There are only two phonics programs I know of in the world that start with phonological awareness- start with speech sounds and not print.

Phonics programs - by the very definition of what phonics is (print) does NOT start with phonological awareness.

If it has a focus on phonological awareness then technically it is not a phonics program. Yes- any good teacher will ALSO include phonological awareness- and many are no longer wanting to use the term 'synthetic phonics' etc because they want people to realise that it is more than phonics, if its to be effective for every child.

But as I said, there are only 2 'programs' in the world that I know of start with phonological awareness and have a strong focus on speech sounds over print - speech sounds FIRST and then print. Its why in the UK they introduced the initial stage - because schools were using programs like Jolly Phonics etc- starting with phonics/ print.

And if your child was still not speaking then I would strongly suggest looking at our approach 'Shaping Reading Brains™' - its not a program- not a prescriptive method- its an approach. Parents can use it without buying anything and start this from birth. It is supported by speech pathologists as it includes those very elements of their own approach to developing speech. That is most certainly NOT included when people teach what most understand as 'phonics'. And it enables children to gain meaning from what they are actually encoding and decoding from day 1- so comprehension is not a problem. Comprehension difficulties come because they are not quickly becoming fluent (watch Dr Tallal again) and because they have been focused on the print part from the beginning. Theyve been told 'what sound does that letter make' or to learn a word as a whole - and the whole approach has made it so difficult for their brains to process the info quickly enough to even remember what theyve read by the end of the paragraph even if decoding the words. Its too much to then actually understanding the content. And yes, these children often seem to be 'reading'- but they arent- because reading HAS to include understanding what youve read. And this comes back again to oral language.
This is another reason why we developed this approach- because Im a special needs specialist - and I created it to prevent these difficulties- after having seen why they were being created in the first place. 

Hopefully at least worth considering...

Three hours a day? Thats awful. I only spend 15 minutes a day teaching print (phonics) - the rest of the teaching is alongside everything else and focuses on speech, language and communication.
If I was teaching in the Sacremento school Id put in a complaint- no-one who understands children would recommend 3 hours of phonics - or any prescribed method- of teaching in primary school.

And yet again theres that mention of flashcards / whole language and phonics- and not on how much time is spent on the very foundation- phonological awareness. Thats not whole language OR phonics:-) A balanced approach has to include phonological awareness- but, as  Professor Tallal says- we arent really aware of how we learnt - or of why our students are learning. We cant see the process. Many dont realise how much we depend on our phonological awareness regardless of whether being taught using whole language or phonics- or a combination. 

I havent heard of QLD readers and they certainly dont have them now. I actually heard that QLD teachers arent allowed to send home readers in prep now.

Aaaarrrggghhhh :-)

Its brilliant that there are people here from all over the world and with different experiences. I too have taught many children using the whole language approach using flashcards- as I said before, we had to use this 20 years ago when I first qualified. But when faced with a whole class to teach I quickly realised I couldnt possibly get all children reading and spelling with confidence in this way. Now I do what is needed to get every child reading and spelling by 6 so they can get on with reading to learn. 

I do hope I have encouraged some to think about the phonological aspect regardless of whether they want to use flashcards or not- and that if using phonics realise it can only take you so far.  Of course children can love flashcards if their parents have fun with them- Im suggesting that they could have even more fun starting from speech and then learning how we represent it. Flashcards can be detrimental to children with poor phonological awareness- if your child doesnt it wont do them any harm. Im for anything that means having fun with your child.

If you have a very young child or a child with limited speech then 'Shaping Reading Brains' is definitely an approach that will benefit your child- please do ask speech pathologists. The difficulties lie with children who are hearing impaired. If they have normal hearing then having fun with them exploring speech sounds is something that cant harm any child - and is highly beneficial to all.  

We are also looking at the role musical training can have on the development of reading brains

http://youtu.be/yhyzIwOn72o

[approach changes according to each child]

- the majority of schools in AU use sightwords/ flashcards to teach reading and spelling- and send home 'readers' with words they couldnt possibly decode and so have to memorise or guess. And guess what- we have 46% of the adult population (15- 74) unable to read well enough to follow a cooking recipe. Hopefully this will change with the implementation of the new National Curriculum- Ive certainly seen a massive rise since January, of schools requesting Jolly Phonics training etc.

You can also do a Bachelor of Education here and spend less than 2% credits on the teaching of reading. When you combine that with the fact that we keep lowering the bar regarding who can teach here (many who have appalling literacy and language skills themselves) its quite scary- and why we created Read Australia™. Wages are so bad that people who work with student leavers tell us that the brightest and most dynamic wouldnt even consider education as a career. But Australia is another story- and many of us are fighting to change things for children- and for teachers! They deserve so much more support and training.

Learning to Read in Australia article if interested-   

http://www.early-reading-centre.com/LearningToReadInAustralia_Coltheart_Prior.pdf


Please, please, please, please see that whole language and/ or phonics cant work for all children. However starting with speech and developing phonological awareness and the foundation can ONLY benefit EVERY child - regardless of if you use flashcards or phonics:-) Phonological awareness is NOT phonics. Phonological awareness is awareness of speech sounds and how our words are created in their smallest parts.

