phonics teaching involves giving children letters

Abstract

I wish to investigate these areas as there is a gap in previous research regarding this topic. There has been extensive research carried out with regard to the phonics and whole language debate, but this has not been applied specifically to the National Literacy Strategy and the opinions of those who teach it. The previous research has surrounded the debate as to which method is most effective in teaching literacy to primary school children, and definitions and contents of these methods. Previous research will be discussed further in the literature review section of this research.

In order to find out information regarding the relationship between phonics and whole language in primary education I will analyse the National Literacy Strategy Framework and related teaching materials to see whether the educational policy makers support either a phonics or whole language approach. I will also examine the two Key Stages that are involved in primary education to see whether there is a difference in the approaches to teaching literacy between them.

Since I am also interested in primary school teachers opinions with regard to the National Literacy Strategy and the phonics and whole language debate, I will carry out semi structured interviews with three primary school teachers to see which of the teaching approaches they support. I am interested in their opinions as the National Literacy Strategy Framework for Teaching specifically states the content and methods that should be used during literacy lessons. If the teachers opinions are in contrast with the methods that the strategy promotes, this could have wider educational implications with regards to whether this is the best approach to teaching children how to read and write.

Research Questions and Hypotheses.

The interests that I have regarding this topic have led me to comprise three specific research questions. These questions are related to both the analysis of the National Literacy Strategy Framework for Teaching and the individual teacher interviews.

My first research question is with regard to whether the National Literacy Strategy supports either a phonics or whole language approach to literacy teaching. My hypothesis based on this research question is that the National Literacy Strategy will support a phonics based approach to primary education. My second research question relates to the teachers interviews, which is the main area of my research. I wish to find out whether the teachers that I will interview support either a phonics or whole language approach to literacy instruction. My hypothesis regarding this particular question is that the teachers will show some support for the phonics based method, but will probably favour a more balanced approach to teaching literacy in their classrooms. My final research question is in relation to whether the teachers that I will interview agree or disagree with the implementation of the National Literacy Strategy teaching framework, and the teaching methods that it promotes. My hypothesis regarding this research question is that the teachers will probably resent such a rigid teaching framework as the one that the Department of Education provides for literacy.

My research project will consist of examining previous theoretical work that has been carried out in relation to the phonics and whole language debate for literacy teaching. I will also gather some background information on the National Literacy Strategy. The next area that I will cover is the methodological implications of my research, which will consist of my methods of data collection and analysis. Since I have an obligation to protect the teachers participating in this research, I will also examine the ethical considerations of my research. Following the methodology section, I will move onto the analysis and results of my research. This will include the analysis of the National Literacy Strategy teaching framework and the individual teacher interviews. Since my data will be qualitative, this section will consist of in depth discussions of the two types of data. The conclusion of my research will examine how successful this project was in relation to my research questions, and I will examine my results to see whether they are the same as I predicted in my hypotheses. I will also discuss any possible questions that may arise from my research.

Literature Review.1.The phonics based approach.

One of the most influential methods in the teaching of literacy is the phonics approach. This approach is concerned with dividing the sounds in a word up into what are known as phonemes. The phonics approach to reading uses this division of sounds to assist children in learning to read and spell. Once the children have divided up the phonemes in a word, for example cat into /k/, // and /t/, they are taught to blend these individual sounds to create a whole word.

Hannan (2000:65) provides the following definition;

Phonics teaching involves giving children letters or letter combinations and teaching them the corresponding sounds i.e the direction of teaching is letters to sounds. Children are then taught to blend sounds together, eventually to form words. The phonics approach to teaching children to acquire literacy skills is based upon the fact that the English writing system is alphabetic. In English, phonemes are represented by graphemes, and the phonics approach is put into place to teach children that the graphemes that appear on the page represent the phonemes that are produced in speech. (Dombey, Reading, Vol.33 No2, July 1999)Letters- single, in pairs or clusters give us vital information about how a word should be pronounced. (Dombey, Reading, Vol.33 No 2, July 1999). If this is the case, then how a word is pronounced can give children who are acquiring literacy clues as to how it would appear on the page.

As Dombey (1999) points out;

To learn to read fluently, children need a firm grasp of the patterns of grapheme/phoneme correspondences, and of the relationships between larger units of spoken speech and written texts that govern most English spellings. Without effective teaching of graphophonics children tend to teach our writing system as if each word were a separate logogram. (Reading, Vol.33 No2, July 1999)

Phonics has always been an influential teaching method in literacy acquisition, but was overshadowed during the 1980s when a whole language or whole word approach was favoured. However, in Britain during the late 1990s, the phonics approach experienced a revival when it was adopted by the Education Department and implemented in the new National Literacy Strategy in 1997. As Hannan (2000:65) describes,

The phonics revival came about as a result of the insistence that early learning of the phoneme-grapheme relationship was the key to later success in reading and writing.

Over the years, there have been different approaches to teaching the phonics method to children as well. The type of phonics that has been described so far, the teaching of phoneme-grapheme correspondences and then blending various phonemes together, is known as Synthetic Phonics.

However, another phonics approach to teaching literacy that has been proposed includes the teaching of onset and rime patterns, for example the str onset in string, and the ght rime in right. As Dombey (Reading, Vol.33 No2, July 1999) points out, children also need to learn these orthographic patterns that govern our spelling system as well as the one to one phoneme-grapheme relationships. This view is supported by Bradley and Bryant (1986 cited in Reading Vol. 31 No2, July 1997) who state that;

Children with good preschool awareness of onsets and rimes become better readers later on.

Goswami (1994, cited in Reading, Vol. 31No2, July 1997) is also in favour of this approach to teaching phonics, stating that it is at this level that our spelling system is at its most regular.

Firth (1985, cited in Reading, Vol. 33 No2, July 1999) states that children acquire a phonic method to reading and writing in three stages. The first stage, the logographic stage, is when children come to pay attention to the letters that words are made up of. Children in this stage of phonic knowledge acquisition are yet to grasp the phoneme-grapheme relationship.

The second stage that they pass through is known as the alphabetic stage. Children begin to understand that there is a relationship between the smaller units of spoken language and the smaller units of written language.

The final stage is the Orthographic stage, which is when major patterns of the English writing system are internalised.

The phonics approach to teaching children literacy skills is not without its critics though. The phonics approach is based on the phoneme-grapheme relationship in English, but as Steirer and Maybin (1993:133) point out, the correspondence between written and spoken English is no longer perfect, if it ever was. By teaching children that there is a direct relationship between sounds and letters on a page, they are being presented with a false view of language. The number of letters in the alphabet does not come close to representing the many phonemes in English. However, the onset and rime approach to phonics does overcome some of these problems.

Another criticism of the phonics approach is that it is not helpful to break up words in order to teach children how to read and write. As Hughes (1981, cited in Reading Vol. 31 No.3, November 1997) states;

Over-emphasis on phonics gives the child a completely false view of the reading process.

