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Why the Alphabet and Phonetics Method are No Longer Relevant
in Teaching the Information-Age Non-Readers to Read
The Learning Place International Compound
10966 Kanluran Road, Faculty Hills, UP at Los Banos, Laguna
(049)536 4851; (049)536-8316
www.readin20days.com
www.facebook.com/Instant Reader
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stances should this e-book be sold, copied, or reproduced in any way except when you
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Readers of this e-book are granted a license to use the information contained herein for
their own personal use. All results described in this report are accurate to the best of my
knowledge and should not be considered ―typical.‖ As with any business, your results may
vary and will be based on your background, dedication, desire, and motivation. Any testimonials and examples used are exceptional results, which do not apply to the average
purchaser and are not intended to represent or guarantee that anyone will achieve the
same or similar results. You may also experience unknown or unforeseeable risks which can
reduce results. I am not responsible for your actions. The material contained in this e-book is
the result of my teaching experience for more than 20years.
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What’s Inside
Part I : Intro : Why the Alphabet and Phonetics Method are No Longer Relevant in
Teaching the Information-Age Non-Readers to Read
Page
1
TRACKING DOWN THE PAST :We Were Taught to Read at Age Seven -
9-10
2
If I Could JUST TURN BACK THE TIME : Industrial vs Information-Age Learning -
11-12
3
Yes, Reading Took A Back Seat -
13-14
4
TO TEACH OR NOT TO TEACH THE ALPHABET -
15-16
5
Still Remember the Very First Time Your Child Spoke? -
17
6
Believe it or Not, Reading is Not a Natural Phenomenon
18-20
7
YOU’RE NOT ALONE : Children’s Inability to Read at A Proficient Level is a Serious Global Problem
21
8
How Should the Process of Reading A Word Really Happen?
22
9
What Made Reading Difficult to Learn?
23
10
PHONETICS VS PHONEMICS: What’s the Difference?
24-27
11
Do the Works. Turn the Pages. Examine Your Child’s Reading Books -
28-29
12
In for A BIGGER TRAP -
30
13
TAKE A CLOSER LOOK: Examine the Difference
31
14
Phonetics and Alphabet Tandem Teaching of Reading -
32-33
15
Where Can I Find All These Phonemes? -
34
References
35
The Author
36
Bonus : How to Unleash Your Child’s Reading Genius-Understand the Value of Reading Readiness
37-39
Assessment and Let Your Child Take it for Free
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I dedicate this to...
All
the teachers,
would-be teachers
parents,
educators,
school principals, administrators,
business and community leaders
who believe that Instant Reading is what the present
generation of learners need to genuinely experience and appreciate the joy and
beauty of learning .
And most especially
to the non-readers and
struggling readers- young and old alike…..
the hope of owning and enjoying this greatest skill is now within your reach..
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Foreword
Everything I would be sharing here comes from my heart. I have always believed that
anything worthy must be shared freely.
I never even thought that teaching Reading would become part of my life as a mom and
teacher. More than the learned skill, I see hope and new found confidence in every child
as he discovers the genius that lies within him. I feel such an indescribable joy inside. It
will only have its fullest meaning and lasting value once shared with more children and
even adults who hunger and thirst for what real learning is all about.
Whenever I tell my peers and those older than me that a child could be taught to read instantly if they would not learn the alphabet first...they give me a cold stare as if I’m talking
“latin” to them. It was such an “out-of-this -world” statement at this time and age!
I encourage you to examine with an open heart and mind every word and every line that
I would share as we partner together in laying the foundation to the greatest skill a child
will ever have in his entire life. I would like to tell you that every child of this time and age
has the ability to read instantly!
Come , discover and share the journey of teaching the information-digital age generation
of kids ( and even adults) the skill to read instantly at its purest and best!!
Teacher Vicki Quintana-Arioder
Instant Reader Founder and Curriculum Developer
www.readin20days.com
www.facebook.com/instantreader
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Teaching the World to Read the Fastest and Most Effective Way
All Rights Reserved
Los Banos, Laguna, Philippines
2014
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Introduction
Why the Alphabet and Phonetics Method are No Longer Relevant in
Teaching the Information-Age Non-Readers to Read
This Facebook post gained so much attention --more than 7k likes, almost 1k comments and more than
5K shares as of this writing. This does not even include the voluminous PM we receive every day!
We got lost in explaining one by one the reasons why teaching the alphabet should now be the exception rather than the rule. These and more compelled us to come out with a special report to once and
for all answer the questions that kept coming.
It is our desire to openly share with you that the most popular method that initially teaches our children to
read through the alphabet is no longer relevant and in a way hamper the reading genius of our infor- mationage learners. We know it is not easy to accept such premise since majority, if not all of us born during the
industrial age were taught reading through the introduction of the alphabet.
We have just entered another era--the 21st century. Everything is now instant. No longer do we need to
wait for long hours to eat whenever we feel instant hunger—we have all sorts of instant food from noo- dles
to our ―fave‖ meals and even coffee. Communication can transpire in seconds through emails, text
and social media. If we want to divulge on reading books or magazines in an instant, we can also get it
through the internet without leaving our homes. Library is now more of a museum rather than a hangout for
research. Almost everything becomes easily accessible and convenient. Truly we are now living in an
information - age where knowledge is within our fingertips.