Yes- I have tried the whole language approach - Id never criticise something I hadnt used and committed myself to really trying. This was actually the first 'method' I used 20 years ago- we were told to use it when I first graduated as a teacher. During the first year children werent getting the results I wanted- so I started ALSO using 'phonics' (Jolly Phonics to be exact!) and so the journey continued. Ive tried everything - poor kids who had to go through  MY learning journey! After 20 years and thousands later- of ALL ages (although my oldest tend to be teenagers) I now use an approach (not method!) that works for every child. Yes, every single child. Because the approach changes according to each child- and what they need- as youll see if you watch my clips- especially of the playgroups we're starting in June. And we see hundreds now at the Early Reading Centre... although most of these are older (7+) and dont want to be filmed. There are a few short sessions shown on the youtube channel of some 10 year olds though- eg to show why I never teach consonant blends. (but lets not start an argument about that )

I guess I write to much and dont explain myself well enough. Dont think of a 'method' - think of a child and what they need. Its why I dont support any program - they are prescriptive and only as good as the parent or teacher using them! My other point was also that you can do MORE than get children to memorise flashcards.

Did you watch the clip ? I mention when I use flashcards with littlies- when and why!! The main issue being 'why'.

http://youtu.be/i7tnS58_G0I

When training schools I ask them to constantly ask themselves 'why' am I doing this? - will it meet the needs of each child? - and if not why are you doing it? Even after the first weeks of Prep (5 year olds) I get teachers to differentiate- so that he or she is teaching in small groups- not a whole class- and that these groups are created based on learning styles etc. I also make sure they know which are the children likely to have poor phonological awareness- as this is the target group - the ones most likely to struggle. In the first week when I ask children to tell me what word the 'sound teddy' is saying (he only speaks in speech sounds- the children have to translate these into words) I can tell who they are. Also who will overcome it quickly as they are 'curious' learners.
Children with poor phonological awareness struggle to hear the words 'sun' 'man' 'hat' etc if I say the sounds with a second inbetween. I ask them to wiggle fingers when they hear the 'sss' sound - and can see who doesnt wiggle. I ask them how many sounds they can hear in 'cat' etc. There are lots of things we can do to see which children hear speech sounds in words - and which need help. This only helps children - ALL children- and certainly wont do the children who will suceed whatever we do with them any harm (infact it will help their spelling)

Take care   

Em   

you know reading whisperer, I would find it much easier to digest your comments if you approached us all with a more open mind! I find it hard to take your comments seriously when you spend half of every post telling us we are all doing it soooo wrong. Lets be completely honest here. I said it before..there are HUNDREDS of mums on this forum who have successfully taught their children to read using whole words. Hundreds! Some added phonics some didnt need to as their child intuited it.  It obviously does work. So perhaps you could stop saying it doesnt. We are happy to hear about your experiences and acknoledge that ( perhaps) it will not work on every child. Although I do believe it WILL work on every child who is taught starting very YOUNG and consistently, in an environment of fun and love. So starting with a 4-5 year old needs a different method yes.
Also dont assume we are all only teaching one child or our own. I am qualified early years teacher, I have experience with MANY children, yes including reading recovery for those 7 year olds you claim will never catch up (I can assure you mine do!)
We all know on this forum that reaseach into early reading is pitiful! Since you keep mentioning this new research plese do post a link for us! Brain imaging is as far as I knew inconclusive reguarding childrens reading. Not enough money has been thrown at it yet.
Perhaps you could try and be a little more open minded like we are 

I havent said that at all- Im saying that parents dont know what will work until theyve tried things. Is easier for teachers to guage success as they have at least 30 a year- and can see their results over 5 or 10 years. But look at the most popular method of teaching reading in schools (flashcards) and the results- its not working. And this isnt actually whole language because its not really book rich- the whole language method should be book rich! 
http://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/article/20120522/NEWS01/205220311/Group-protests-West-M-reading-curriculum Some parents are even picketing now because they say that chiildren deserve more.

It actually doesnt matter if you start teaching a child to read at 2 or 4 - for long term success- but you must start by 5. The three things all government reports agree on (and reading scientists) is that the 3 most important things with reading (decoding) - to guarantee success with every child (not just the lucky ones who can learn whatever you do) is that you start early, develop phonological awareness, and teach the alphabetic code (phonics). 

The original 'whole language' approach has some great merits- it encourages a book rich environment - encourages comprehension and creativity. The phonics approach has great merits- it teaches the alphabetic code directly and systematically- which MANY need or they wont read.
'Flashcards' used heavily is a part of the whole language approach I disagree with other than to support early comprehension as we can create more complex sentences (see my clip ). But primarily Im urging parents to take an approach that takes the best of all and ISNT prescriptive - one size fits all. Im asking them to focus on oral abilities- then print- teaching children the alphabetic code within a book rich environment. My point has been to start with speech - even if the child isnt speaking- focus on helping them hear the parts in speech.

As I keep saying, I am not just talking about reading Im talking about spelling- and oral abilities. This is the part I am stressing. I was lucky enough to have almost 10 years with children aged 6wks to 5 - my guinea pigs! This is why I became so interested in language, literacy and communication - and in developing verbal intelligence - almost from birth!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQIpb56DxDw

I would very much imagine that there actually was a lot more involved with these hundreds of children you speak about, that you probably dont even realise. For example speaking with your children. Many parents who arent doing this arent joining forums like this! The fact that you are here means you want more- and if you are keen then you are likely doing alot more of the things we need for children than you even imagine. Im suggesting you can do more.
I havent said parents are doing things wrong- Im saying that parents could give children more. Ill be uploading clips of how I teach 2 year olds soon- the from before showing progress in 3 hours is a 4 year old.

I started another clip today and will discuss toddlers in part 2. If Ive taught thousands to read AND spell myself, evolving over time as I learnt more- and was appointed by the Education Dept to report on early years education quality. I am open enough to actually video myself my students (the whole lesson- not just the good parts) and put myself up to some major scrutiny.