The view that phonics interferes with a natural learning process is one that is supported by Ken Goodman;

In our zeal to make it easy, weve made it hard. How? Primarily by breaking

up whole (natural) language into bite-size, but abstract little pieces. We postponed its natural purpose- the communication of meaning, - and turned it into a set of abstractions, unrelated to the needs and experiences of the children that we sought to help.

Goodman also compares the acquisition of literacy to that of oral language. Children can acquire this well without having it broken down into the smallest units, and so he believes that written language will follow the same principles.

Despite these criticisms, the phonics approach to reading and writing has received extensive support over the years. The fact that the phonics programme is so central to early literacy education in British schools illustrates that it is a popular approach to teaching literacy.

There have been numerous studies to support the view that the phonics method is a successful approach to teaching literacy. Jane Oakhill and Alan Graham (1988) support the phonics based approach to teaching literacy.

The evidence that is in favour of the phonics-based approach is, if anything, stronger than ever.

Early intensive instruction in phonics produces readers who are more proficient in pronouncing words than those that are taught by a whole language approach. Many studies have shown no clear difference in comprehension ability between children taught by whole word and phonics approaches. (cited in Stierer and Maybin, 1993:122)

One of the main criticisms towards a phonics based approach is that it focuses too much on the mechanics of reading and neglects the comprehension of any literacy event. Jeanne Chall (1967) in Learning to Read: The Great Debate found that

children who are taught by means of programmes which emphasised code showed superiority in reading and spelling, accompanied by no lack of motivation and interest, over children taught by approaches which emphasised meaning. (cited in Stierer and Maybin, 1993:115)

Although Challs study was conducted during the 1960s, the theory still received support from Charles Perfetti in 1985;

Code emphasis programmes do not hurt comprehension and provide at least some help with word recognition. As far as the evidence is concerned, the great debate is over, and Challs conclusion holds. (cited in Stierer and Maybin, 1993:115)

Further evidence to support the phonics approach to reading comes from research conducted by Just and Carpenter (1987). Research in America using high-tech equipment to monitor the eyes suggests that fluent readers look at every part of every word. (cited in Reading Vol.31 No2, July 1997) This research supports the view that each part of a word is vital to the reading process, and therefore it would make sense to teach children how to break down the individual parts of the word, in order to assist them in the acquisition of literacy skills.

2. The whole language approach.

Whole language is the term given to instructional curriculum that builds on the view that readers and writers integrate all available information in authentic literacy events as they make sense of print. (Goodman, K 1993:108)

The whole language, or whole word approach to teaching literacy differs to the method that is used by the phonics based approach. Whole language is concerned with children engaging in authentic literacy events and acquiring literacy skills through texts that have significant meanings.

During the mid-20th Century, the whole language approach was the dominant style in literacy teaching. Hannan describes it as;

Inspired by a desire to make early reading as meaningful as possible, and influenced by ideas from Gestalt psychology, that words could be perceived as wholes, meant that teaching children to recognise individual words through flashcards and other means. Many children did learn to read in this way with minimal teaching about sub-word letter-sound relationships. (2000:65)

Many researchers support the view that the whole language method to teaching literacy is more effective than the phonic method. They believe that making phonics the main approach to teaching can have a damaging effect on childrens comprehension, and that children will acquire literacy skills without doing this.

Goodman (1986:19) is a supporter of the whole language method and states that;

The whole is always more than the sum of the parts and the value of any part can only be learned within the whole utterance in a real speech event.

However, as Goodman (1993:108) states, the whole language approach does not reject phonics, but teachers who support this technique put it in its proper place. They see phonics as one aspect of a wide range of skills that children need to be taught and apply whilst engaging in literacy events.

The whole language approach has been criticised for not teaching spellings explicitly. This approach teaches spellings by encouraging children to be creative and experimental with language. Once they have done this, they will gradually come to learn the conventions of the language, and adopt them into their own writing. These are skills

that are acquired through regularly engaging in authentic literacy events.

Although the main focus of the National Literacy Strategy in Britain is now phonics, the whole language programme of learning is still used in New Zealand. As Goodman (1986:59-60) describes, teachers are expected to plan language activities based on students everyday lives, widening interests and developmental needs.

There have been some studies carried out to support the whole language approach to teaching literacy. The Authors Study, carried out by Goodman in 1965 (1993:52) involved children from the first, second and third grade in an American school. Before getting the children to read a story, Goodman gave them a list of words to read aloud that were present in the story. Even the first graders could read, in the story, two out of three of the words that they could not read on the word list. For the third graders in the experiment, it was four out of five words. Based on these results, Goodman concluded that;

Reading is making sense of print, and thats a much more efficient process than accurately identifying words. Other researchers in support of the whole language method have criticised the phonics method in that it is only a part of learning to read, albeit an important one. Smith (1978) states that the teaching of phonics has to be put into perspective- teaching children phonics will not teach them how to read. It will teach them phonics. (cited in Reading Vol. 31 No3, November, 1997)

Hughes (1981) also supports this view, stating, without contextual information, phonics is inconsistent and unreliable, as does Lawrence (1988) who focuses on the importance of meaning. If we want children to learn anything successfully, the learning must be made meaningful. (both cited in Reading Vol.31 No3, November, 1997)

These views are supported by Goodman (1993:3), who states that there is more than one process involved in making sense of a printed text. Children do need to apply their knowledge of the languages grammatical structure, but they also need to apply their knowledge that coherent meaning can be constructed from an authentic literacy event.

Finally, there has also been some physiological research conducted that supports the whole language approach to literacy teaching. Taft, (1991) and Underwood and Batt, (1996) state that proficient readers do not recognise words by decoding them phonemically, but through visual recognition. (cited in Hannan, 2000:70)

3. The National Literacy Strategy.

The National Literacy Strategy was implemented by the Education Department in 1998, after a successful pilot scheme in thirteen Local Education Authorities during 1997. This strategy came about as a result of concerns for the declining standards of literacy in British schools. The National Literacy Strategy is used alongside the National Curriculum. The National Curriculum states what children need to be taught, and the Literacy Strategy states how it should be taught. (Reading, Vol.33 No1 April 1999)

The National Literacy Framework, which is implemented in all British schools today, provides information on the methods that should be used to teach literacy skills. Essentially, it dictates how teachers should shape their lessons to get the best results from literacy instruction. The National Literacy Strategy takes the form of a Literacy Hour, which is taught in schools every day, and consists of a mixture of whole class, group and independent work. Teachers are told to spend specific amounts of time on these activities within the literacy hour. The work that the children carry out is also divided into three levels, the word level, the sentence level and the text level.

Since the National Literacy Strategy is now compulsory in all LEA schools, teachers attitudes towards it have varied according to their views on the teaching of reading and writing. One Local Education Authority gave 180 teachers a questionnaire asking them what they felt were the positive and negative aspects of the literacy hour. Nearly 30% of teachers liked the structure of the teaching framework, with one Key Stage One teacher describing it as having clear, focussed, hierarchical learning objectives. (cited in Reading Vol. 33. No1. April 1999) However, it is worth noting that 30% is not the majority, and therefore teachers attitudes towards the literacy hour are an important aspect of literacy instruction.

