Researcher Kathy Rastle summarises her research findings in SEN Magazine:
In support of phonics
New research confirms the effectiveness of phonics as a method of teaching reading, writes Kathy Rastle
The subject of phonics – the government backed method of teaching reading – is one that still stirs great debate, despite strong and building evidence of its effectiveness. A result of this evidence is that in England, using phonics instruction is a legal requirement in state-funded primary schools.
Because phonics focuses on the relationship between print and sound, many people argue that it will do nothing to improve reading comprehension, and may even hinder it. This study is important because it shows that claim is false.
Read more about influential people who undermine systematic synthetic phonics and uptake of national or regional phonics screening checks via The Reading Ape blog:
So hands up, who hates phonics? Some very influential people...
April 17, 2019
Systematic phonics instruction has been described as the nearest thing to a silver bullet for the development of literacy. With all the economic and social ills associated with illiteracy (detailed here), it would be a brave person who would deny the weight of research in its favour. There remains considerable resistance to this form of instruction from the teaching profession (detailed here) but also a number of high-profile international academics. The prospect of a Phonics Screening Check in Australia has enraged them. Their views are analysed in this post.