So before I leave let me assure you that my purpose is to speak out about helping the highest number of children and to give parents who want to do more, more info ideas and support. For many it will be an extension of what they are already doing. For many it will mean they can replace flashcards and give children even more skills- including being able to spell unfamiliar words. If you have a child with poor phonological awareness you might not even know until the end of first grade- even if they seem to be reading the books you are currently giving them. Most teachers arent even given  training in this. Which is why Ive posted.

And as I said before, put research aside and look at results. This may sound immodest but I can guarantee that if I teach a class of 30 five and six year olds in any socio economic area for just one term all will be LOVE reading and spelling and be learning to their potential.  Watch my clips  - youll see why- and see that I love teaching! Im sharing this for free. I dont benefit from it?! Im doing this because if even one of the parents reading this considers whats Im saying and tries it they could not only help improve skills, but actually save the child from feelings of low self-esteem when they struggle to spell all the words they want to get down on paper! Thats how I see it- not being able to read and spell by 6 is not good enough. Every child deserves it. But not every child can do it without a specific approach. Dont risk it to be right- and try to shoot holes in what Im sharing or criticise my approach- consider it fully- and then decide what you think will be the best option for your child. 

Reading recovery was scrapped - for good reason- and, again, I wasnt referring to your lucky child who caught up- Im speaking out for the hundreds of thousands who dont. I wont apologise for that:-) They shouldnt have to catch up or need reading recovery- but they do if not given help - the help Im talking about- early. 
And Im sharing it for free. What would be my motivation?

I have an open mind to exploring what works for children. If a teacher has every child reading and spelling (and learning) with confidence early I go in to learn and see why- and share ideas. What Im not open to is depriving ALL children of the chance to become readers and love reading.  And it doesnt matter how much you love your child and have the best intentions, what matters is the end result (their love of learning). By the time you realise what youve been arguing against isnt working for your child it could be too late to restore their self confidence back to the levels they deserve.

Watch my clips - and watch the playgroups- and just stand back, logically, as if a child- and work out which might be the way that would be most likely to be effective for them.

Its an approach that starts from the child- and progresses with the child- and as they all tell me, including students who come to me apparently with dyslexia (and are reading and spelling well within 3 months)  'it just makes sense!"

If I have even reached one parent I am leaving happy..

Please- at least listen to Dr Tallal- Professor of Neuroscience (Rutgers)- Dr Heckman (Nobel Laureate - Dr Shonkoff -National Academy of Sciences etc This clip also talks about the children you are interested in - ie pre-school aged children.- and I hope give you more 'interest' in exploring what I mean about the importance of starting with speech- and not just speech but exploring speech sounds. And why the way in which the brain works is so exciting to me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jj2rBxKRZSc&feature=player_embedded#!

I posted here because parents who want to help their children are here. And even those children who are loved and supported (unlike MANY I work with) may not find reading and spelling easy- and would really appreciate overcoming these problems actually even before they become problems. If that makes sense. Some children are lucky and learn whatever we do- Im speaking out for those who dont. even the most intelligent of children can have reading difficulties - and can often mask them because of their intelligence. They learn to memorise a whole bookk after it is read once! They learn 200 flash cards. So Im just urging you to be careful in your assumptions- and remember that we cant see what is happening when children are 'reading' - only what we think we see. And it can be easy to fail to realise they have poor phonological awareness. Even if your child is one of the hundreds reading, this will also help their spelling.

Thank you

Emma Hartnell-Baker BEd Hons MA Special Educational Needs

Insert Quote
Speech usually is first - by convention and simply because most people speak to their children and wait for them to start speaking before addressing print (whole words/phonics) so I presume you mean more than just speech - again what is it that you mean exactly (I am interested and would also like to do this with my fifteen month old who is only beginning to speak and is actually saying most words as just their first consonant) Also a 17 year old who has stabbed other children has endless years of speech behind him but is lacking something else regarding speech if he cannot read - what is it?

And for those of us using whole words to increase vocabulary (and speech)  are we supposed to be breaking the word into its parts to teach blending from babyhood? What is your advice for people teaching babies speech and print - I have a feeling (I could be wrong) that you are wanting a child to Hear first, then Speak, then associate letters with heard sounds and finally read??? Just trying to clarify your method without having a clue.

Sorry- missed this. A GREAT question. Thank you.

Poor literacy is correlated with poor behaviour- we know failing starts to affect children as early as first grade. If a child cant do something - and especially if not emotionally resilient- they choose to avoid. So the chance to learn to read gets slimmer and slimmer. And any child who isnt reading by 7 is statisitically unlikely to ever catch up. So they cant cope with the rest of the curriculum- you need to be able to read and spell to do history, science etc as well! Its why - as I said before- many US prisons use year 3 and 4 reading scores to predict how many places they will need in future. So although they could speak- most of them- its far more than speech as you have realised. For most its problems with phonologcial awareness- our focus! And its NOT to do with intelligence or how much time parents spend talking to you and sharing books. You can only change the way the brain processes this info by training it. MANY do not do this naturally or easily - and as Ive said before if we dont focus on speech sounds and speech sound pics with them they will fall further and further behind- this is when teachers often say they have special needs or even dyslexia. And yet in 12 hours plus of being trained in the ways Im talking about the brain starts changing. But teachers keep trying to same things over and over again, that wont work for that child. Even if they do starting to teach 'phonics' - the usual 'remedial tool' isnt enough.
I recently did a pre-school study with 12 children. I have recorded which has poor phonemic awareness (as usual this was 3- generally its 20 - 30%) and I can accurately predict that these children will be at the bottom of the class in high school - if even attending. The school he is going to teaches the whole language approach- which is why I know they wont be given the training they need. So sad- to predict when 4 or 5 that they are going to fail- and through no fault of their own!   