4. Research Questions and Hypothesis.

In light of the research that has been carried out with regard to the phonics versus whole language debate, I wish to investigate the methods used for teaching reading and writing in British schools.

The three main questions that frame this research are;

a) Does the National Literacy Strategy support a phonics or whole language approach to teaching reading and writing?

b) Do teachers support a phonics or whole language approach to teaching literacy?

c) Do teachers agree or disagree with the implementation of the National Literacy Strategy teaching framework, and the teaching methods that it stipulates?

My hypotheses regarding this research are;

a) The National Literacy Strategy will focus on a phonics-based approach to teaching literacy.

b) The teachers interviewed will show some support for phonics, but will probably favour a more balanced approach to teaching literacy.

c) Teachers will resent the rigid framework that the National Literacy Strategy provides.

Methodology.

1. Research Questions.

I wish to investigate teachers attitudes to literacy teaching methods and the National Literacy Strategy, and also wish to investigate the methods promoted by the National Literacy Strategy with regard to literacy instruction.

2. Subjects.

The subjects of my research are Primary school teachers of varying ages and experience. Teachers from both Key Stage One and Key Stage Two will be interviewed in order to ensure that all areas of the primary sector that implement the National Literacy Strategy are covered. I will also interview teachers with a variety of specialist subjects in order to obtain a balanced sample of data. Both male and female teachers will also be interviewed for this reason.

Subject one is a female primary school teacher who has been teaching for nineteen years. She specialised in language and mathematics whilst training, and has experience of teaching both Key Stage One and Key Stage Two.

Subject two is also a female primary school teacher who has been in the profession for two years. Her specialist subject at university was English language, and she teaches Key Stage One.

Subject three is a male primary school teacher who has been teaching for five and a half years. His specialist subject whilst studying at university was information technology, but he studied a full teacher training degree, so his training focussed on all aspects of primary education in detail. He teaches Key Stage Two.

3. Materials.

The main material that I will use in this research is the primary and secondary questions that form the basis of the semi-structured interviews. The primary questions are the main topics which I wished to gather information on, which include discovering the teachers opinions on the National Literacy Strategy, the phonics materials provided by the education department, and their opinions on effective literacy teaching. I also included some secondary questions which were used to allow the teachers to get used to being interviewed and recorded, and to also gather some important background information which may be a contributing factor to the construction of their opinions.

The Progression in Phonics supplementary pack was also used to provide examples of the phonics materials that the National Literacy Strategy promotes, which the teachers were asked to give their opinions on during the semi-structured interview.

The National Literacy Strategy teaching guidelines will also be analysed in order to establish to what extent they support a phonics or whole language approach. I will examine the teaching methods promoted at the word level work, since this is the main area that is concerned with the phonics and whole language debate. I will also examine the two separate Key Stages in primary education to see whether there is a difference between the methods that are promoted in higher and lower primary education. 4. Data Collection Methods

I will employ two types of data collection and analysis. In order to investigate the literacy teaching methods that are promoted by the National Literacy Strategy, I will examine the word level work at both Key Stage One and Key Stage Two, to see whether phonic or whole language methods are recommended. I will also examine the Progression in Phonics supplementary pack to gather examples of phonics lessons and materials. An example of the work included in the phonics pack can be found in appendix 5.

The second type of data collection that will be employed is interviews with Primary School teachers. I have decided to use interviews as my data collection method, as I feel that questionnaires do not allow much scope for discussion. Since the main aim of this investigation is to get teachers opinions of the literacy hour, I did not wish to restrict their answers in any way. I also wish to collect examples of how they would teach a literacy lesson using their preferred methods, and this would be difficult to achieve using a questionnaire.

For the interview section of my data collection I have decided to employ a semi-structured interview method. Again, since I am interested in individual teachers attitudes and methods, applying a structured interviewing method would restrict their answers. Each teacher interviewed will display their own attitudes, and this could sometimes lead me to ask them to elaborate on a particular point of interest. A sample of the questions that framed the semi structured interview can be found in appendix 1.

I carried out a pilot interview with one of the teachers before completing my final version of the interview questions. It was during the pilot that I decided to employ a semi-structured approach, since it allowed the teachers to express their opinions fully. I also redrafted some of my questions as a result of the pilot interview, as some of them were initially leading.

One of the main problems that I encountered during the pilot interview was that the teacher had some trouble establishing what I wanted them to talk about. To overcome this problem, I decided that it would be beneficial to discuss the questions with the teachers prior to interviewing them, to explain the questions and give them some time to contemplate their answers. This will lead to gaining greater and more relevant data to analyse.

5. Analytic Procedures.

My research will produce two individual instances of qualitative data. The analysis of the National Literacy Strategy will produce qualitative data, as I will be examining to what extent the phonics and whole language methods are presented in the guidelines for each Key Stage. This will be done by examining the word level section of the strategy for each Key Stage, to see whether the phonics or whole language method is dominant. I will also examine the introductory section of the framework to see if either a phonics or whole language approach is dominant it construction of this educational policy.

The second and main section of my research will also produce qualitative data. The teachers interviewed will discuss how they feel about the National Literacy Strategy, and the various teaching methods that are used for literacy instruction. Since I am interested in their opinions, the analysis of this data will involve looking for similarities in the teachers answers, and establishing whether they support either a phonics or whole language approach. I will also analyse their responses to see whether their opinions tie in with the methods that are promoted in the strategy framework.

Ethical Considerations.

Although I will be given consent by the teachers prior to conducting the interviews, I still have some ethical concerns surrounding this research. Firstly, I feel that it is important for the teachers to be aware of the questions that I will ask them prior to conducting the interviews, so they will be made aware of the content of the interviews prior to taping. It is also important that I respect their right to confidentiality, so the participants in this research will be known by subject number. I will also ensure that their answers remain confidential by ensuring that the primary schools that they are employed by are not named. I will also request that if the teachers wish to discuss a particular child whilst providing examples during interview, the child must not be named, since it would not be possible for me to gain parental consent. Analysis and Results. 1. Introduction.

The data that I have collected for this research project comprises of two sections. The first section is the analysis of the National Literacy Strategy Framework for Teaching, which was carried out to see whether the National Curriculum supports either a phonics or whole language approach to teaching literacy. The second section of my data consists of the individual interviews with primary school teachers at Key Stage One and Key Stage Two. The aim of these interviews was to find out whether the teachers support a phonics or whole language approach to literacy, and whether they agree with the methods that the National Literacy Strategy promotes.

2. Analysis of the National Literacy Strategy.

Three materials provided by the Department of Education were analysed as part of this research. They were the National Literacy Strategy Framework for Teaching, the Progression in Phonics CD Rom for teachers, and the Progression in Phonics pamphlet for teachers which gives details on phonics games for whole class teaching.

I carried out the analysis of the National Literacy Strategy framework with three main questions in mind. I wished to find out how the strategy is structured with regard to the teaching of reading and writing, what kinds of criteria need to be fulfilled, and what kind of teaching methods are promoted.

