There has been quite the debate as to whether the use of “synthetic phonics” is really the ideal method to use in order to teach children how to read. Through the answers given in an online survey, some teachers have said that synthetic phonics highly important in order for a child to learn how to successfully read. However, a majority of teachers believe that although synthetic phonics is important, there are other methods which can be just as good. Many people comment that synthetic phonics is not necessarily bad but that children need a variety of different methods in order to become skilled readers.
Many teachers emphasise the importance of reading for meaning, something that is not part of the synthetic phonics method. There has been concerns raised that the current strategy that the government have imposed, synthetic phonics, has led to unbalanced reading curriculums and that certain reading skills have not been developed in children such as the ability to make predictions within texts and being able to make contextual links. It is argued often that the use of synthetic phonics has led to children losing motivation in reading because the reading schemes are not as enjoyable as real books, children no longer enjoying reading and has also led to the development of a reading style where children are simply decoding texts. One of the biggest problems people have with synthetic phonics is that because children become fixated on pronouncing words that they miss all meaning in the text entirely. Children learn to read by engaging with texts and by using their cuing systems but through synthetic phonics children are missing out meaning and therefore not necessarily learning to read “correctly”. Some children may not like synthetic phonics so much that they may get upset as they cannot understand the “nonsense words” that they come across in their reading schemes. Since English is not a phonetically regular language, it make sense that some children may struggle with the teaching of phonics in a very clinical way and has therefore lead to some children set further behind as readers.
In the future, many are hoping that the government change the strategy that teaches children to read from synthetic phonics to something that enables children to experience the rewards of reading and actually enjoy reading. It has to be understood that reading is much more complex than just linking sounds together.
If someone said the names Biff, Chip and Kipper, I would know exactly what they were talking about, would you? They are the main characters in a popular reading scheme some schools use in order to help teach children how to read. Some people think that these reading schemes are great as they stories that children can relate to and are quite engaging. Reading schemes are written in conjunction with experts who know what strategies to use in order for children to learn to read effectively, for example some reading schemes work with experts in synthetic phonics. However, not all schools use reading schemes. Some schools believe that reading real books leads to children engaging more with the texts because they will enjoy reading and then their reading ability will follow. There is much debate on the subject of reading schemes and whether real books would be better and although many believe they would be because they have much more interesting plots and hook more children into reading and enjoying to read, there is a harsh reality that a low budget a school has can mean that they will just use reading schemes. Another big issue some people have with reading schemes is the use of ability ratings on the reading schemes in order for the teachers to know at what level every child is reading at and some believe this can be damaging for a child’s self esteem as they may be aware of where they sit in terms of ability amongst their friends and it may affect their relationship with reading in the future.
Bibliography
Phonic Boom, By John Hodgson, NATE, Teaching English, Issue 4, Page 23
Your question about Biff and Chip made me realise that reading schemes do give children a shared reading experience. But I have heard children discuss what is happening on TV programmes and in Harry Potter maybe, when those were still coming out, but never about the developments in the Village with Three Corners. Do you think having that shared experience is valuable at the time or only nostalgically?
ReplyDeleteI think reading schemes are more nostalgic and can be more likely to be discussed by older kids when their memory of characters like "Biff" and "Chip" is sparked. Real books, like Harry Potter, are important to allow children that shared experience because I think a big part of being able to read is being able to use your imagination and then be able to discuss your thoughts on what you have read and I don't think that can be done with reading schemes and may be why children do not necessarily discuss them. I think children like to discuss things that are ambiguous or surprising because they get to use their imagination and explore their emotions and reading schemes can be quite basic, repetitive in terms of story line and predicable so doesn't give children enough to talk about. Just like synthetic phonics, I think reading schemes teach children just the basics of reading and maybe even to read passively rather than being able to gain meaning from the story and then being able to discuss it and find reading enjoyable.
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