32096 (2025). Dr Lawrence Xu-Nan to the Minister of Education

32096 (2025). Dr Lawrence Xu-Nan to the Minister of Education: Does the Minister stand by her statement "every brain learns the same when it comes to reading"; and if so, does the Minister disagree with Lynda Knight-de Blois, Principal of Glenview School and Professional Development Facilitator in Trauma-informed Education and Relational Neuroscience, who stated in response to the Minister's comment that "Attempts to impose a "one size fits all" educational model, such as those sometimes advocated under the banner of the "Science of Learning", risk failing a significant portion of the student population by ignoring their unique cognitive profiles, cultural backgrounds, and developmental pathways. Let us not adopt simplistic, reductionist, standardised notions about how children learn."?

Hon Erica Stanford: Yes, and yes. I stand by my statement which was part of a more complete explanation. I elaborated that, according to cognitive science, the vast majority of students learn to read by learning the sounds of letters and storing them in long term memory and blending those sounds together to make words. I also highlighted the importance of teachers bringing in cultural factors when engaging students with learning. The key point I made is that structured literacy approaches enable students from all cultures to learn to read in more effective and efficient ways than with balanced literacy, and there is New Zealand and international evidence that supports that assertion.