One of the main principles that underlies the National Literacy Strategy is the Reading Searchlight Model. (NLS,09/01, p4) A copy of this model can be found in appendix 6. The framework states that pupils will use four searchlights when engaging in literacy practices. Children need to be taught how to use these searchlights in order to become successful readers and spellers. The four reading searchlights are:

1) Phonics The phonic strategy for sounding out words

2) Grammatical Knowledge Prediction or confirmation of a word or phrase from grammatical construction of the sentence.

3) Word Recognition and Graphic Knowledge Automatic recognition of whole words.

4) Knowledge of Context Prediction or confirmation of a word or phrase from contextual cues.

The Reading Searchlights Model implies a whole language method to the teaching of literacy. Pupils are taught to employ a range of methods for decoding written text, one of which is the phonics technique. This, like the whole language approach, states that although the teaching of phonics is important, it has its place within a wider scheme of literacy instruction.

The National Literacy Strategy Framework for Teaching is divided into three levels of work in reading and writing. These are word level, sentence level and text level. (NLS, 09/01 p6) These levels, as stated in the strategy, vary between Key Stage One and Key Stage Two. The most drastic variations between the two Key Stages occur at the word level, reflecting the progress of pupils literacy development. It is the word level of the National Literacy Strategy that is concerned with the phonics versus whole language debate, so my analysis of the framework and related materials will focus on this area.

Despite the Reading Searchlights Model demonstrating support for the whole language approach to literacy teaching, explicit teaching of phonics is promoted throughout the framework.

Research evidence shows that pupils do not learn to distinguish between the different sounds of words by simply being exposed to books. They need to be taught to do this. (NLS, 09/01 p4)

This quote shows that the National Literacy Strategy supports a phonics method. Greater emphasis is placed on phonics than any of the other reading searchlights at word level. This goes against the whole language approach as it is implied that without explicit knowledge of spelling to sound rules, pupils will not make advances in reading and spelling.

Under the National Literacy Strategy Framework for Teaching, teachers are expected to fulfil criteria with regard to literacy acquisition at word level. The strategy states that literate primary pupils should:

Be able to orchestrate a full range of reading cues to monitor their reading and correct their own mistakes. (NLS, 09/01 p3)

This suggests that a whole language approach, using the Reading Searchlights Model, should be applied by teachers during literacy lessons. The criteria also states that pupils should:

Understand the sound to spelling system, and use this to read and spell accurately. (NLS, 09/01 p3)

This supports the phonics approach, as phonics is treated as an individual and vital skill.

So far, the National Literacy Strategy has shown support for both a phonics and whole language approach to teaching literacy. Phonics, however, is treated as an important part of teaching, and is given attention that the other elements of the Reading Searchlights Model do not receive.

One of the main differences between the phonics and whole language approaches at word level is to do with the separate Key Stages in Primary education. There is a significant difference in the teaching methods applied at Key Stage One and Key Stage Two.

At Key Stage One there should e a strong and systematic emphasis on the teaching of phonics. (NLS, 09/01 p4)

There is a clear focus on the phonics approach to teaching literacy at Key Stage One. The National Literacy Strategy states that the Key Stage Two objectives are built on an expectation that pupils will have attained a basic level of reading fluency. (NLS, 09/01 p7) Pupils are expected to have achieved this basic level of reading fluency as a result of work that is done at Key Stage One through word level work. Since the word level work at Key Stage One relies heavily on the teaching of phonics, the underlying principle is that phonics must come first. By teaching pupils to use the spelling to sound rules, they are laying the foundations that need to be built on to become successful readers and spellers.

The Key Stage One word level of the framework consists of a large section on phonological awareness, phonics and spelling. An example of such work is teaching children to discriminate and segment all three phonemes in CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words and blend them together. (NLS, 09/01 p20) This is an example of explicit phonics teaching that does not incorporate any of the other elements of the Reading Searchlights Model. The acquisition of accurate spellings is also dependent on phonics at this level. The National Literacy Strategy framework states that in order to spell successfully, pupils must segment words into phonemes. (NLS, 09/01 p22)

The word level work at Key Stage Two states that pupils must refer back to phonics work done in Key Stage One, as and when needed. (NLS, 09/01 p32) However, the phonological awareness, phonics and spelling section that was so dominant at Key Stage One is no longer present at Key Stage Two. This major difference illustrates that the National Literacy Strategy believes that phonics must come first. Once this basic skill has been acquired, pupils will be able to acquire and use other elements of the Reading Searchlights Model.

The Key Stage Two framework at word level supports this view. One element of the word level section is vocabulary extension. Children are encouraged to infer meaning of unknown words from context. (NLS, 09/01 p33) This method supports the whole language approach as pupils are employing more than one searchlight to enable themselves to read unfamiliar words. It is more than just the phonics method that is used to carry out word level work.

Evidence to show that the National Literacy Strategy follows the phonics approach to teaching literacy comes from the Progression in Phonics pack and CD Rom that has been published for Key Stage One literacy lessons. The teaching of phonics is stated explicitly in these materials, saying that pupils should be taught to:

1) Discriminate between the separate sounds in words.

2) Learn the letter and letter combinations most commonly used to spell these sounds.

3) Read words by sounding out and blending their separate parts.

4) Write words by combining the spelling patterns of their sounds.

(NLS Progression in Phonics Pack)

Since there has been supplementary materials published for word level work at Key Stage One that focuses only on phonics, it is clear that the Education Department sees this as a vital part of literacy teaching. An example of the teaching materials and methods provided in the Progression in Phonics Pack can be found in appendix 5.

The phonics CD Rom for teachers also promotes the explicit teaching of phonics at Key Stage One.

The most readily available spelling strategy to young children is to spell words by writing down the letters for the sounds that they can hear in words the phonic strategy. (Progression in Phonics CD Rom)

This supports the view that phonics is a skill that should be acquired first in pupils early education at Key Stage One. The quote also implies that the acquisition of phonics is one of the easiest skills to gain, which will then enable pupils to progress onto other literacy skills.

The progression in phonics pack also provides materials for whole class teaching, in the form of phonics games. These games are devised to be used in the two separate sections of the literacy hour that are dedicated to whole class teaching. The games incorporate the use of phoneme fans and flashcards with individual phonemes printed on them. An example of these games is the teacher asking the children to match the first phoneme in CVC words, then the final phoneme, and finally the middle vowel sound. This follows the order of phoneme acquisition for pupils.

These games have been put together purely for the promotion of explicit phonics at Key Stage One. The Progression in Phonics pack states how teachers should structure their whole class teaching to enable pupils to acquire phonemic awareness. They are restricted to using phonic methods at Key Stage One, not whole language methods.

3. Teacher interviews.

The analysis of the National Literacy Strategy Framework for Teaching led me to ask teachers how they felt about the teaching methods that the Literacy strategy promotes, and how they feel about the phonics and whole language methods to teaching literacy. I was also interested in how they felt about the structure of the literacy hour and the methods of teaching that it promotes, and the materials for teaching literacy that are recommended by the Department of Education.

A list of the questions that I used for the semi-structured interviews can be found in appendix 1, although each of the interviews varied slightly depending on the teacher and the responses that they gave.