But in the midst of this technological revolution, our reading method for teaching non-readers to learn
the skill was left behind. This is not to scare you but to make you aware that there is now a better, proven fast and more effective way to teach reading even without the use of any tekkie” gadget.
It is also our genuine desire for the officials in DEPED and school administrators across the nation to read
this with open hearts and minds. In this way, we are sure that together, we can come up with an immediate and tangible solution to teach the most number of non-readers and struggling readers young and
old alike, this very vital component of learning that was left behind amidst the world‘s technological advancement.
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1
Tracking Down The Past :
We Were Taught to Read at Age Seven
I remember a 35 year old mom approached me with three gripping questions and one compelling statement in a row while I was sitting calmly in
our center… Read in 20 Days? Anu yun magic?
Paano mo naman matuturuan ng 20 days lang
ang bata? Nagmamadali? (Read in 20 days?
How can that be? Magic? Why hurry?) During our
time, we were taught to read at the age of seven—no fuss… and that‘s it, we found ourselves
reading and made it through school.‖
Before I even tried to answer her questions, a
mom in her early 20‘s lamented with her soft voice ...‖If only I have the time to personally teach
my two children, then spending for tutorials
If only I have the time to personally wouldn‘t be an option,…it‘s really a drain in my
teach my two children, then spending pocket!‖ Another mom who seemed to be lisfor tutorials wouldn't be an option. tening from a distance, joined in and shared a
piece of her frustration, ― Ay naku di ko na nga
alam kung paano ko ma-eenganyo ang mga
anak ko na magbasa! Mas gusto nila sa computer lagi! Wala silang ka-inte-interes! Lahat ng
palusot meron sila. Iba na talaga mga bata ngayon!”(I don‘t know anymore how I will be able to
motivate my kids to have that habit of reading, they spend more time in the computer! They
seem not to be interested at all! I‘m so stressed and tired of running after them. They have all the
excuses they could think of everyday. It was really different during our time. Kids nowadays are so
hard to control!‖
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The three moms seem to have found empathy with one another when I barged in and invited
them to join other moms attend our Free Reading Clinic Orientation. Their quests for answers seem
unquenchable! I became more excited to hear them pour out their thoughts and sentiments. I
got more excited to share my experiences and knowledge as well. I could fully relate to what and
how they feel. It‘s just a matter of making them understand the different factors that contribute to
the changes and innovations around us that truly affect their child‘s journey to learning.
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2
If I Could Just Turn Back the Time
Industrial vs. Information Age
During my elementary years (70‘s to early
80‘s), I could count with my fingers the
number of my classmates with tutors. Now,
almost every student of every grade level
especially in private schools has a tutor
coming to their homes after school hours.
Parents would complain that their child finds it hard to comprehend what he just read and it affects
his performance in every subject in school. They have all sorts of reasons and people to blame: the
school system , the teacher, their classmates, the tablet, internet computer games and the ever
present entertaining box at home---TV-the marks of the so-called Information age.
Competing with media and technology seem to
be a ruthless race. What we need is to move
fast and be open to reading technique alternatives and innovations fit for the 21st century learners.
The formation of strong bonding with these
so called ‖tekkie‖ gadgets before learning
basic reading skills possesses a deep threat
and great danger to our children‘s future.
We cannot fully protect nor ban our children
from their use and wish we could just turn
back the time when things were simpler and easier to control.
Let‘s be honest, we also depend on them for living. What we need now is to discover techniques
and strategies that are fully wired and aligned with the learning styles of the present generation of
learners. Taking it from John Dewey, ― If we teach today’s students as we taught yesterday’s, we rob
them of tomorrow.”
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The choice is in our hands....
Competing with media and technology is a ruthless race. It‘s a sad plight...teaching reading then and
now possesses no difference. Only a few number of adults living in this present generation can still
recall the very first time they learned to read.
Most of them would proudly say, he was 6
years old then when he memorized the alphabet and eventually learned to read simple
words when he was about 7 or 8 years old.
Yes, this was the ideal age that a child learns
to read beginning the Industrial Age….the
transition period of human society from manual labor to machine–based economy.
Time has radically changed and so is the way
things are being conducted in every aspect
of living. Sadly ,education being the anchor
to a nation‘s
progress seemed unable to keep up with
a fast changing society. It‘s about time for educational policies, strategies and methods of teaching key skills such as READING rise to the challenge of addressing the needs
of the present genera-
tion of so called ― information-age‖ learners.
As for the teaching of Reading, what we need is not just to move fast but get to know the blueprint
of what an effective Reading program should be taught to this present generation of learners.
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3
YES, READING TOOK A BACK SEAT
This is exactly what happened with the way reading is taught in schools. It failed to adapt to the
changing culture of the present generation of learners. It continued to stick with how the industrial
learners were taught…slow paced antiquated alphabet method of teaching reading.
No difference at all.