Speech actually doesnt have to come first- another myth:-) The brain can start processing speech sounds ready to become a 'reading brain' from birth. Infact the earlier you start the better. Youll see me doing this with children while playing in the sand pit who may not utter a word- either because they dont want to, cant, or dont need to. But the teaching is still 'going in'!!!

And if you do the ground work with speech - as well as stories, singing etc- then when ready to start introducing pictures of those sounds the child finds it easy to understand the link. The funny squiggles are not just something they learn to look at and say a 'sound' parrot fashion style. Its meaningful! Its one of the pics that represents the speech sounds they are hearing and are, or will be, speaking.

Ive started a youtube clip for you, to explain what you can be doing with your 15 month old to develop these links. Part 1 below- I finally get to 15 month olds in part 2!! Will post that one later. I do this for anyone interested in learning more or at least considering new ideas or fun ways to engage with your child - with the view to improving their 'reading brain' and preventing difficulties. Watch the clip from Children of the Code - its so much more than just speech- its teaching children about speech. Then the print makes sense! 

So yes- speech first- even if the child isnt speaking yet!

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/i7tnS58_G0I&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/i7tnS58_G0I&rel=1</a>

The National Reading Panel certainly didnt say that reading aloud to a child wil lead to reading:-) Neither does the Rose Report (the UK gov report) or the AU Inquiry into the Teaching of Reading. Reading to your child cant teach a child to read and you dont find any research that supports that...but of course you will find whole language supporters who disagree. Do they think its a conspiracy - that every single independent government report has the same findings?

Of course we should be reading to children - its fun and bonds us and instils and early love of books and stories!! But they wouldnt learn to read because of it. Put children on a desert island and they will develop their own language- but will never learn to decipher the words in a book left there...

I think my point re speech might have been misunderstood- or I didnt explain it well. 

I didnt mean just speaking- I meant enriching their language- helping them develop good speech and language skills. Helping them to develop phonoological awareness. This is ESPECIALLY important with children who have speech delay or any other difficulty.

I have PERSONALLY taught thousands of children to read and spell as I led two childcare/ preschool centres. You cant teach every child to read and spell before school without knowing you are doing something right. Children who remained in the top 5% of their classes throughout primary school. Children who entered school not only reading and spelling but confident learners with a quest for knowledge. So putting actual scientific research and brain imaging studies aside- isnt it worth considering what I am saying?

Watch the video clips of me working with children from 2+ - our new Shaping Reading Brains playgroups start in June.

I do know why it can HARM children to know sight words.

And 'b' doesnt make the sound b- it is one of the sound pics that respresent the 'b' speech sound. When children can hear speech sounds it is easy for them to then understand how we represent these speech sounds on paper. Starting with phonics confuses children. They learn that s 'makes the s sound' (agh) - but what happens when they want to write about 'rice'? Or 'grass' or 'science' ......

No - speech doesnt have to come early- but this approach helps to develop it- and as long as they can HEAR they can read and spell. Its the hearing part that is vital.

When children go to school and find reading difficult it impacts themm far more than we first thought. Often parents tell me - but I read with him, he loves books...

Just keep your minds open. Many of you have perceptions that are based on a myth but dont want to let go of them because these are familiar to you- you know them. Watch the clips - its free- I gain nothing from showing you my teaching other than to help you help your children. And thats my life mission. Helping as many children around the world as I can.  Including yours.         


Watch the clips! 

Probably my fault for writing so much.

There is no whole word/ phonics debate- anyone who debates the two doesnt understand reading and spelling and how the brain processes information. What we are doing is looking at the differences between children who are poor readers compared to those who are great readers- and at what specific training has on the brains of children who have struggled.

I am coming at this from the perspective of research as well as having had to teach the most difficult- ESl, special needs etc.

If you read my post carefully- although I will understand it if you dont- rather lengthy- you will see that I most certainly have NOT advocated for a method or program- and have been clear (or so I thought) that this couldnt possibly work. Its why- even though I am an accredited Jolly Phonics trainer (and of others) I actually dont train the 'program' - I train in the science of reading and spelling - and how to use these programs as a resource. For example Jolly Phonics is a synthetic phonics based program - we need more than synthetic phonics to help EVERY child read and spell. Note that I am saying EVERY child. I spend my life speaking out for the children who do not have good 'reading' brains- usually poor phonological awareness- and that we should teach in ways that meet their needs. And as much as you might prefer to follow what (supposedly) 'works' for your own children or friends of children- I need to look at meeting the needs of whole classes- thousands!
So we must ignore all the programs being sold- and look at the methodology behind them. The principles of what does actually 'work' are consistent according to research - but we then need to also work out 'how'. Thats why the press called me the Reading Whisperer- because i not only understand the underlying principles but how to impart that to every child - no-matter how old. I work with 17 year olds who have been excluded from school for stabbing other kids! So I have to be really creative- I dont just teach gorgeous 2 year old sponges:-)

Children often find blending difficult and this is a massive part of our approach (not program or method- approach)

And when I said that there were point that were wrong- inaccurate- Im going on research into reading science - and especially now we know so much about how the brain works.

