Synthetic Phonics

[AnonyMouse_3139]

The Dispatches programme is currently being shown on Teachers TV. It's from 1998 but worth watching. If you havent got it on your tele visit it here scroll down to the programme you need. I watched it last night, I personaly would take a small bit of how we in England do things and a big bit of how other countries do it. On April 3rd at 2pm they are showing a debate on synthetic phonics.

 

When Ms Hepplewhite said she was sad to see no nurseries did she mean all nurseries including the ones with no-one with QTS? I wouldnt feel confident 'teaching' letter sounds to children in case I got it worng and did more damage than good. I know and understand my role within the FS and like to think I do it well but I also know where my training and personal development stop. I think learning to read is too important to leave to me with no formal training in teaching it, except for on a very small scale during an everyday session. Luckily I'm not in a permenent setting so chances are if the government do mean for children as young as 3 to be 'taught' phonics then I wont be a direct part of it.

[Guest]

As long as it's not used in isolation, as I'm a strog believer in different learning styles, aren't they talking about implementing something that most of us do already?

 

An strong emphaisis on sounds, but with a bit of key word recognition, and contextual clues etc added in

[Guest]

Hi Rea

I think that if they are expecting nurseries and preschools to teach synthetic phonics then there should be training for all people teaching them, including parents. It would be great if the government would provide funding for all their great ideas so that we could all be confident and up to date with all the new initiatives. I also wish they would listen to the people who work with children all day and every day and take on board what they have to say. Wouldn't it be great if the powers who be be were to read this site.

 

Oh dear I'm being a bit cynical now but sometimes thats where education leads me...

Trudiexx

[Guest]

A question and an observation.

 

The question relates to "real books". I believe the ERR work in Essex uses synthetic phonics and real books. I really like this idea and would love to know how the books are used. Can anyone help? The researcher, J. Solity of Warwick Uni, has a piece to download from the standards site about ERR but he doesn't go into detail.

 

The observation relates to the Rose report. His first recommendation is for a broad curriculum and rich speaking and listening environment - to support the replacement of the NLS "searchlights" model by one which emphasises (a) "language comprehension" (there is only one language comprehension system which includes both spoken and written languge so speaking and listening underpins all literacy); and ( "word recognition", which he says should be synthetic phonics for early beginner readers.

[AnonyMouse_79]

Real books are great in theory, Judith, but in my experience some children do need the structure and consistent vocab of a reading scheme to get them started.

[AnonyMouse_1195]

This is one of those debates which will run and run. I wonder where we will be in three or four years from now, and what will be said about childen having problems with just reading from decoding using a pure phonetic approach. I remember when I started teaching *** years ago we used phonics, and we had a lot of children who used a robotic voice when reading, and frequently were not able to say what they had read about. I really don't believe that one size fits all, but I do think that good systematic phonics teaching is an essential part of the process. I think that we start too early.

My view is that the Foundation Stage should provide what a good home with loving carers would wish to provide- well adjusted, articulate children who are happy and highly motivated to exlore the world, building on their natural inclinations to grow, learn and be independent. Part of this would be exposure to books and print which is all around them. I would want them to learn about the print system through their activities, not in a formal way but in a natural, play way, the kind of interactions we have with young children where they point out a letter form their name, or recognise a word and may try to write it down because it is useful- labels for shops, instructions for maps.The kind of planning most of us are really good at, so that we make learning meaningful- this promotes understanding. I would want them to absorb all this as part of their learning about their own interests. Good carers take their children out and about and expose them to new ideas and experiences- that's what we should be doing until they are five or even six. Some children will probably pick up reading some wont. Then when they start in KS1 all this will give them the start to a structured phonics programme- synthetic if you like- they will find it easier because of their past experiences and hopefully have the maturilty to understand what they are doing and why.

I have found over the years that many children don't really understand what they are doing but do these things to please adults rather than internalise them, but once they do undeerstand that is when they move forward.

Sorry that this is a bit garbled but I'm with Early Education on this one (BAECE).

Perhaps we need to look at this debate in another way- Why do they need to read so early? What advantages are there to doing this? how do other countries manage leaving the teaching of formal reading and writing until 6 or 7?

[Guest]

Just to throw something else into the mix, I just got notice of a conference being held at my local university soon, and the speaker is talking about 'Phono-Grapix' which she suggests creates another dimension in the synthetic/analytic phonics approach, and in the abstract claims can teach reading in one tenth of the time of phonics and with a hundred percent success (How much faster can children learn though???).

 

Has anyone ever heard of this?

[AnonyMouse_4544]

From what I remember Phono Graphix relies on the early teaching of the different ways a single sound can be represented in writing. For example long O sound can be oa ow ough o-e ect least I think thats what it is

Its started in America and is linked to the Reading Reflex program

 

There are four Concepts of the Nature of the Code which

underlie the structure of Phono-Graphix.

• Letters are pictures of sound

• A sound picture can be represented with one letter or with two or more

• There is variation in the code - a sound can be shown with more than one

sound picture

• There is overlap in the code - a sound picture can represent more than one

sound

Edited March 25, 2006 by Marion

[Guest]

Is anyone involved in the ERR work in Essex?

[Guest]

This is one of those debates which will run and run. I wonder where we will be in three or four years from now, and what will be said about childen having problems with just reading from decoding using a pure phonetic approach. I remember when I started teaching *** years ago we used phonics, and we had a lot of children who used a robotic voice when reading, and frequently were not able to say what they had read about. I really don't believe that one size fits all, but I do think that good systematic phonics teaching is an essential part of the process. I think that we start too early.

My view is that the Foundation Stage should provide what a good home with loving carers would wish to provide- well adjusted, articulate children who are happy and highly motivated to exlore the world, building on their natural inclinations to grow, learn and be independent. Part of this would be exposure to books and print which is all around them. I would want them to learn about the print system through their activities,  not in a formal way but in a natural, play way, the kind of interactions we have with young children where they point out a letter form their name, or recognise a word and may try to write it down because it is useful- labels for shops, instructions for maps.The kind of planning most of us are really good at, so that we make learning meaningful- this promotes understanding. I would want them to absorb all this as part of their learning about their own interests. Good carers take their children out and about and expose them to new ideas and experiences- that's what we should be doing until they are five or even six. Some children will probably pick up reading some wont. Then when they start in KS1 all this will give them the start to a structured phonics programme- synthetic if you like- they will find it easier because of their past experiences and hopefully have the maturilty to understand what they are doing and why.

I have found over the years that many children don't really understand what they are doing but do these things to please adults rather than internalise them, but once they do undeerstand that is when they move forward.

Sorry that this is a bit garbled but I'm with Early Education on this one (BAECE).

Perhaps we need to look at this debate in another way- Why do they need to read so early? What advantages are there to doing this? how do other countries manage leaving the teaching of formal reading and writing until 6 or 7?

51630[/snapback]

 

 

Dear JacquieL

Thank you for your interesting comments. I have found in my experience too that once the children understand that 2 letters can make 1 sound then they can move forward, and do so rapidly. I'm trying to teach many of my children (who are still only 4) the long vowel phonemes and they just haven't got any idea of what I'm talking about or showing them . We are trialing this since our training from D. Hepplewhite. We are being as creative as we can but only 2/3 children seem to be accessing what we are teaching.

However my colleague in Year 1 is teaching the same sounds and they are flying through them and really enjoying themselves .

Thanks again

Trudie

Edited March 28, 2006 by Trudie