Let us face this fact—not everything that was effective during the 19th and 20th century is still applicable to the present time. This has to be understood
with open hearts and minds. Resorting to debates
as to which reading instruction (i.e Phonetics, Whole
Language Approach etc.) works best only proves futile. This had been clearly revealed in the research findings of a Billion Dollar Reading First Program that recently concluded.
Are we just to wait, blame and point fingers not mindful of the element of time and the influence of
media and technology to the present generation of learners?
Now, everything that is essential in living is
just a click away…from banks to documents and even food. Email was inconceivable during the industrial age.
Everything that makes things move faster
during the industrial age has also been
quickly developing and changing as we
enter the information-digital age.
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Industries, factories and high rise buildings rose as early signs of development
during the Industrial Age.
Parents
worked hard to send their children to
school, hoping for a sure job in the industry in the very near future. Children
at that time had fewer distractions.
Only selected families own computers.
Parents can still monitor their children‘s
TV time at home and studies in school.
Parents back then were somehow in
perfect control of this routine until things became faster than anyone expected. Time and work
demands are in a continuous tug-of-war.
Media and technology swiftly crept in, evolved rapidly and grabbed everyone‘s attention. The
world has become smaller and distractions among learners were totally overwhelming.
Media and technology swiftly crept in,
evolved rapidly and grabbed everyone’s attention. The world has become smaller and
distractions among learners were totally
overwhelming.
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In a snap of a finger, industrial age was replaced by the information -digital age. Lifestyles have extremely changed and if you
choose to just see things happen, your child
will surely be left behind.
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To Teach or Not to Teach the Alphabet
I was invited in seminars to present my stand that a child could instantly read even without teaching the alphabet. Many teachers and parents
positively responded to what I shared. Still there
were
few ―so- called experts in the field‖ who
would contradict what I believe in even if they
have seen my well documented proofs and testimonies of more than thousands of students who
were able to read instantly just by following the
blueprint of Instant Reading.
There are people telling me that I‘m trying to
contest theories that have already been accepted and established for hundreds of years.
Others would bluntly tell me that I am going against nature and forcing something that is not yet
appropriate for the child’s age and development. I could feel and see resistance from their eyes
as
they strongly air their stand. Well, I don’t blame them, nor insist on what I believe could be so
realistically true. After all, what I’m posing is a path newly opened and long standing accepted
system being radically shaken.
Yes, nobody can defy the reigning authority of the English Alphabet in teaching reading. Majority,
if not all even up to this time will first and foremost be taught to memorize the alphabet before they
begin to read. It serves as a standard that the child is ready to learn and has the capacity to read
once the alphabet is already part of his system. The child has greater edge if he could even sing and
write the 26 letters in sequence. It has become every parent‘s pride to hear and see his own
acquire the alphabet skill.
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child
The English Alphabet is already an institution. This is our early training in reading and I would not say
that it is wrong to learn it. I myself was taught the same way. What I am saying is that learning
and memorizing ( even singing ) the alphabet is not a guarantee that a child will be able to read
quickly and effectively. Actually it
slows down the process of reading. It
goes against the natural process of
speaking and learning reading.
I have yet to see or meet a child
who after memorizing
or
mastering
the alphabet automatically or instantly read words and sentences. Now let
me go deeper and explain my side. I
know it‘s never easy to shake an already established system.
It’s now time to give Reading a closer look with an information/digital -age mindset.
Before we move further and introduce to you what could be the best solution to teach reading to
the present generation of learners, let me give you insights on what and how reading was taught in
the past.
Do read the succeeding pages with an open heart and mind. I believe these are the keys that
would allow us to understand principles that could lead us to do things better, more applicable
and relevant to what the present generation needs.
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5
Still Remember the Very First Time your Child Spoke?
Every time I conduct seminars, I
often asked the
participating moms to recall the moment their child
first learned to speak. What was the first word that he
said? Everyone was in chorus answering my question, ―
“mmma….mmma…mama
or
dda,
da-
da.”
They didn't say the word as fluent and quick as they
could, right? They uttered the speech sounds that
comprise the word as if they are blending something before they finally blurted the word. They kept
on repeating it then eventually spoke the word clearly and with ease.
I have yet to hear a baby who before he spoke a word enumerated the letters in the alphabet
and said ― W, V O ,R X, T, U, Q.. and so on and so forth. It‘s very natural for toddlers to sound out
and not say the letters of a word even before they ever learn to speak. The concept of sounds
and not letters is something that toddlers are initially familiar with. Using this technique as an approach to teaching them a basic skill such as reading could help them cope easily with the task.
Having said this, the introduction of the alphabet could actually make reading harder and longer
to learn simply because it was totally not aligned with the natural speaking and reading process of
every child.
It is very natural for toddlers to sound out
even before they speak. It was the introduction of the alphabet that made reading harder
to learn. It was totally not aligned with the
natural speaking and reading process of a
child.
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6
Believe it or not Reading is Not a Natural Phenomenon!!
It has been said that kids should not be taught to read early as they will just naturally read—same
as walking and talking.
This may sound logical but quite ironical
and misaligned to the alarming results
of the various researches and studies in
reading and literacy.
Referring to the report given by the
Committee on Labor and Human Resources (US) some children learn to read
and write with ease before school, and without any great effort or pressure on the part of their parents. They pick up books, pencils, and paper, and they are on their way, almost as though by
magic.