So forget a method or approach- focus on what works. And if you want the highest number of children reading and spelling with confidence then basing this around flashcards is NOT what we should be choosing. It might be fun for many- many might appear to be 'reading' - but anyone who has studied this - researched this- will tell you that there are better ways. And this means focusing on speech to start with. Its also far more beneficial developmentally. The ability to speak and properly use language has a significant effect on a child's behaviour as well as social and academic skills- and this 'approach' (not a program - not does it have lesson plans etc!) centres around speech.

I just think that if we know what helps the highest number of children be reading and spelling before school- with confidence- why would any parent risk not giving their child this?
I was appointed by the Uk government to inspect the quality of early years education for a reason- I was able to provide this myself. Im not talking about teaching my own child- or the neighbours- but thousands of children. Not only would they enter school reading and spelling but would be, on average, 18 months more advanced in everything- because my approach to teaching increases confidence and is child centred.

As a parent you need to keep looking at the research - or even just read government reports. And please just remember that the reason I do this- and speak out (even when people give me bad karma points ?- why?) is because I work with children who cant read and spell. They struggle because they werent taught in ways that work for them. Many have really committed loving parents- most of these children are really intelligent! But the focus wasnt on phonological awareness- it wasnt on speech FIRST.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/4U09wZpWZvY&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/4U09wZpWZvY&rel=1</a>

So even if you think that flashcards 'work' - and that it your child wont experience difficulties - just consider - what if this annoying woman (smile)
who writes all this is right? What if she is right that whole language should be binned- and that phonics isnt enough? And remember that you are only going on what you see when you watch your child- you cant see what is actually happening in their brains.

Speech first. Not phonics (print)

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/jj2rBxKRZSc&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/jj2rBxKRZSc&rel=1</a>

Thank you

Emma
   

Hi - thanks for clarifying about the site- I thought from initial response that it was supporting whole language. We've moved along massively since the old wars of 'whole word' versus phonics' because phonics is only one part of a successful program. Even synthetic phonics programs have limitations (I wont bore you with them here!)

Every gov reports recommends the same- because they have done the job at looking at what people are doing and what works for the greatest number of children. The s are starting early- which you are all doing (great) phonics taught systematically and directly and phonological awareness.

As you can see the main starting focus for Shaping Reading Brains is phonological awareness which is not phonics- its not print. The things people here are saying children struggle with is because of this aspect. They have often started with print- instead of speech sounds.

I am an early years specialist and so my focus (in this respect) is on developing speech, language, communication and confidence. For ALL children to thrive you should focus on speech and language first - the print is just a representation. If they understand speech sounds and can indentify them in spoken words- beginning, middle, end- blend, segment etc then learning to read and spell is easy because it is a natural progression. I teach them while they are playing - without even getting out a book (although of course sharing stories is a huge part of my teaching- as well as songs etc) I am helping them to develop speech - pronounce words correctly- as this is the basis for WHY we have our written text. Youll see me 'working' with children as they are building sandcastles with me!

I see so many parents trying to do what they think is right- and yet their children tell them otherwise! They turn their heads, try to get away- nomatter how much fun you try to make it! Children dont do that in our playgroups - they are too busy having fun. Our focus is on the individuals- and in helping them reach their potential. No program will do that- and should be used as a resource. I am an Accredited Jolly Phonics trainers as well as a qualified trainer of a wide range of other programs. Why? To get the best from each- and use this with each child. Also to actually use each with children and see where the gaps are (and learn from the strengths)

So this post wasnt about whole language or phonics- far from it- I was trying to offer help and advice to the person posting this about their 2.5 year old. My favourite age to start reading and spelling! Ill be upoading videos of our 2 and 3 years olds from next month at the Shaping Reading Brains playgroups- anyone can watch for free. I upload them to show that there is no set way we could possibly approach this for every child- but you can see what helps the most, the quickest.

I have also just uploaded a clip this afternoon- which some may find useful- it is of a 4 year old. Within around 3 hours (over 3 weeks) she was understanding what reading and spelling is- and we didnt use a pencil or sight words at all. Watch the last part- this is the bit parents should focus on in the early years- the children hearing the speech sounds, blending etc. I hadnt gone on to digraphs with this group - however when I asked them to spell 'fish' they could. They knew there were 3 speech sounds- and they would have known to put 3 lines ready to position the 3 sound pics. They would already know to spell the last one 'sh' even if they hadnt seen that sound pic yet. If they were to be given the work 'fish' first it wouldnt make sense. They would have to learn it as a whole word - or they couldnt learn it at all. This is what I mean when I say start with speech. Then they understand why words are spelt as they are- even within 3 weeks!- and how to read words. These children gained so many more reading and spelling skills in that short period of time because I was teaching phonological awareness and THEN phonics. As you can see in the first session there wasnt a letter or sound pics in sight. This is why this is recommended- and can you see those faces? They love it. THATS my measure of success- not just that they will not fail at school now, regardless of whether the teacher understands the best ways to teach them.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/pVTHEePs9S0&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/pVTHEePs9S0&rel=1</a>

And we can now measure brain activity and see what works - and those who have this data will very much advise parents to be careful teaching flashcards as a way to teach reading. I know many wont want to hear this but its time we move on and focus on what really does work. There are now some large scale studies being undertaken - really exciting. In the meantime Ive taught thousands of children to read before they start school-many who came to me speaking no English- many with Austism etc.

As I said, the links I gave were free resources- parents should watch, try things with their children that seem logical - and that the children seem to respond to. But listen to your child - to what they are telling you- even if not speaking confidently. This approach - as shown on the clip- has children LOVING to learn. I was willing to be filmed in a classroom with no a/c on a 90c day just to show parents that!!