Three primary school teachers of varying specialist subjects and experience were interviewed. A sample of Subject Ones responses can be found in appendix 2, Subject 2 can be found in appendix 3, and Subject 3 can be found in appendix 4. There were notable differences between their responses, especially between the different Key Stages. To analyse these responses, I will look at each of them in turn to see whether they agree with the methods that are approved by the National Literacy Strategy, and whether they support phonics or a whole language approach to teaching literacy, based on the definitions provided by previous research.

Firstly, I wished to find out whether the teachers that were interviewed felt that the National Literacy Strategy had improved the teaching of literacy in British schools. The teacher responses were fairly contrastive, and they felt that there were different negative aspects to the introduction of the Literacy hour. Subject 1 felt that the literacy strategy was too rigid, although it has improved since it has been revised. Subject 1 also felt that it depends on the individual child, as the methods that are promoted by the National Literacy Strategy do not necessarily work for all children. She also stated that it depends on the teacher, as if you have a good teacher, you wont really see much of an improvement in literacy standards.

Subject 2 felt that it was too early to say if there had been a definite improvement in literacy standards, since the strategy was only implemented in 1997. Subject 3 felt that there had been a definite improvement in literacy standards, but expressed concern that this was at the expense of other subjects.

I also wished to find out how the teachers felt about the way that the literacy strategy promotes the teaching of reading and spelling. Again, there were contrasts in their opinions, most notably between Key Stage One and Key Stage Two. Subject One felt that the strategy breaks down the teaching of literacy too much. She did not feel that the distinction between word, sentence and text level was not helpful at Key Stage Two. Subject Two, a Key Stage One teacher, liked the emphasis on phonics, as she felt that it provided a good basis for further literacy learning. Subject 3, who is also a Key Stage Two teacher, agreed with Subject 1 with regards to the word, sentence and text levels. He felt that although they were a good idea in theory. When put into practice it did not work. He felt that it was more beneficial to look at meaningful sentences in a meaningful context at Key Stage Two. This response shows support for a whole language approach as he feels that looking at language as a whole is a better strategy for teaching literacy in the upper primary years. The responses given by the teachers in this question tie in with the strategy framework, as in the early primary years there is a great emphasis on the phonics approach, which leads to a whole language approach during Key Stage Two.

When the teachers were asked what changes they would make to the teaching methods if they were able to do so, all teachers had opinions on what they would like to change. Subject 1 would like to get rid of the word, sentence and text distinction at Key Stage Two, as she does not think it is useful. In contrast, Subject 2 felt that the word, sentence and text level distinction was helpful at Key Stage One. However, she would like to use the cursive script more often, as she feels that it is useful for keeping the pupils thoughts on the page, as well as improving spelling and handwriting skills. Subject 3 would like to see more choice in individual reading and more non-fiction texts available. This response could be seen as tying in with a whole language approach, as whole language states that children should read for a purpose in something that interests them. In conclusion, the responses here seem to suggest that the word, sentence and text distinction is helpful at Key Stage One but not at Key Stage Two.

I was also interested in finding out how the teachers would teach a child reading and spelling using their preferred methods. In order to find this out, I asked them to describe how they would teach a child to read or spell a word that they were having difficulty with. The phonics approach to teaching literacy played a huge part in the responses that the teachers gave to this question. All teachers described phonic methods such as breaking up a word and sounding it out, but other methods of teaching literacy were also favoured. Subject 1 said that she would teach spellings by breaking down words and getting the children to sound out the individual phonemes. However, Subject 1 also pointed out that it depends on the individual child, and that you have to try out a range of techniques to find which one works best. She also stated that the cursive script method, as mentioned previously by Subject 2, was a technique that she finds useful.

Subject 2, again showed support for using cursive script, and she felt that the phonics element to literacy teaching was useful, as she feels that the English writing system is difficult to learn, and to break words down into individual phonemes is helpful to the children.

Subject 3 also showed some support for the teaching of phonics. However, he feels that although it is valuable, it should not be treated as a subject in its own right. Subject 3 feels that phonics is just one of the tools that should be applied to teaching literacy, and pupils should also be taught using grammatical cues and contextual cues. Like Subject 1, he states that it also depends on the child and the ways in which they find it easiest to learn. Therefore, it can be said that Subject 3 supports a whole language approach to teaching literacy, as his response to this question ties in with the Reading Searchlights Model which can be said to embody a whole language view.

The next question that I put to the teachers was asking them how they felt about the phonics games that the National Literacy Strategy promotes for whole class teaching. Subject 1 said that she felt that by Key Stage Two the pupils were too old for phonics games. She did however say that she felt that they were a useful resource for Key Stage One, and that she had used them, or variations of them whilst teaching this age group. Subject 1 said that the phoneme fans were useful for teaching, but also stressed that it was important to use a variety of techniques. Cursive script and the use of flashcards were also favoured. This response shows some support for a whole language approach as Subject 1 feels that it is important to try lots of different methods to teaching literacy, and not just relying on the phonics games.

Subject 2 feels that the phonics games are successful, and said that the children enjoy the interactive side to them. This shows support for a phonics approach to teaching literacy, which ties in with the strategy framework, stating that explicit phonics teaching should occur at the first Key Stage. She also stated that her classroom had a lot of phonics stimuli about, and example of this is a letter line, which has individual phonemes tied to it. She feels that this is a useful resource in her classroom as she is able to constantly refer back to it whilst teaching, and she is able to teach individual children with it when they struggle with a particular word.

Subject 3 also agrees that the phonics games are good, but says that it depends on the child and the context that you use them in. He feels that by Key Stage 2, the pupils should not be relying on phonics games in their literacy lessons. Subject 3 states that they should be used at Key Stage One, as by Key Stage Two he feels that the pupils should be competent enough readers and writers and should not need to use these games extensively. However, he also says that phonics may be useful for the lower ability groups and pupils with special educational needs such as dyslexia. The view that phonics is a useful tool for teaching children with special educational needs is one that is also shared by Subject 1 and Subject 2. In conclusion, it can be said that from the responses that the teachers provided to this question, that phonics games and materials are a useful resource for Key Stage One literacy, but not necessarily for Key Stage Two. This mirrors the views that are upheld in the strategy framework, where explicit phonics teaching occurs at Key Stage One, and these skills are revised as and when they are needed at Key Stage Two.

4. Discussion of Results

The teachers responses have provided me with an insight of their views on the National Literacy Strategy Framework for teaching, and the implications of such a teaching framework being put into practice. It would appear from responses given in the interviews that the teachers have varying views on the framework and the methods of teaching literacy that it promotes. All of the teachers felt that there were certain elements of the framework that they were not happy with, and other teaching methods that they felt would be beneficial to their pupils that are not included in the strategy.

From these responses it is evident that the teachers feel that although the strategy does provide some good teaching methods, it fails to take the individual difference between the pupils into account. One comment that recurred frequently is that different methods of teaching literacy will work for different children. Therefore, it is important to try a variety of teaching methods in order to find the one that suits the children the best. At Key Stage One, the teaching of phonics is stated explicitly in the strategy, and although all of the teachers acknowledged that this was appropriate, they also felt that other teaching methods should be applied.