However, the magic of this effortless journey into the world of reading is available to only about
5% of our nation's children. What about the 95%?
From the numerous recent researches done globally on the study of Reading, one of the most
compelling findings reveals that children who get off to a poor start in reading rarely catch up. This
is something I could truly attest. I have dealt with students starting from first grade to sixth level really having a hard time coping in all their subjects and struggling to finish a task. They even show pits
of depression simply because reading is a total burden for them. Nothing is more conclusive than
their poor start in reading. Bridging the gap is a huge task to take. These kids were left behind.
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Several students whom I have assessed to have poor reading skills due to the lack of direct ( explicit) and precise (systematic) reading instruction (phonemic awareness) before they reach the age of
nine suffered most in their academic subjects.
Coupled with this identified and lurking learning disability is an
―emotional seesaw‖ resulting into
their very poor self-esteem.
The consequences of a slow start in
reading become monumental
as
they accumulate exponentially over
time (Stanovich). Associated with failure to acquire early word reading skills, these consequences range from negative attitude toward
reading( Oka and Paris) to reduced opportunities for vocabulary growth . It then bloats to missed
opportunities in the development of reading comprehension strategies to less actual practice in
reading than other children receive. ( Brown, Purcell and Allington).
Several times I have listened to parent after parent
tell me about their feelings that there was a problem
early on, yet persuading themselves to discount their
intuition. They opted to wait to seek help for their
child.
Later when they learned that time is of the essence
in developing reading skills, the parents regretted
the lost months or years.
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Another revealing facts on reading researches
show that the crucial window of opportunity to
deliver help is during the first couple of years of
school ( preschool years).
So if your child is having trouble learning to
read, the best approach is to take immediate
action( Hall).
The longer you wait to get help for a child with
reading difficulties, the harder it will be for that child to catch up. If help is given in fourth grade, rather than in late kindergarten, it takes four times as long to improve the same skills by the same
amount ( Lyon G.R 2007) .
Taking it from Anne Northup, the US Representative to Congress, ― a six year old is only six once, you
cannot come back 15 years later and make things right”
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YOU’RE NOT ALONE!!
Children’s Inability to Read at a Proficient Level is a
Serious Global Problem
What surprised me most is that this learning and reading
scenario is not something unique to our country. I have
done extensive research comparing and evaluating both
past and latest reading lessons, instructions, approaches,
student performances and government statistics.
All the results and findings lead to one common thing….
whether you are in a third or first world country, problems
on reading remain the same. Poor performance of students in school boils down to their poor reading comprehension skills.
In the Philippines it is so alarming that incoming High School students were found out to have
reading skills that of a Grade Four or early Grade
Five level. (Juan Miguel Luz, 2007).
They are grossly deficient in basic and higher order
thinking skills. Globally, every government wonders
and tries hard to find out the root to the problem.
It‘s totally puzzling to know that after the US Federal
government has spent $4 Billion Dollars on READING
FIRST which was part of the NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND LAW no difference in reading comprehension
scores was seen among students who did and did not participate in the program.
Institute of Education Science (US) Director Russ Whitehurst said the study focused mainly on reading comprehension, rather than other aspects of reading such as whether kids grasp phonemes,
because comprehension is the ultimate goal when one is taught how to read. (posted September
15, 2008 Issue of The Sable Verity) .
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How Should the Process of Reading A Word Really Happen?
First, the child should be able to understand the
way speech sounds are made up through
phonemic awareness.
Second, he should be able to connect and differentiate these speech sounds to corresponding letters or symbols.
Third, the child should be able to properly blend
right combination of the phonemes/speech
sounds with each other to finally form and read the word. These phonemes have to be
properly grouped and categorized for ease in blending and word formation. There has to
be good eye control across the page where the word is written. This would now allow him to
build images and ideas and compare new ideas with what is already known. Lastly, the ideas he learned must be properly stored in his memory for future retrieval.
These three steps give us a strong warning that must never be taken for granted— you don't leave
reading to chance. It is one of the most complicated skills that a child needs to learn and master
in life. So if he misses the very first step here, then we lose all the chances for him to move smoothly and swiftly to the next steps to reach the goal. Without this proper foundation, the child remains in the learning arena, yes, but is actually struggling daily in acquiring the skill.
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8
What Made Reading Difficult to Learn?
Difficulties in learning to read result from combination of factors. It has been generally accepted that children who are
most at-risk for reading failure are those who enter school with
limited exposure to language and storytelling and who have
little prior understanding of concepts related to phonemic
awareness, letter knowledge, print awareness, the purposes
of reading and general verbal skills, including vocabulary (NRP 2000). From the previous page
alone, it has been cleared out what is the role of phoneme awareness and how it builds the process of reading.
The National Reading Panel (NRP) an independent
body responsible for the ―No Child Left Behind Act‖,
created and commissioned by the US Department
of Education and National Institute for Child and
Health Development (NICHD) were task to review
past and current researches in reading. They openly found out that there was a clear and distinct
pattern that children go through as they learn to
read. It starts with phoneme awareness explicitly
and systematically taught leading to reading fluency which ultimately develops reading comprehension skills.
