yet, most people struggle to learn foreign languages in school (and many immigrant adults fail to learn the language of their adoptive country). General-purpose learning theories, like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/2022\/01\/04\/cognitive-load-theory\/\">cognitive load theory<\/a>, draw a sharp distinction between skills we innately acquire and those that require schooling. So where do second languages fit into that scheme?<\/p>\n<p>On the one hand, SLA research is fascinating and contains many unexpected findings. On the other hand, SLA seems even less amenable to a clear scientific consensus about what works than mathematics or reading, which are themselves beset by <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Reading#The_Reading_Wars:_phonics_vs._whole_language\">eternal controversies<\/a>. Still, as someone who has spent years learning languages, it was fascinating to dive deeper into how it works!<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">7. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Science-Learning-Physics-Strategies-Instruction\/dp\/9811227764\">The Science of Learning Physics<\/a> by Jos\u00e9 Mestre and Jennifer Docktor<\/h2>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Science-Learning-Physics-Strategies-Instruction\/dp\/9811227764\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/614ma9kJMiL._SL1360_-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-15673\" style=\"width:150px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/614ma9kJMiL._SL1360_-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/614ma9kJMiL._SL1360_-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/614ma9kJMiL._SL1360_-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/614ma9kJMiL._SL1360_.jpg 907w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Along with languages, physics is another subject where many students conspicuously fail. Teaching students to think like physicists is a fiendishly difficult goal. Even students who ace exams often revert to folk theories when presented with real-life problems.<\/p>\n<p>Mestre and Docktor tackle this challenge by reviewing the large body of literature on learning physics. I plan on writing a full review of their book, which I found to be a helpful summary.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">8. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Republic-Penguin-Classics-Plato\/dp\/0140455116\">The Republic<\/a> by Plato<\/h2>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Republic-Penguin-Classics-Plato\/dp\/0140455116\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"667\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/A1Nvl95bxjL._SL1500_-667x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-15675\" style=\"width:150px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/A1Nvl95bxjL._SL1500_-667x1024.jpg 667w, https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/A1Nvl95bxjL._SL1500_-195x300.jpg 195w, https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/A1Nvl95bxjL._SL1500_-768x1179.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/A1Nvl95bxjL._SL1500_.jpg 977w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 667px) 100vw, 667px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>My interests are mainly contemporary, so I haven\u2019t spent a lot of time reading the classics. I\u2019d usually rather read a psychology textbook from the 21st century than try to parse out the (probably wrong) theories of philosophers who didn\u2019t have access to experimental science.<\/p>\n<p>But recently, I\u2019ve been reconsidering this viewpoint. Objectively speaking, the classics aren\u2019t likely to be the best source on any particular topic, but their longevity has embedded them into the background culture of all subsequent discussions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>To my surprise, I really enjoyed <em>The Republic<\/em>. It is both well-written and weird, which puts it above many other famous philosophical books that are too obscure to be easily read.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">9. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Social-Learning-Theory-Albert-Bandura\/dp\/0138167443\">Social Learning Theory<\/a> by Albert Bandura<\/h2>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Social-Learning-Theory-Albert-Bandura\/dp\/0138167443\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"702\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/51nEKAp1jL._SL1459_-702x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-15676\" style=\"width:150px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/51nEKAp1jL._SL1459_-702x1024.jpg 702w, https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/51nEKAp1jL._SL1459_-206x300.jpg 206w, https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/51nEKAp1jL._SL1459_-768x1121.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/51nEKAp1jL._SL1459_.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 702px) 100vw, 702px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Social Learning Theory is a difficult book to summarize, but it has profoundly impacted my thinking. Self-efficacy, which I\u2019ve covered <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/2023\/10\/10\/self-efficacy\/\">in-depth here<\/a>, is just one of the big ideas.<\/p>\n<p>Another big idea is the importance of learning from others. Behaviorists tended to view all actions as resulting from the reward-punishment contingencies associated with taking that action. Bandura helped shape the now-prevailing view in which reward contingencies shape motivation, but not learning beyond deciding what to pay attention to. In this view, motivation shapes which activites we choose to do, but knowledge\u2014mostly gained from other people\u2014shapes what our effective choices are.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">10. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Beginning-Read-Thinking-Learning-about\/dp\/0262510766\">Beginning to Read<\/a> by Marilyn Jager Adams<\/h2>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Beginning-Read-Thinking-Learning-about\/dp\/0262510766\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"677\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/71aUPAREaeL._SL1500_-677x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-15677\" style=\"width:150px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/71aUPAREaeL._SL1500_-677x1024.jpg 677w, https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/71aUPAREaeL._SL1500_-198x300.jpg 198w, https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/71aUPAREaeL._SL1500_-768x1162.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/71aUPAREaeL._SL1500_.jpg 991w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 677px) 100vw, 677px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Phonics is a hot topic these days, with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/02\/11\/opinion\/reading-kids-phonics.html\">prominent coverage<\/a> in the <em>New York Times<\/em> and elsewhere. The push to follow the \u201cscience of reading\u201d has attracted attention beyond the usual interest in niche educational topics.<\/p>\n<p>There is an accumulation of evidence that systematic phonics instruction (where kids are taught and drilled on the sound-spelling correspondences in print) is superior to whole-language or \u201cbalanced\u201d methods. This evidence has often been ignored, but now there is a stronger push towards phonics.<\/p>\n<p>Given the topic\u2019s newsworthiness, you\u2019d expect the \u201cscience of reading\u201d to be relatively new. But this controversy has been settled for decades. Jeanne Chall\u2019s influential summary <em>Learning to Read: The Great Debate<\/em> was published in 1967! Marilyn Jager Adams\u2019s extensive review of the literature concluded essentially the same thing in 1994.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In some ways, reading about the debate has made me more pessimistic about science-driven solutions in many areas of life. If experts can collect clear evidence that a particular approach is more effective, but that evidence is essentially ignored in practice for decades, it makes me less hopeful about other social reforms where the data points one way, but intuitions point in the other.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The past year was good for my reading. I finished around 40-50 books. 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