With regards to the phonics versus whole language debate, which is something that has been addressed extensively in previous research, the teachers did show some preference for a particular approach. It appears from the interviews that this preference is divided between the Key Stages. Subject 1 provides a good illustration of this since she is a supply teacher who has experience of teaching both Key Stage One and Key Stage Two. Subject 1 stated that the explicit teaching of phonics, and the use of phonics games and materials is useful at Key Stage One, but is not really relevant at Key Stage Two. This view is backed up by Subject 3 who feels that teaching explicit phonics at Key Stage Two is not necessary, except with lower ability groups, and such work should be carried out in the earlier primary years. Subject 2 also supports the view that phonics is relevant at Key Stage One, as she shows great support for phonics teaching in her class, and highlights such methods when asked to describe her own teaching. The teachers responses to the phonics versus whole language debate have shown a certain amount of support for the approach to these teaching methods that is promoted in the National Literacy Strategy. It appears from their responses that the teachers feel that phonics is relevant to earlier primary education, and that whole language methods should be employed once these foundations are laid. This approach is prevalent in the Key Stage One and Key Stage Two framework.

The teachers responses in the interviews also provided me with an insight to how they feel about the content of the National Literacy Strategy and whether they feel that it has improved the literacy standards in schools. The teachers stated that there were some elements that they disagreed with, and Subject 3 expressed some concern that the focus on literacy may be at the expense of other subjects. These comments mirror those that have been provided by teachers in previous research.

Conclusion.

When I began this research I had three main research questions in mind. I wished to find out whether the National Literacy Strategy supported a phonics or whole language approach to teaching literacy, whether individual teachers support either of these approaches, and whether the teachers that I interviewed agreed or disagreed the National Literacy Strategy and the teaching methods that it promotes.

Based on these research questions I had three hypotheses regarding my research. I predicted that the National Literacy Strategy would support a phonics based approach to .literacy teaching, that the teachers would show some support for phonics, but would probably favour a more balanced approach, and finally, that the teachers would resent the rigid teaching framework that the National Literacy Strategy provides.

Following my analysis of the National Literacy Strategy and related teaching materials, I have found that the framework has elements of both a phonics and whole language approach to teaching literacy. The phonics approach to teaching literacy can be said to be most prevalent at Key Stage One, when primary school children are first learning to acquire literacy skills. However, the Reading Searchlights Model, one of the main teaching ideologies that underpin the strategy, shows support for a more balanced approach to teaching literacy, including grammatical, contextual, and word recognition strategies. This model shows support for a whole language approach, and therefore it can be said that to a certain degree the National Literacy Strategy supports both a phonics and a whole language approach to teaching literacy, depending on the Key Stages, with phonics being dominant in Key Stage One, and whole language in Key Stage Two.

Therefore, my hypothesis with regard to this research question has not been supported by my findings. The National Literacy Strategy shows support for both phonics and whole language approaches and therefore my hypothesis has been disproved.

The next prediction that I made prior to conducting this research was that the teachers would show some support for the phonics based approach, but would probably support a more balanced approach to the teaching of literacy. To a certain extent this prediction was accurate. All the teachers described phonics methods when they were asked how they would teaching reading and spelling to a child. However, there was a distinction between the Key Stages, as Subject Two, who teaches Key Stage One supported the phonics approach extensively, whereas the Key Stage Two teachers also referred to other methods. Despite this, phonics was one of the many teaching methods that were described, along with cursive script and contextual and grammatical cues, so therefore to a certain extent my hypothesis regarding this research question was supported.

My final hypothesis with regard to how teachers feel about the National Literacy Strategy was supported by some of the teachers but not others. Subject One, as I predicted, felt that the strategy framework was too rigid. However, although both Subject Two and Subject Three had some reservations regarding the framework, they did not describe it as being too rigid. One possible explanation for this could be that Subject One has been teaching for nineteen years, and has therefore experienced literacy teaching prior to the introduction of the strategy. Subjects Two and Three have only been teaching since the introduction of the strategy, and therefore have not experienced any other kind of teaching framework. This would explain why Subject One described the framework as rigid and the others did not.

Looking back on the previous research that has been carried out with regard to the phonics and whole language debate, it is not really possible for me to draw any conclusions based on my research. One of the main problems with doing this is that although there has been extensive research into the phonics and whole language debate, teachers opinions regarding this have not been explored. However, the analysis of the National Literacy Strategy has shown close links to the whole language debate through the Reading Searchlights Model.

Whole language is a term given to instructional curriculum that builds on the view that readers and writers integrate all available information in authentic literacy events as they make sense of print. (Goodman, K 1993:108)

Goodmans definition of whole language literacy teaching, stating that readers integrate all information available to them, ties in with the reading searchlights model, as pupils are expected to employ a range of four different techniques in order to read a text successfully.

Definitions of the phonics based approach to teaching literacy that were discussed in the background research are also backed up by the National Literacy Strategy definitions of effective literacy teaching. A good example of this comes from Dombey (1999) who states that in order to read fluently, children need a firm grasp of the patterns of grapheme/phoneme correspondences (Reading, Vol.33 No2, July 1999)

This view of literacy teaching is represented in the National Literacy Strategy Framework for Teaching which recommends that the systematic teaching of phonics should occur at Key Stage One.

Although my research has provided me with an insight into how teachers feel about the phonics versus whole language debate, and the way that the National Literacy Strategy promotes the teaching of phonics, it cannot be said that my findings are representative of teachers opinions. Although I have tried to get a representative a sample as is possible for a small research project, my findings are by no means conclusive. However, the arguments that they have raised with regard to the restrictive nature of the strategy and the way that it is comprised are important nonetheless. It appears that teachers feel that the strategy could be improved and that certain elements do not work well in their classrooms. If a more representative study was conducted with a much larger sample and the findings were replicated, these results would have important educational implications.

Although my research was specifically concerned with the phonics and whole language debate in literacy lessons, I also discovered that one of the teachers was critical of the way that the actual literacy hour was structured into whole class, group and individual work. This information could also lead to a different study to see whether separating the lessons in this way is useful for literacy instruction. References.

Steirer, M & Maybin, J (1993) Language, Literacy and Learning in Educational Practice. Multilingual Matters Limited. Goodman, K (1993) Phonics Phacts: A common-sense look at the most controversial issue affecting todays classrooms. Heinemann Publishing.

Dombey, H. Towards A Balanced Approach to Phonics Teaching. Reading Vol. 33No.2 July 1999.

Johnston, R.S & Watson, J. Developing Reading, Spelling and Phonemic Awareness Skills in Primary School Children. Reading Vol.31 No.2 July 1997.

Snow (1998) What Needs to be in Place in order for the Teaching of Phonics to be Effective. Reading Vol. 33 No2 July 1999.

Lingard, T. Making Phonics Work: its role within Literacy Acceleration. Reading Vol.31, No3 November 1997.

Bertleson, P (1986) The Onset of Literacy: Cognitive Processes in Literacy Acquisition. Elsevier Science Publishers: Amsterdam.