It is important to understand that children won‘t become fluent readers until they have the properfoundation of phonemes established in the initial stages of learning reading. Comprehension only
follows when the two are in proper place and sequence.
Let me repeat, in kindergarten and first grade, phoneme awareness is one of the most essential and
non-negotiable component that must be carefully integrated in their reading lessons in or- der to
reach proficiency level in their reading skill needed in higher grade levels.
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10
Phonetics vs Phonemics: What’s the Difference?
It has been repeatedly mentioned in our earlier discussion that phoneme awareness has something to
do with learning reading the right way. So what are
these phonetics and phonemes all about?? What do
these terms really mean? What is the difference between the two?
A mom asked me, ― are phonemes same
as
pho-
netics? “ In my child‘s school that‘s how they were
taught to read!‖ She confidently mentioned that the
26 letters of the alphabet were taught to their students through their sounds.
There seems to be an association between phonemic awareness and phonetic reading approach. Yes, there is a relation between the two but their
approach to the beginning stages of learning reading
and developing the skill totally differs. Since the approach differs, the effect differs more.
OK now, let‘s focus first on Phonetics since I believe this
word has become more popular among all the reading
approaches that came out in the
field.
In
this
ap-
proach, instead of just teaching the names of the letters
of the alphabet, students are now taught not just the
letter names but the sounds solely confined to the 26
letters of the alphabet ,deliberately categorizing vowels and consonant letters.
The trend or the usual pattern, I would say is that kids will learn to read three or four letter words and
very simple sentences through this approach — that is with the aid of pictures and achieva- ble for
most children only after spending two to three years in preschool.
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Compared to just learning and memorizing the alphabet ,through this picture-aided approach,
more students responded and improved the way they learned to read .The technique spread and
almost all the new and rising schools adapted the system. The materials being used got a big
share in the market.
However, though an improvement was seen or experienced in the way the known ―phonetic approach‖ was used in teaching beginning readers, surveys
and even Deped statistics regarding its
use and application were not enough to conclude that it is the ultimate system that could significantly make any child read. If this had been so, then our reading-literacy problem could have
been solved long ago.
What could be the reasons?
We have to accept the fact that there are several
speech sounds not being covered by merely focusing on the 26 letters of the alphabet.
Making students depend on pictures will never
ever bridge the gap. Not all words can be aided
by pictures!
What is also strongly emphasized in phonetic approach is simply letting the child identify the beginning, middle and ending letter of a given
word. Moreover, in the phonetic approach if a
child can find and identify the locations of these
letters in a word, could mean that the he has already leveled -up in reading. With this skill, he is
already expected to properly and strongly comprehend what he has read. However there‘s more
to reading than just identifying the locations of letters in a word.
25
Yes, reading may have taken place through phonetic approach. It worked for so many kids. However it takes a long period of time for them to read and understand more complicated words
since several units of sounds (phonemes) were not included when the 26 letters of the alphabet
were introduced. It would not be surprising if they tend to just guess the given words or sight read
and just memorize them most of the time. They resort to such method to be able to survive in the
task of reading. This is usually the root cause of why there are so many struggling readers.
Learning reading by applying the known phonetic approach alone is still a slow process to reading. The system is very much prone to reading
traps.
Once this information-age/digital generation of
kids become bored and stressed in reading,
their focus would be lost and the love for reading deteriorates.
The burden is again passed on to the parents.
Their kids are left behind in the fast pace of the
learning system in school. Again, tutors come to
their rescue!
Learning to read is tougher than what people think. To learn to decode and read printed words,
children must be aware that embedded in the spoken words are individual units of sounds termed
as phonemes. The skill to identify, blend, segment and manipulate all these phonemes lead to its
mastery perfectly termed as phoneme awareness — exactly where genuine reading starts.
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There are about 44 phonemes listed that comprise the sounds in spoken English.
Let me reiterate that being pinned down solely to the 26 letters of the alphabet is not enough to
really make a child learn to read quickly and effectively. It is actually the silent trap that slows down
the process of learning to read. Let‘s try to see more the relationship between phonetics and phonemics . To give you a holistic view, take a look at the diagram or figure below.
You can see below that phonemic awareness is under the study of Phonics or more popularly
known as the phonetic system. The rule or standard approach in this system is as follows –after
memorizing the alphabet it focused more on identifying and combining vowels and consonants,
word syllabication, onset and rimes, alliteration and forming of sentences that often forces premature development of reading comprehension.
Phonemic Awareness is one of the most important yet neglected component in developing the
child’s reading skill. The child will only be able to read words and sentences fluently once he has
mastered the listed number of phonemes and learned the various techniques, phases and strategies that comprise phoneme awareness( i.e phoneme categorization, isolation, blending and manipulation). It is only when the child reaches fluency in reading when he begins to really enjoy
reading. And when this happens, vocabulary building naturally comes making it easy for the child
to further develop his reading comprehension skills.
Taking it from the research done by NRP, it’s such a monumental loss to miss these essential components to fully attain what genuine reading really is.
