Teaching phonics effectively

published:  July 2007

There has been widespread controversy over the years about the best way to teach children reading and spelling.

Should they be taught using the letter sounds (phonics), by learning whole words, or by both? If they are taught using phonics what is the most effective way to do so?
To help teachers find their way around the issue of phonics teaching this TLA research summary aims to highlight key features of phonics approaches in the context of literacy learning in England. We use the Rose report as the basis for the summary. This report was undertaken in the context of existing early literacy practices, including phonics, within the National Literacy Strategy in schools in England.

The Rose review examined:

• best practice in the teaching of early reading and phonics
• the kind of provision that best supports children with significant literacy difficulties and enables them to catch up with their peers
• how leadership and management in schools can support the teaching of reading.

The review concentrated on provision and practice up to the end of Key Stage 1. It found that the systematic learning of phonics was crucial to raising standards, with early interventions to prevent children from falling behind. Rose concluded that schools in England often already have good material resources for teaching reading, including phonic work. Consequently, the review’s recommendations are largely to do with improving the quality of what is already in place rather than introducing new elements.

We believe that teachers and school leaders will find the exploration of phonics in the summary helpful in providing them with pointers to how they can build on the existing literacy practice in their own schools. Linked to the summary are a number of case studies we have chosen to illustrate some of the ways teachers are using phonics to enhance their pupils’ literacy skills.