Goodman, K (1986) Whats Whole about Whole Language? Heinemann Educational Books.

Perfetti, C (1985) quoted in Steirer, M & Maybin, J (1993) Language, Literacy and Learning in Educational Practice. Multilingual Matters LimitedChall, J (1967) quoted in Steirer, M & Maybin, J (1993) Language, Literacy and Learning in Educational Practice. Multilingual Matters Limited.Kline, C (1992) quoted in Goodman, K (1993) Phonics Phacts: A common-sense look at the most controversial issue affecting todays classrooms. Heinemann Educational Publishing.

Goodman, K (1965) quoted in Goodman, K (1993) Phonics Phacts: A common-sense look at the most controversial issue in todays classrooms. Heinemann Educational Publishing.

Frith (1985) quoted in Dombey, H Towards a balanced approach to phonics teaching Reading Vol.33 No.2 July 1999.

Bradley & Bryant (1986) quoted in Johnson, R.S and Watson, J Developing Reading, Spelling and Phonemic Awareness Skills in Primary School Children. Reading Vol.31 No2 July 1997.

Goswami (1994) quoted in Johnson, R.S and Watson, J Developing reading, Spelling and Phonemic Awareness Skills in Primary School Children. Reading Vol. 31 No2 July 1997.

Content, Kolinsky, Morais and Bertleson (1986) quoted in Johnson, R.S and Watson, J Developing Reading, Spelling and Phonemic Awareness in Primary School Children. Reading Vol.31 No2 July 1997.

Just and Carpenter (1987) quoted in Lingard, T Making Phonics Work; its role within literacy acceleration. Reading Vol. 31 No3 November 1997.

Hughes (1981) quoted in Lingard, T Making Phonics Work: its role within literacy acceleration. Reading Vol.31 No3 November 1997.

Smith (1978) quoted in Lingard, T Making Phonics Work: its role within literacy acceleration. Reading Vol.31 No3 November 1997.

Lawrence (1988) quoted in Lingard, T Making Phonics Work: its role within literacy acceleration. Reading Vol.31 No3 November 1997.

The National Literacy Strategy Framework for Teaching. (2001) Department for Education and Skills.

The National Literacy Strategy Phonics (with CD Rom) Progression in phonics: materials for whole class teaching. (1999/2000) Department for Education and Employment: London. Appendix 1

Research Questions

Primary Questions.

1. How do you feel about the way that the National Literacy Strategy promotes the teaching of reading and spelling?

2. If any, what changes would you make to the methods used if you were able to do so?

3. Describe how you would like to teach a child reading and writing, using your preferred methods.

4. How do you feel about the phonics games that the National Literacy Strategy provides for whole class teaching?

5. Do you use them in your classroom?

6. If so, are they a useful resource?

7. When teaching reading and writing, do you use phonics materials regularly?

8. If so, why, if not, why not?

Secondary Questions.

1. How long have you been teaching?

2. What was your specialist subject whilst studying at university?

3. What Key Stage do you teach?

4. Do you think that the National Literacy Strategy has improved the teaching of literacy in British schools?

Appendix 2

Interview 1.


19 years.


I did a degree in law at university, but decided I wanted to teach. When I was doing my PGCE I focussed on Maths and Language.

3. What Key Stage do you teaching?

I mainly teach Key Stage Two, but Im doing supply teaching at the moment and do some Key Stage One as well. I was teaching year one today.

4. Do you think that the National Literacy Strategy has improved the teaching of literacy in British Schools?

Its too rigid. Its not too bad now theyve revised it, but when it first came out it wasnt very popular! I think it also depends on the teacher. If youve got a good teacher then you wont see much of an improvement.

I also dont think it takes individual kids into account. I mean, every pupil in your class will learn differently, and different methods will work for them, not necessarily the way that the literacy hour tells you how to teach them.

5. How do you feel about the way that the literacy hour promotes the teaching of reading and spelling?

It breaks it down too much. I dont like the whole word level, sentence level and text level distinction. I dont think it works too well for Key Stage Two especially.


As I said, Id probably get rid of the whole word, sentence and text distinction. But thats really from my point of view!

7. Describe how you would like to teach a child reading and writing using your preferred methods.

Sometimes with spellings, Id break the word down and get the child to sound it out. It depends on the individual child though. Some children learn well through cursive script method, which is what I was taught when I was doing my training. Theyre bringing that back into the literacy lessons now, so its kind of gone full circle and Im using the old techniques again. Maybe Ive been teaching too long!

I mean, as a teacher, you need to be able to have a variety of techniques that you can try out to see which suits each individual child. You also have to be able to have the time to get to know them to find out what suits them.

8. How do you feel about the phonics games that the NLS provides for whole class teaching?

Key Stage Two pupils are a bit old for phonics games. I have used them in Key Stage One, or variations of them that I have made up myself.

I use the fans in my Key Stage One classes, with the different phonemes on each one. They can be useful sometimes, but you have to use lots of different methods. Cursive script, again, is something I use a lot. Flashcards of words from stories work quite well as well.

9. When teaching, do you use phonics materials regularly?

In Key Stage Two, not really. Theyve gone past that stage by then. But when were doing new words from the vocabulary list at Key Stage Two, sometimes it helps to sound out the new words to learn how to spell them. In Key Stage One, as I said, I use fans and flashcards.

10. Does using phonic methods work for you and your class then?

Yes, sometimes. Its important to get a balance though, cos phonics dont work for every child all the time.

I was teaching the literacy hour today, and compounds were a problem. Some kids were writing football as two separate words, as in foot ball. So, sometimes breaking up words can confuse them. But, using phonics can be good for kids with special needs, like dyslexia.

11. Have you ever had any dyslexic children in your class?

Yes

12. And do you think using phonics has helped them with their reading and spelling?

Yes, I think so, yes. Appendix 3

Interview 2. 1. How long have you been teaching?

Ive only been teaching for two years. Im fairly new to the game really.


At uni I did English Language.


At the moment Im with Key Stage One.


Improved is a bit harsh I would say. Really I think that with it only being implemented in 1997 its still at an early stage and perhaps within the next few years youd maybe more inclined to see an improvement. If there was one!

5. How do you feel about the way that the literacy strategy promotes the teaching of reading and spelling?

I think giving such an emphasis on phonics within the first Key Stage, I think thats an important thing, in the fact that it gives the children a basic skill to base all their reading and all their spelling within future years.


Id perhaps place a larger emphasis on cursive really, as I feel that its important for, not only for dyslexics or anyone with special needs as it helps keep their thoughts on the page, but I think it helps them within their handwriting skills in general, and also the flowing nature helps spelling definitely. Well, thats what Ive found within my classroom. Any other changes I suppose, I do rely heavily on my parent-assistants and people who generally help me within the class. They tend to do most of my individual reading with the children as Ive got too much to do within the classroom, whole group teaching and to set up my individual and my group tasks, and maybe sometimes I feel very pressured by the time constraints of the literacy hour there. Other than that, I think it works fairly alright as it is having the sentence, text and word level is helpful.