27
13
Do the Works...Turn the Pages. Examine Your Child’s Reading Books
Let‘s try to examine deeper. Since we were all accustomed to the authority of the Alphabet as the
sole tool in teaching reading, so how did the process of reading after learning the alphabet actually transpire?
So easy. Teachers made sure
the reading aids are available and handy. They put pictures beside
the words. For example, for the word MAT, they put a picture of the mat beside it. This technique is
applied to other common words like
ball, cat ,dog, sun, balloon, pig, rat etc. The child became
very familiar with the common words they get to use every day and when they see the same words
again, they get to read each quickly and easily. Lo and behold… having followed the said technique, they already thought that the ―real‖ process of READING transpired! It was actually fun seeing all the pictures beside every word. Reading seems to be so easy.
Check the books that you bought or the ones your child use in school. View commonly available
videos on the net (i.e youtube), listen and see how beginning readers are taught reading through
alphabet songs and picture-aided words. Do the works and examine them yourself.
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However, more and more words that are not picture-aided are coming out from the sentences
and paragraphs that the child has to read. His reading slows down and becomes less enjoyable.
The child feels the stress and starts to complain, ― I don‘t like to read, it‘s so hard‖. It will only be a
matter of days when he would declare that ―reading is not fun at all!”
It was not what and how he knew it the
first time he memorized the alphabet
and read words with pictures.
Here are some examples of nonpicture aided words which are usually
encountered by the child in his early
reading moments. Oftentimes these
words hamper the child from reading
sentences fluently and with ease.
Some
have
come
there
so
do
belong
Mere
Me
Often
you
said
what
to
one
into
become
because
none
like
Tight
are
the
were
tackle
Till
Sought
Done
be
Might
Though
Without the knowledge and skill of phoneme awareness, these words are often read by the teacher
for the child or taught as one whole word. The child should be good in memorizing these non- pictureaided words to help him easily read them in a sentence. If the child finds it hard to recall or
do such
memory work, then, he will have all the excuses in the world just for you not to let him read. Mom gets
puzzled and frustrated. The problem complicates even more and his performance in his subjects
in school is being affected. The tutor comes in to rescue the child. Oftentimes, the
tutor does the
work for the child. The problem was not solved. Reading fluency and comprehen- sion are two
important skills that the child failed to develop. Decoding all those non-picture aided words in between
sentences is truly making things harder for the child to reach fluency in reading.
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14
IN FOR A BIGGER
TRAP
Now here comes the bigger trap. The child encounters a new word without any picture. He struggles to say the word but obviously experiencing a hard time recalling and associating the word
from his memory bank. He sees same letters and then starts to guess.
For example, the word was ―HAVE”…no picture beside it but then he saw there‘s an H and an E. His
eyes started to brighten, then quickly blurted and read it confidently as ―HOUSE‖.
What will the teacher do? He will just correct it, ―no that‘s not house, that‘s read as “HAVE” And the
child will just follow, ― ah ok, HAVE‖. The cycle goes on. The child will just be corrected without any
explanation as to the correct process of how and why the words were read as such.
hmmm...looks so
much alike
Guessing Game Begins
have
=
house
Since the child was accustomed to picture-aided words or taught to read dependent on
visuals, his learning process begins to adapt to the given pattern.
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15
Take A Closer Look: Examine the Difference
Now, let me use the word ―champ‖ to illustrate the difference between phonetics and phonemics. When a child learns through phonetics, he would be taught to identify the beginning sound
as ―c‖, middle sound as ―a‖ and ending sound as ―p‖. The other sounds ( h and m) were not categorically taught or emphasized.
However when the child learns reading through phonemes, he would be able to categorically
blend, read and spell this by identifying four phonemes from this word such as , ch/a/m/p.
He would not say that the word starts with letter C since he has learned that the first sound in the
word is the phoneme ‖ch‖ The child would even be able to differentiate if the sound of A is read
as short or long .
PHONEmic Approach
PHONETIC Approach
CHAMP
CH A
Having been initially taught the letters of the alphabet
the child will be asked to identify the following from the
given word :
M
P
Having acquired Phoneme Awareness, the child will
automatically be able to identify and sound out the
four phonemes when he sees the given word :
Beginning Letter : C
Phoneme 1 : CH
Middle Letter : A
Phoneme 2 : short A
Ending Letter : P
Phoneme 3 : M
The child will be taught that this word begins with
letter C. It rhymes with the word : ramp, clamp and
lamp
Phoneme 4 : P
The child will be able to read the word even without the aid of a picture. Since the child has developed phoneme awareness he will recall and
give the sounds he hears as the word is given/
seen. He will eventually blend the given sounds
together until fluency in reading the word is
achieved. The teacher may now give the meaning
of the word and explain how it is used. The child
The word champ is identified to be a one- syllable
word, therefore the word is read as a whole., aided
with picture to help him associate the word to its
meaning and remember how it is read :
follows and begins to own the word and depos-
CHAMP
its it to his vocabulary bank.
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16
Phonetics and Alphabet Tandem Teaching of Reading:
The Popular Choice
Even if phonetics approach claims that it already used sounds in teaching reading, the presentation and strategy remain the same —for the child to read and memorize the words, pictures must
be handy.
