The phonics debate and responses to readings

The Phonics Debate and Responses to Reading

All children learning to read require some explicit teaching of phonics in order to break words down into manageable individual sounds. Phonics is the name given to the “knowledge of the skills of segmenting and blending, knowledge of the alphabetic code and an understanding of the principles underpinning the way the code is used in reading and spelling”. Within phonics, we consider the terms ‘phoneme’ which is “the smallest unit of sound in a word that can change it’s meaning” (there are approximately 44 in spoken English although this depends on the region one is from); and ‘grapheme’ which is “a symbol of a phoneme” (ie a letter or group of letters representing a sound such as /ee/ or /ai/). There are various ideas and methods concerning the teaching of phonics which can broadly be termed synthetic and analytical approaches.

Children usually develop their reading skills most noticeably between the ages of 4 and 8, but obviously their learning occurs at different rates depending on their literary experiences outside school and their capacity as a learner. Support from families and the continued practice of reading various types of literature will ensure children develop at the optimum rate. (Browne, A 2001)

Miscue analysis (developed in America by Kenneth and Yetta Goodman) is a technique which can help us to see how children use various cues to help them sound out words and consequently identify areas in which children require help with when reading. This type of analysis involves children using their own language to re-tell a story they have read and the teacher questioning them to investigate the level of understanding they have gained which may not be displayed well enough in just listening to children read out loud. (Hall, K 2003)

There must be a wide variety of different types of literature available for children to encourage reading, catering for different tastes and challenging them as much as possible.

In 2001, the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE) published a report of a research project “The Reader in the Writer” (Barrs and Cork, 2001). This explored the connection between the influence of books on the writing of children at key stage 2. When challenging literary texts were used, children made significant progress in their writing. These findings led to a project for primary schools called RaW power (Reading and Writing power). The literature focussed on incorporating texts with strong literary styles and rhythms, traditional stories and emotionally powerful texts in an attempt to engage the reader deeply and develop ‘aesthetic reading’ which involves an appreciation of the sounds of the words. (Rosenblatt). As a result of their enjoyment of the texts, the children were motivated to ‘create worlds’ in which to write their own compositions. (Smith, F 1994). Drama and art were other mediums which influenced the children’s writing. The project concluded that time should be allotted each day “for children to practise their art and to be writers”.

There are two main approaches to the teaching of phonics in the classroom: synthetic and analytical. Each has it’s merits and drawbacks and must be considered depending on the ability of the children in question. The most effective way to teach phonics is usually a combination of the two. Synthetic phonics is a very quick method where children learn up to four new sounds a week and have learnt all the phonemes in the space of a term. Children are typically introduced to technical words such as ‘vowel’ and ‘consonant’ right from the beginning in order to distinguish the properties of both categories of letters and their position within words. (Macnair, L). Teachers of synthetic phonics require children to be active and interactive in lessons. They use a variety of resources in order to help the children learn, such as magnetic boards and letters and letter flashcards.

A lesson using synthetic phonics lasts roughly 30-40 minutes and includes revision from previous lessons to consolidate what the children have already learnt, along with various games and the alphabet song. Children practise reading pre-learnt words off the board and are shown flashcards of words they have recently learnt, before the new lesson begins. This regular, familiar routine means that children are comforted by the fact that they know what to expect.

Macnair found that after the phonics lessons, children approached reading eagerly and progressed through the reading scheme at an impressive rate, using the strategies they had learnt. This also had an impact upon the children’s ability to write in a range of contexts and spanned their reading and writing in other subjects too. Spelling was improved and children were confident in their handwriting, embarking on new vocabulary without being afraid. Macnair stressed the importance of phonics lessons to be fun and interactive to allow them to be memorable.

The main criticism regarding the use of synthetic phonics lies in it’s ‘cure all ills’ philosophy. In addition to this the phonics schemes that are available to buy are not only costly but also largely inappropriate for children under five. These schemes also frequently neglect to consider the spectrum of “interests, passions and emotional needs of the children in the setting” (Bromley, H). Lessons using synthetic phonics have a tendency not to stimulate children’s emotions and generally lack purpose. It is argued that “children need to learn how and when to use phonic knowledge to their advantage, in conjunction with other clues, in both reading and writing”. (Bromley, H). Much research shows that an early interest and engagement in books is essential in becoming a good reader, which is somewhat contrary to the focus of synthetic phonics which requires the accurate decoding of each and every word before children are given books to read for themselves.(Bromley, H)

Analytical phonics is a slower, more in-depth way of teaching phonics which is similar to the way children learn naturally. In this way, analytical phonics “leaves space for children’s own inference-making and pattern-seeing” (Bielby, N 1999). It deals with looking at books as a class and examining the patterns in printed words and their sounds. The use of onset (the letter that a word begins with) and rime (the final sound) of a word are taught as ways to aid pronunciation. The awareness of such phonology tends to come to children more easily than the aspects of synthetic phonics. (Bielby, N).

The books used in class may well be a little beyond the ability of the class but can be enjoyed all the same. There is an element of pleasure in looking at not only the words individually, but how each story fits together. Children find excitement in these reading sessions. Accompanying pictures in books can be used to aid reading as can the recognition of high-frequency words and the use of context and syntax as a clue to determining the unknown word. (Evans, S) Resources are used to their full-capacity in the shape of posters, alphabet friezes, labelled displays, word walls and labelled resources including of course a range of attractive books. This assortment of print in different forms serves to constantly grab the attention of children and encourage them to be excited in reading, even if some words are beyond their comprehension. Writing materials are also readily available in order to prompt the writing of fun signs or notes as part of a game or theme. An example of ICT in the teaching of phonics is setting up the interactive whiteboard with messages for the children to read which can be as simple as listing their names with a ‘hello’ message. Their excitement is evident when they smile at recognising their own names or those of their friends. (Evans, S)

September 2008 saw the implementation of the renewed Primary Framework and the Early Years Foundation Stage. Along with these came the phonics resource entitled “Letters and Sounds: Principles and Practice of High Quality Phonics”. This “gives early years practitioners and teachers a powerful phonics teaching tool to ensure that young children are well-placed to read and spell words with fluency and confidence by the time they reach the end of Key Stage 1” (Adonis, A and Hughes, B)

The aim behind the phonics programme is to secure word recognition skills in children, in order for them to confidently decode (read) and encode (spell) words correctly, in turn heightening their understanding of texts and giving them the ability to write creatively themselves.

At the heart of the Letters and Sounds programme, is the desire to enable children to see how reading and spelling are linked “such that the teaching of one reinforces understanding of the other” and can be seen as ‘reversible processes’.

Multi-sensory activities are promoted within the programme to provide children with easy, enjoyable methods of attempting to put letters together to make words by means of magnetic letters on a whiteboard in individuals or pairs. This also has the advantage of being “an easy means to monitor children’s progress.”

The importance of following the chosen phonic programme from start to finish is highlighted, warning that “mixing parts of different sequences from more than one programme can slow their progress”.

It is undeniable that high quality phonics teaching is essential for children who are learning to read. What is uncertain, is whether synthetic or analytical phonics is the most effective approach. It is argued that a combination of these tools is the preferred approach as they complement each other. The central aim should be children understanding the purpose of reading and promoting enjoyment of literature at an early age. I agree with Bromley’s dismissal of the sole use of synthetic phonics which highlights that:

“Children have been encountering whole words in context from a very early age, in a variety of ways. To ignore such knowledge, for example by denying access to books until letter/sound relationships are learned, makes no sense at all.”

Thank you for providing such a comprehensive summary of all the reading - I am definitely going to print it off to refresh my memory from time to time!