7. How do you feel about the different sections of the literacy hour, for example whole class, individual and group teaching?

I think just giving the initial introduction to the lesson as a whole group is sometimes too little, as the children do tend to need the support of the whole group, and not only that, but its time for them all to be together and me to teach them all at the same level, and I find myself repeating that many times, like a stuck tape recorder, the same things over and over again, and I think the initial ten minutes is not enough sometimes for the whole group.

8. Describe how you would like to teach a child reading and spelling using your preferred methods.

As I said before, definitely cursive script, erm, giving the joining hands, splits not only the letters but it enables it easier to be blended as a pair, when your giving the phonemic awareness and the phonic aspect to reading and writing. It definitely helps to have your phonics and your phonemes there, as English is quite difficult to learn really.

9. How do you feel about the phonics games that the NLS provides for whole class teaching?

Personally, I think they are absolutely great. The children love the interactive side of them. Generally they tend to be quite multi-sensory as they are getting them to move about, and theyre listening to the sounds and there is a big emphasis when you are physically teaching them to say to the children listen, or lets look at this together, so it helps from a whole point of view.

10. So you use them quite regularly in your classroom then?

Definitely. Yeah, with most of the whole class teaching areas.

11. Do you think theyre a useful resource?

Yes, as they include everybody. Theyre not specific to the level theyre at. Some children who are very advanced may find them boring, but at Key Stage One they are all basic skills that need to be learned.

12. When youre teaching reading and spelling do you use phonics materials regularly?

Yes, within the classroom theres plenty of phonics stimuli about. I tend to rely on the letter line really in the classroom rather than the fan. I find a fan too fiddly when Im actually standing teaching. The letter line is basically a washing line in the classroom that is constantly there and its something that the children can always refer back to, or if Im teaching an individual child Ill take them back to the letter line, you know, to aid their memory that way, and they can easily be moved about when teaching. Appendix 4

Interview 3.


About five and a half years.

2. What was your specialist subject whilst studying at University?

It was a BA Hons in Primary Education with ICT as a subject specialism.


Key Stage Two - years 3 and 4.


Id say definitely, but at the expense of other subjects. Across the curriculum its the big point that Ofsted are pushing with literacy and numeracy and theres a lot of teachers, a lot of my colleagues feel that theres too much of an emphasis on the literacy and numeracy rather than other subjects across the curriculum.

5. How do you feel about the way that the literacy hour promotes the teaching of reading and spelling?

I think the shared reading and writing with the whole text with the whole class is good. I think that theres a lot more that can be done at home, a lot of things that can be done with shared reading with parents. Bedtime stories, that kind of thing. A lot can be done there that can make everything throughout the school years a lot easier if theyd got that behind them up until the age of four when they start.

I think theres a lot of good ideas behind the word and sentence level stuff, text level, the whole class reading, thats a good thing, but I think theres too much of a borderline, or a distinction between the two. Theres a lot of stuff that could be done as a whole, which is basically what the English Language is, its one whole thing, and breaking stuff down into phonics, text level, at the end of the day all those things can be applied to a whole text situation, meaningful sentences in a meaningful context. So, theres a lot to be done on a more general scale, and using those tools to build those up.


More choice in individual reading. I think a lot of the reading schemes pitch work at a level for the individual child, and also there are a lot of words that focus on high use words, that are reinforced within the reading schemes. I think there could be a lot more, not so much pushing, but steering the children towards making their own decisions and choosing the books, the stories, the texts that they want to read, as their own reading. Again, things that they can do at home, and theres a lot of emphasis, not emphasis, but most of the libraries and reading schemes tend to be fictional, stories, narratives, things like that, theres a lot of factual work that they could be reading. A lot of non-fiction, reading and writing to inform, rather than just the usual stories, which again they should be getting quite a dose of that at home in the earlier years.

7. Describe how you would like to teach a child reading and writing, using your preferred methods.

So, were onto phonics. Right, well Im 29 and my primary education was under the Butler Act, before the National Curriculum. I cant ever remember hearing the word phonics while I was at school, or phoneme, but words were still broken down, and they tended to be, what would now be Key Stage One, or the early years, with general sort of writing the odd sentence and spelling.

So, I think all thats valuable, but what I dont like is the big push into phonics, almost as its own subject within the curriculum. In my opinion, phonics is just another small part of the whole English Language, its just a tiny little tool, a bit of understanding you need to understand how a word is made up, but I think on its own its useless. For example, words like there and their, as in over there and their car its exactly the same word, it sounds the same, but its spelt differently, and has got a totally different meaning. Youre not going to get any sort of understanding of how to use those words unless theyre in a context, which is where the whole reading and writing comes in.

So, again, I think the big emphasis on phonics as almost a subject within itself is a point that depends on a lot of things. Youve got the ability of the child, what words theyve been exposed to and are used to using before, how much reading, writing, stories theyve been read, things like that at home, their own reading and writing abilities, spelling level, then youve got the learning difficulties, dyslexia, things like that. Theres a hell of a lot of factors other than phonemes that affect how the childs going to be as a reader, writer, speaker, at the end of the primary years.

There are grammatical cues to consider, contextual cues, and I think that kind of thing can only be understood by just playing around with words and reading. I mean, Ive tried a number of techniques to get them to understand better by deliberately putting contextually wrong words into sentences that might be related to the way theyre spelt and the meanings, but again, a lot of that depends on the child. I think aiming for a general fluidity with these variety of techniques to get the overall goal of good speakers, readers and writers, by the end of the primary years is a target that needs to be addressed.

8. How do you feel about the phonics games that the National Literacy Strategy provides for whole class teaching?

Right, I think theyre great. Again, what Ive said before, with pretty much what Ive said before so far in the interview, its going to depend on the child, and depend on the context you use it in. If in my class of year 3 and 4 I was having to use phonics cards and phonics games a lot then Id be questioning my own ability as a teacher. Really I think by the age of 7,8,9 those foundations for the understanding of a word should be well and truly in place throughout their reading and writing. As regards to ability groups, the sort of phonics factors and games from the National Literacy Strategy, Id probably use those as an on-hand resource for the ability groups that needed to use them, so if they got stuck on a particular word and its spelling, if they wanted to use that in a piece of creative writing and were struggling to spell it, they could investigate it themselves, and pull the word to bits and perhaps discuss it as groups on the table to try and pull it to bits and sort it out themselves to an extent because I think theyre going to learn a lot more by playing around with the vocabulary, the words, the letters themselves than just being told all the time. But, as Ive said, that if by the age of 8 or 9 theyre not quite competent to read or write themselves, then theres something seriously wrong with the teaching thats gone before.

I think the whole phonics thing should be used as just a big emphasis on it being just used as a tool to get certain points across, I dont think its got any place as a subject area in itself. Basically I think all that sort of stuff should be taken care of and addressed and hammered home in the really early years. That really should start before school, with the reading that they do with parents and things, carried on throughout Key Stage One, so that by Key Stage Two, theyre already well on their way to being competent readers and writers and also speakers. Appendix 5.

Appendix 6.

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