You would notice that the letter name A has a totally different sound than the A in the word
APPLE. The letter A is read with the long vowel “a” sound while a in the word APPLE is sounded
out as short “a” vowel sound. This goes the same for the letter E (long e) and EGG with short e. I
and igloo, g and goat follow the same way.
Phonetics still follows the same old /traditional approach where confusion in reading is rooted. Since phoneme awareness was not developed or introduced, the picture serves as provision to make the child master reading the word. Yes, eventually the child would read the word
even if there is no more picture beside it.
Why? Simply because the element of familiarity ( word and picture) had already been established earlier. Difficulty in reading arises when a given word is not anymore picture-aided.
Reading becomes stressful and burdensome for the child.
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In the Phonemic Awareness System, A is never equated to apple since there are three basic unit
of sounds being represented by the letter A. We have short ‗a” for ant, long ―a” for apron and
dotted ―a‖ that sounds like ―o‖ as in the word ―ball‖ which are carefully and categorically taught to
the learner making the sound and corresponding letter symbol coding easy to file in the child‘s
brain.
Let me give another feature of phonemes not specifically and deliberately taught in the phonetics
approach to reading. Let‘s take the short sound ― i ‘ as in igloo.
When the child learns through phoneme mastery, he would know how to distinguish several letters
bearing the same sound I : i.e ―i‖ as in igloo, ―y‖ as in happy, long ―e‖ as in emu, double ―ee‖ as in
need and ―ea‖ as in eagle or ear.
I as in igloo,
y as in happy,
double ee as in need
long e as in emu
ea as in eagle or ear
If you would notice all the letters bear the same sound but represented by different phonemes.
In the phonemic awareness approach all these are properly and systematically taught making
sure that confusion would not be experienced by the child.
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17
Where Can I Find All These Phonemes?
Will memorizing all of them guarantee that your child can now read instantly?
Now where can you find the list of phonemes for your child to learn? The internet can surely provide you with the phonemes. It‘s freely available if only you find time to research and study the list.
How come with this provision few are able to tap or capitalize on it? Why is it that with all the reading resources available, the problem of learning how to read is still monumental? For instance,
when you search the internet, you will find
forty-four in all ! That‘s almost twice the number of the letters in the alphabet!
Let me tell you again that simply memorizing all these phonemes one by one is never
a guarantee for your child to read instantly
and with ease. Probably those who tried to
teach reading through phonemes got overwhelmed with the number. It is no joke
memorizing all the phonemes and expecting that they could already read after retrieving them from the list. So What would allow
a non-reader to master all these the fastest and most effective way? What proven techniques,
tested strategies and essential components are we to use and incorporate in order to reach our
goals together?
Find out the answers as we share to you the key — tested, proven and guaranteed method that
would actually make your child read instantly and effectively . Don‘t be left behind. Be the first to
get hold of your copy in our next upcoming report...
34
References
•
National Reading Panel( 2000) Teaching Reading to Read: An Evidenced-Based Assessment of the Scientific Research Literature
on Reading and Its Implications for Reading Instruction ; www.nichd.gov/publications/nrp/smallbook.htm
•
No Child Left Behind Act Parents Guide ; http://nces.ed.gov/glaballocator/ 2003
•
National Assessment of Educational Program : http:// nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard
•
National Reading Panel Report : www.nationalreadingpanel.org
•
Reading First : www.ed.gov/officer/OESE/Reading First
•
Snow, CE Burns, S.M. and Griffin P. (Eds) 1998. Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children. Washington Dc. National Academy Press
•
Philbasiceducation.blogspot.com –Duplicitous-Take on Evidence Based : a blog that tackles issues on basic education (in Phil and
US) including early childhood education, the teaching profession, Math and Science education medium of instruction, poverty and
the role of research 2013
•
DSWD, DEpED: “ No Child Will Be Left Behind” April 2013
•
Early Reading Assessment : A Guide tool for Instruction: The Access Center by Rhodes S. Shanklin 1993
•
Why Is Assessment Important? By Race P. , Brown S and Smith B. (2005): 500 Tip on Assessment : 2nd Edition, London:
Routledge
•
Eric.ed.gov/Student Learning in the Information Age
•
Cyberkids : Children in the Information Age by Sarah Holloway and Gill Valentine: Psychology Press
•
Information Literacy in an Information Society : A Concept for the Information Age Learner by Christian S. Doyle, Diane Publishing
•
The Information Age Mindset : Changes in Students and Implications for Higher Education 2000; ;net..educause.edu by Jason L.
Frand
•
Transformation Teaching in the Information Age: Making Why and How We teach Relevant to Students 2011 by Thomas R.