Phonics is only a part of the learning journey- and possibly not even the most important. Certainly not our starting point as you can see here.

And thank you for allowing me to post my thoughts.

Em

     

Hi- the facebook page is where parents go for free info and support- or the youtube channel - we do sell products as we couldnt afford to operate otherwise! And yes, training involves hundreds of hours of our time - of course we charge. But parents dont need to become qualified. I wasnt posting this for teachers or those wanting to tutor- but for parents.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/dLjrrvKMcvs&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/dLjrrvKMcvs&rel=1</a>
 
If this is a site for people teaching children and babies how to read then why argue with my suggestions about finding out the best way for ANY child. 

"it is usually advisable to start with some whole/sight word reading - the idea being that the young children will learn the phonics by themselves"

This is completely inaccurate. Children cannot learn 'phonics' by themselves. And teaching a word as a whole completely contradicts that - it deliberately prevents the child from learning about our alphabetic code.
 
And the following are all incorrect. (normal children? so the HUGE percentage with poor phonological awareness- that has nothing to do with intelligence- how do you explain this group?)

1. All normal children can learn to read as young children/toddlers/babies.
2. They learn to read REGARDLESS of the method used (sight words/phonics, red writing/black writing, capitals/small letters first, signs or stories first, DVDs/computer programmes/books/flashcards/even cereal boxes and so on) PROVIDED that teaching is consistent and provided that a good environment full of the written word is available to them preferably at all time.
3. Phonics and in particular blending can be taught to all normal children as young as toddlerhood PROVIDED that it is done in a fun manner, sessions are short and testing is not done - ie blending is best taught by continuosly blending for the child rather than requesting that the child blend for you - this constant testing of blending is usually the way blending is taught and causes many many problems for many parents and teachers and then they say the child is not developmentally ready to blend which is not true - they perhaps have just not heard how it is done often enough to be expected to do it themselves.
4. Sight words are less problematic than they are made out to be. Many programmes incorporate both and fluent reading relies on the ability to sight read most words to achieve speed. Provided a child CAN also sound out a word when stuck it will not matter if they know some/many by sight. Other ways of working out a word including using contextual clues (not necessarily picture clues though they can also be used in very early reading) and understanding of the grammar of a language - using all these methods together is naturally the BEST way to read and will result in the most accuracy since all clues to what the word is MUST line up - you are getting a triple or quadruple check on whether the word you are reading is the right word.


This is all incorrect. Actually wrong. Youve been sucked into myths about reading- and I understand that you are only trying to do whats best for your children. If you had been faced with teaching groups - more than your own - youd understand why Im so passionate about this. I led 2 centres for children aged 6 weeks to 5 years and taught hundreds. The aim of this was not to create mini Eninsteins but because we know the effect finding reading and spelling difficult has on children. One of my main concerns with what you are trying to teach here is that it masks difficulties- because most children can memorise a lot of words- and seen to be 'reading' - but they arent- and the brain then gets stuck. By then the brain has failed to learn what it needs, in order to become a reader (and to spell)  These kids are often really intelligent- and its why they were also able to retain so many whole words to memory. Ask children to read unfamliar words - they need the skills in order to do it - same with spelling- or you are limiting how far they can go. There is only one way to teach ANY child- and this does NOT involve promoting memorisation of whole words. As you will see on our clips we do give them some 'tricky' words to start decoding and encoding sentences before they have started learning about these words- eg I, was, the - but the focus is not these words- its decoding and encoding the others. We however want them understand why we read early- and get them reading decodable books early.  There are also now decodable readers to use with no tricky words- to start off with. See image below.

If out in the street yes be engaged- but dont look at words- look at sound pics first- and then how they fit into the word. 'street' - highlight s/t/r/ee/t - 5 speech sounds and 5 sound pics. THEN blend them into the whole word. It also of course helps toddlers understand that we start on the left.   

Please speak to reading scientists and those involved in early intervention etc. And understand that phonological awareness is NOT phonics. I
wasnt talking about phonics- I was talking about starting from SPEECH (not print) to develop phonological awareness because it is then more logical for children to understand how and why we represent this speech on paper ie print.
You talk of whole word reading and phonics - this wasnt my argument- and, with respect, ignores scientific knowledge of how the brain processes information relating to speech sounds and print. The 'reading brain'.

Children can comprehend text and therefore work out meaning if they dont first learn to read (and spell! - the two should go hand in hand). If you dont teach them about our alphabetic code how can they then break a word down if they dont recognise it? Why wouldnt you just give all children the skills we all need as readers and spellers- from day 1?

But this is your site and you are promoting the whole language approach- with a bit of phonics thrown in if people really want it. (?!)

All I ask is that you look at the latest reading research and especially regarding neuroscience. Would it hurt for your parents to be able to follow the facebook and youtube channels - which are free? Thats all I posted for them to know about. There are many people in the world giving out incorrect information- however well meaning- its why the Your Baby Can Read program is under investigation for false advertising- we know too much now. And parents deserve to know it too.

