# phonics — RSS Amplifier Recent posts from the 2 feeds in the RSS Amplifier directory that cover phonics. Page: Feed: --- ## [Does memorizing "chunks of language" make you more fluent?](https://backseatlinguist.substack.com/p/does-memorizing-chunks-of-language) _2026-05-14 · Jeff McQuillan · The Backseat Linguist_ More failures of rote memorization ## [DIY Master’s in Second Language Teaching: A Reading List](https://backseatlinguist.substack.com/p/diy-masters-in-language-education) _2025-11-01 · Jeff McQuillan · The Backseat Linguist_ Teaching adults a second language, or developing a good teaching app/program, requires both a solid grounding in the “why” (theory/research) as well as the “how.” If you don’t understand the why, you have no way of knowing if the how is working, or how to fix it when it doesn’t. ## [Individual State NAEP Scores Aren’t Evidence For Anything](https://backseatlinguist.substack.com/p/individual-state-naep-scores-arent-evidence-of-anything) _2025-10-14 · Jeff McQuillan · The Backseat Linguist_ Two more letters appeared in the 10/12/25 print edition of The Wall Street Journal on the topic of phonics and California. ## [Shanahan Responds to My WSJ Letter](https://backseatlinguist.substack.com/p/shanahan-responds-to-my-wsj-letter-and-now-ive-got-whiplash) _2025-10-07 · Jeff McQuillan · The Backseat Linguist_ The Wall Street Journal recently published a letter by Tim Shanahan in response to my earlier letter on phonics instruction in California. ## [Schooling the Wall Street Journal and the “Mississippi Miracle”](https://backseatlinguist.substack.com/p/schooling-the-wsj-and-the-mississippi-miracle) _2025-10-03 · Jeff McQuillan · The Backseat Linguist_ More false claims about California, Mississippi, and phonics ## [Interview with Loïs Talagrand on Language Acquisition versus Learning](https://backseatlinguist.substack.com/p/interview-with-lois-talagrand-on) _2024-09-23 · Jeff McQuillan · The Backseat Linguist_ "Do not focus on language learning!" ## [Are Flashcards a Good Idea for Learning New Words?](https://backseatlinguist.substack.com/p/interview-with-james-stubbs-are-flashcards-a-good-idea-for-learning-new-words) _2024-09-16 · Jeff McQuillan · The Backseat Linguist_ The research shows the popular approach is in fact not supported by the evidence.