Roseborough and Ralph G. Leverette
•
Grover J. “Russ “ Whitehurst : Testimony on Early Childhood Education ; www.brookings.edu
•
“ A Nation of Non-Readers– Status of Literature and Literacy in the Philippines ; an investigative report by Juan Miguel Luz :
pcij.org/stories/a nation of non-readers: Philippines 2007
•
Phonemic Awareness is Not Phonics : reading.uoregon.edu/resources/bibr-pa-concepts 2009: Phonemic Awareness: Concepts
and Research
•
The Importance of Automaticity and Fluency for Efficient Reading Comprehension : PE Hook, SD Jones Perspectives 2002
intervention.schoolspecialty.com
•
Fletcher, J.M.; Lyon G.R. Fuchs, LS S. Barnes, M.A. 2007 : Learning Disability: from identification to intervention : New York. The
Guilford Press
•
Just the Facts : Multisensory Structured Language Teaching ;www.interdys.org
•
The Gift of Learning 2003: Ronald Davis and Eldon M. Braun : A Perigree Book Press
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About the Author
Veronica Quintana Arioder, more known as ― Teacher Vicki‖ finished
her BS degree in Development Communication, Major in Education- al
Communication at UP Los Banos and had her Masters Degree in
Education at UP Diliman. She had worked as an Educational Researcher, Editorial Assistant and Teacher Trainor at UP National Institute for Science and Math Development at UP Diliman before she
and her mom (also an educator/teacher trainor) started their very
own private progressive elementary school inside UP Los Banos
called The Learning Place International (TLP).
She is currently the School Directress and English Supervisor of The Learning Place. She is actively
giving professional and personal development mentorship programs and 21st century teaching
strategies seminar-workshops for teachers and school administrators in various local schools and nongovernment organizations. Teacher Vicki, together with a group of proactive educators and seasoned
teachers, put up an educational consulting company called Highly Inspired Teachers or H.I.T.S.
More than all these, Teacher Vicki is the curriculum/program developer of this innovative and highly effective Instant Reader Program- a proudly Pinoy reading system which could guarantee a
child to read in just 20 days or less--- This program has been running for ten years now and is on its
way to making a significant mark not only in the lives of the 21st Century Filipino children but in the
global market as well.
She has also developed the Instant Reader English Proficiency Program (IREPP) designed for nonEnglish speaking adults and businessmen to help them effectively acquire and master English
Grammar Proficiency, Writing and Presentation Skills in the shortest possible time.
Believing that teaching is a continuous learning, Teacher Vicki, actively joins and participates in
various national and international educators‘ organizations, webinars, conferences and associations.
Teacher Vicki is married to Jun Arioder, Marketing Director of TLP and Instant Reader and a mother
to three children, Laya,19, Yani 16 and Sari 6 years old.
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Reading Readiness Assessment (RRA)
Most Crucial Tool to Unleash the Reading Genius in Your Child
Why is an assessment important?
“ Nothing we do to, or for our students is more important than our assessment of their work and
the feedback we give on them on it. The results of our assessment influence students for the rest
of their lives….‖ (Race et al.)
This tool I would say is again one of the most important element that is often ignored and neglected in every reading program. More than providing a measure of students‘ progress, it plays
a significant role by identifying key areas on how we can specifically help the child unleash the
genius inside him. Yes, there is a genius residing in every child that can be released simply by undergoing an assessment.
The Reading Readiness Assessment is actually the heart and engine which drives any reading
program. The result is like an x-ray of the child‘s learning profile and condition that would propel
proper acquisition of the skill the fastest and most effective way.
Importance of Pre-Assessment/Test Results :
1. It provides diagnostic feedback about the
child‘s reading skill by giving the
following information :
What is the student‘s knowledge base?
What is the student‘s performance base?
What are the student‘s learning needs?
What specific area must be strengthened or emphasized in teaching the
child the skill?
What specific material or program must be prescribed to guarantee success of
the child in the program?
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2. It helps teachers/tutors set standards : In what area does the child demonstrates:
appreciation of the skill?
poor knowledge or weakness of the skill?
In what area does the child demonstrates mastery of the skill?
Importance of Post-Assessment/Test Results:
3. It evaluates progress of the child during and after the course of the study
⇒
How is the student doing?
⇒
What teaching methods or approaches have become more effective for the child?
⇒
What changes or modifications to a lesson are needed to help the student?
⇒
What has the student actually learned ?
⇒
Can the student demonstrate and use the new skill in other areas of learning?
⇒
What is or is not working for the child?
⇒
Is there any area or concern that needs to be addressed apart from the learned
reading skill?
⇒
What can the teacher do to help the student more?
⇒
In what direction should we go next?
Just imagine if you subject your child to a reading program without undergoing the assessment.
These are the essential information that you should have known but were grossly missed because
the program you chose ignored or failed to include them.
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Let me emphasize this, Reading Readiness Assessment is
an integral part of the Reading Instruction. It determines
whether the goals of the reading lessons are met or not.
Asking students to demonstrate understanding of the skill
taught to them is critical to gauging the effectiveness of the
program. It is vital to evaluate whether the goals and standards of the program are being met.
Taking time to assess each student whether he or she is a beginner or has already acquired initial
knowledge of the skill, allows the teacher to gauge his student‘s learning capability. The results substantially serve as a strong reference about what and how the child learned before and after undergoing the program.
Any Reading Program that does not include a pre and post assessment tool strongly tailored and
aligned to the content and skill being taught in the program is such an inferior material. This component should never be taken for granted. It must be first and foremost the step that every parent
should let his child take before believing and committing to what any program would claim it
could deliver.
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