Speak with your babies and toddlers - help them understand our spoken language. A huge number need help hearing the first, middle, last speech sounds and to be able to blend them into words. This is NOT phonics. This is nothing to do with print. But when children understand more about our spoken language it is far easier to then teach them phonics and how we use the alphabetic code to represent it. When children can hear the 'sss' sound in spoken words and then we show them a sound pic 's' and introduce it is one of the pics that represents that speech sound it makes sense to them. We have Speech Sound Clouds for every single sound pic in the English language- they can have these on walls- and as they discover new words with the 'ssss' speech sound for example they look at the cloud and add another picture. So they could have had 'rice' for dinner and suddently shouted out 'risssss' because they hear the 'sss' sound! You can then show them that ce is another of the sound pics for the 'ssss' sound. Children can discover the code- with you (they wont alone) and it not only helps them understand print - but how to spell.
Parents can download these Speech Sound Clouds for free on Friday - there will be a link on the facebook page. We are also getting a range of decodable readers available - however they can use the SPELD SA ones that are also free - and follow a specific order of teaching sound pics. If you watch the clip from youtube posted above youll see this 4 year old is already understanding how to read words- by looking at the sound pics and then blending. NOT memorising or guessing. Also spelling using these 6 sound pics. You can also see how much they love it!!!

There are only around 55 words in the English language that cant be de-coded- they are the ones we would teach as sight words (yacht etc) we would rather teach children how to actually decode and encode the others. 

I wish you all the very best for your children and am happy to share useful free info, resources and tips parents could use - but I dont want to have an argument about whole words. Its been going on for decades and now we know too much. We need to move on- and be excited that we do now know how to help every child read and spell early.

Speech Sounds leading to understanding and recognising Speech Sound Pics - is easy - parents can do it for free - and its FUN. It also goes alongside their natural development- parents wont post asking why their child doesnt seem interested yet, or to be taking it in.

Emma Hartnell-Baker BEd Hons MA Special Educational Needs
Shaping Reading Brains     

ps and the reason we use the terms 'speech sounds' and 'speech sound pics' with young children is because we make it simple and visual. Letters dont make sounds- if I had a dollar for every teacher who said 'what sound does this letter make' Id be rich- and still want to shake them. Letters dont make sounds! And teaching letters is confusing- you need to help children understand speech sounds- and how we represent these on paper. So when they see 'shop' they will know this is 3 speech sounds when spoken- and 3 speech sound pics when written! sh/o/p.
So when looking at words they need to see these words according to how they are created - and why. We use bolded text or coloured text so easier for them to identifiy them- and know how to read them- when first learning.
This will also hopefully be useful- the last clip (I think!) whos why knowing how to read a word is important- I give the word reindeer and reinforce- both starting with rein...but read differently.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/wAuKM3mQP8M&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/wAuKM3mQP8M&rel=1</a>

I may have misunderstood- does the site sell these products? I had seen a link on my google alerts and thought it was for parents wanting to teach their children to read and spell early. As Im an early childhood specialist- and former government inspector of early years education- with 20 years working with children who have been failed by parents and teachers pressuming to know whats best for them, I spend a fair bit of my time trying to change this- eg by posting on forums.

The research is clear - and every single government report is also clear. It also just makes plain sense. Yes, there are a few children (less than 5%) who will read easily (lucky them) but Im speaking out for the rest. At least 20 - 30% of all children- in any area- will really struggle due to phonemic awareness difficulties- and being told to learn words as flashcards is highly detrimental. The ONLY way they can read and spell is by using this approach- but often they are then 7 older and completely disillusioned. We prefer that every child learn- and so teach using the approach that will help every child- even (especially) if English is a second language.

But if this is a forum where people are selling something this will fall on deaf ears. Im speaking out for children though. We know too much now - brain imaging studies show us what is needed to change brains to become 'reading brains'. Why wait til they are struggling to use this approach? You can start as soon as they are talking. If a child is talking I know I can teach them to read and spell!

The problem when people start with print is that they also dont help children to become good at spelling. For example when they try to work out an unfamiliar word with the 's' sound in it they may not realise there are 8 pictures that represent this speech sound - and think its just 's'. 'Phonics' starts with print- we start with developing phonological awareness - and then phonics makes sense.

This clip may show you why this approach makes sense to children- and gets them reading and spelling really quickly and easily. But if parents are determined to use flashcards and ignore this then thats their choice of course- but do you want whats best for your child- or to be 'right'.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/xX0BWBBaTdE&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/xX0BWBBaTdE&rel=1</a>

This approach changes brains. Having difficulties with reading and spelling can happen with any child- regardless of intelligence, parental involvement etc. The early intervention approach we use prevents ANY child from having difficulties as it changes the way in which the brain processes sounds in words. It modifies brain networks. The brain imaging results we have now seen indicate how powerful this is - even in just a few weeks. We have seen images that show the brain activity (lit-up areas) of a 10 year-old boy while he completes a task that requires the ability to identify the sounds of words. His reading level equaled that of an eight-year-old child. Other images show his brain activity while he completes the same task after receiving eight weeks of training. Phonemic awareness training and systematic phonics instruction are vital if we are to quickly
make progress with struggling students. Using flashcards and teaching children to memorise doesnt do this- and the brain can only retain a certain number anyway. So you can seem to have progress- they can memorise thousands- but then struggle. Their brains cant then work out how to read or spell more and more words- and usually we see this at the end of year 1- as they havent the skills- theyve been relying on memory.
As you can see on the attached images his (the student given the training) reading level increased by three years and the images indicate that his brain activity changed as well.

So parents should decide on whether they are going to look at the research regarding the brain and what is needed for great reading and spelling- or listen to people selling their product. With this approach you dont need to buy anything- just learn what to do! And I gave you links to do most of that for free earlier. I do get children aged 2 (if speaking) reading and spelling- not memorising- actually reading and spelling words including ones they have never seen before. This means that before they start school they can be not only reading for pleasure but actually spelling brilliantly- using the keyboard if not developmentally ready to write with a pencil (if not drawing bodies, just heads with arms sticking out, they arent ready) 

Just open your minds and dont listen to individuals who say 'my child learnt to read like this' This approach will enable every child to read - and prevents reading difficulties such as dyslexia. Its powerful. And you can do it, as parents, without buying anything!

