fonikx iz not da cea to reedin

The phonics method of teaching children to read is not necessary past the initial stages of learning.

It would seem that phonics alone is no longer the answer to our ‘learning to read issues’.

What does it say about previoud generations of learners? Surely, if it is true of this NZ/Scottish generation then the same can be said of previous generations around the world. Were we wrong again? Will this prompt another cycle in the ‘roundabout’ of pedagogical ideas and implementation?

On a personal note, phonics worked for me, but then I struggled with reading and was diagnosed with dyslexia at 12 and classified ‘special needs’ for many years, right through my secondary schooling. Even I know that there is more to reading than simply knowing the phonetic structure and rules. There has to be a ‘whole text’, context driven, element to reading.

As an aside a while ago I was in discussion about ‘skimming and scanning’ text. It surprised me when a colleague talked of moving their eyes in vertical fashion down the centre of the page and then was able to pick out the key themes and ideas of a passage of text. No wonder I’m a slow reader. I seems can skim for keywords and phrases but not scan, it would appear. The redeeming feature of this disability of mine is that I can retain larger portions of text over a longer period of time, but then if I have to read every word its hardly a surprise.

Other articles:

• Phonetic reading method not sound, study shows
• Phonics teaching method found less effective
• New Zealand study spells out disadvantages of phonics reading education
• Phonics teaching method downplayed

Related posts:

• Lane Clark Speaks about Teaching and Learning
• Ken Robinson on 'Finding your Inner Passion'
• Special Needs: Shuffling money for the best result
• OECD... Simplifying education... Hoping she writes like Malcolm Gladwell.

Tweet