Thanks for at least considering this?

Emma
 

 

[Edited by TeachingMyToddlers: This topic has been split to preserve the original poster's question and to move the posts below, which is a discussion of a product/method/approach, here to a more appropriate board.]

Edited by TeachingMyToddlers: This topic has been split to preserve the original poster's question and to move the posts below,  which is a discussion of a product/method/approach, here to a more appropriate board.

Edited yet again by The Reading Whisperer - to hopefully make the approach clearer  . I write too much, too fast, and the message can get lost

I think I annoyed people by asking that they didnt buy anything that involves putting children infront of a tv or asking them to learn whole words (flashcards) - I pointed out that can (not always of course) actually stop the process- this isnt what reading and spelling is. I want them to be readers for life- to be able to start reading to learn- not to memorise whole words - which is little more than a party trick. They wont even recognise that 'horse' is different to 'house' because they are the same length and shape- which is what youre teaching them to look for. Because they arent reading for meaning they also wont pick up on the difference- for example you could show a picture of a horse with the word house and they wouldnt know the differece. If you watch the 4 year old (who had only had 3 hours of teaching with me over 3 weeks) is decoding and THEN looking at the picture (also watch her face- shes loving working it out independently) 

SOME children learn whatever we do with them! They are the lucky ones- but often if using flashcards they dont also become good at spelling. However I ALSO pointed out that teaching using phonics isnt enough for every child either (Im a Jolly Phonics trainer among others)

If you join the facebook page ReadAustralia you can see free info and links to free resources- including downloadable readers that I get children actually reading within 3 weeks. You can see clips on the ReadAustralia youtube channel- on one you can see progress of a 4 year old in 3 hours of training. Ill be uploading clips of younger children soon as we start Shaping Reading Brains playgroups here next month and will be videoing them incase any parents are interested. All free. This approach is based on the latest education and neuroscience research - we can actually change brains (see brain imaging studies for proof)
Teach phonological awareness first- not print- so that your child can not only read but also understands how to spell- using magnetic letters and cut out letters when this young as not ready to be writing. Its all about speech to begin with- and teaching your child to hear speech sounds in words- beginning, middle end- and THEN how they are represented on paper (we call these Speech Sound Pics- ie pictures of speech sounds)

I also recently posted on another thread- these comments are relevant here also...

Please always watch your child's body language to see what they are really trying to tell you....for example that they arent really interested, they arent comprehending, or its just not developmentally appropriate for that child and their way of processing the information. This does not mean they arent ready to be reading and spelling- far from it! You may just need to rethink your approach and try something different.
I am asking you to expore the idea of STARTING from speech sounds and THEN how they are represented - not the other way around ie by showing her print. Print was created to represent our speech- not the other way around. So start with speech- it will make more sense to her. See video clip at bottom.   

The Shaping Reading Brains approach starts with child and grows with the child. Think of a combination of 'whole languge' (but without a heavy focus on flashcards) and phonics- plus not just what to teach but HOW to teach- and youll start to understand it.

We start from speech- NOT print or phonics - developing oral abilities and verbal intelligence alongside phonological awareness. You are then teaching from what the child can do (not what you want them to be ableto do) and builds up- logically- and alongside their interests, learning styles, concentration span etc. Most of what happens before 3yrs of age with this aproach isnt something you can see as its changing the way in which their brains process the info- to develop what we call the 'reading (and spelling) brain. What happens on average at 3+ (and sometimes earlier) is that you realise how much of the skills required for 'real' reading and spelling that they are understanding- they arent just memorising words- and the  is that they love it and you do it while doing everything else- shopping, playing, singing.....
Its YOU that needs the training so you know what to do - thats appropriate to your child.

Our focus centres around the reason why so many struggle- poor oral abilities and phonological awareness- so we prevent this. Some children will read easily whatever method you use- but too many dont. Rather than do the traditional things- flashcards, phonics, lots of reading to them- and then finding out at 5 and 6 that they arent really 'getting it' - we prevent it. This approach works for ANY child- no matter how their brain works or if they have speech delay, autism, dyslexia etx. It gives them the skills to process sounds in words- to decode and encode- rather than rely on memorising things without understanding them. Its very difficult for a child to memorise whole words and learn to read for comprehension - because we actually dont really read words as whole until fluent- and certainly not if an unfamiliar word. We have to understand how print relates to speech.     

Its not a program or prescribed method- you can learn about his approach for free- you dont have to buy anything. We have DVDs, deliver training to schools, have an Accredited Shaping Brains Reading Coach course etc- but parents wont need all this. You can watch alot on the youtube channel ''ReadAustralia' and get free support on facebook.com/ReadAustralia to get ideas - and start rethinking what you think reading and spelling is.

Have fun!

http://youtu.be/w8sXFKXg1b4

I had to upload to our new youtube channel- sorry the quality isnt the best!

And why I have minus 8 karma points when Im sharing free info- how do they work? Ive taught thousands of pre-school aged children and children with special needs and am sharing this for free- saying you can do it yourself, without buying anything. Why is that bad karma??! 
Ill continue to post though- watch the clips of children aged 2+ at our playgroups starting in June - this isnt someone who deserves bad karma (quite upset about that!)  - and hopefully many will find it useful.


Emma Hartnell-Baker BEd Hons MA Special Educational Needs
The Reading Whisperer- Shaping Reading Brains!