Reading Association of Ireland Conference 2006

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Reading Association of IrelandConference 2006

• Literacy and the Child with Moderate Learning
  Difficulties
• Dealing with the Bramble Bushes
• Helen McLernon, John Gardner and Jim Ferguson
• (Queens University School of Education, Belfast)
• (hmclernon01_at_qub.ac.uk)

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• Pips declaration in Great Expectations that he
  struggled through the alphabet as if it had been
  a bramble bush getting considerably worried and
  scratched by every letter. (Charles Dickens,
  1861)

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• Synthetic phonics offered the vast majority of
  young
• beginners the best route to becoming skilled
• readersbecause it teaches children directly what
  they
• need to knowwhereas other approaches, such as
  analytic phonics, expect children to deduce
  them.
• (The Rose Report, 2006, p19)
• A combination of synthetic and analytic
  approaches
• maximizes pupils opportunities to acquire
  sound/symbol
• relationships in English.
• (UKLA, 2006, p3)

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Presentation outline

• Characteristics of Phono-Graphix
• Aim, objectives and context of the study
• Data collection methods - assessing the outcomes
  of using Phono-Graphix
• Research findings - standardised and diagnostic
  test results, samples of written work,
  observations and reading book progression
• Conclusion - Phono-Graphix and the child with
  moderate learning difficulties

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Phono-Graphix Factors influencing progress

• Letter names are not taught, only the sounds
• Letter-sound correspondences are taught in the
  context of words sound by sound (m/o/p not
  m/op)
• A singular approach to decoding words is
  advocated, which teaches children to simply use
  their code knowledge no picture or context cues
  and no guessing from initial sounds
• Children are not made to learn a bank of words
  that they recognise by sight

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Research outline aim of the study

• To systematically evaluate the effectiveness
• of using Phono-Graphix with children
• designated as having moderate learning
• difficulties.

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Main research objective

• To explore the outcomes of using Phono-Graphix
• with children who have moderate learning
• difficulties, in relation to
• reading ability
• spelling ability and,
• sustainability of reading and spelling progress.
  

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Research scale and duration

• Phase 1
• September 2004 June 2005
• 16 children
• 15 teachers
• 8 primary schools

• Phase 2
• May 2006
• 16 children
• 12 primary school teachers
• 3 secondary school teachers
• 7 primary schools
• 1 secondary school

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Methods of data collection

• Phase 1
• standardised and diagnostic tests
• childrens work
• semi-structured interviews
• classroom observations

• Phase 2
• follow-up tests
• childrens work
• semi-structured interviews

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Data collection

• Semi-structured interviews with children
  targeting
• attitudes to reading and spelling
• reading and spelling strategies
• reading and spelling concepts
• opinions of reading and spelling progress
• Complementary interviews with teachers and parents

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Writing criteria

• Analysis of the writing samples concentrated on
• spelling
• legibility of writing
• content and organisation
• use of vocabulary
• punctuation

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References

• Johnston, R. S. and Watson, J. E. (2005) A seven
  year study of the effects of synthetic phonics
• teaching on Reading and spelling attainment.
  Insight 17, Scottish Executive Education
  Department
• Edinburgh. http//www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/edu
  cation/ins17-00.asp (last accessed 17/2/05).
• Lewis, M. and Ellis, S. (2006) Phonics Practice,
  Research and Policy. London Paul Chapman
• Publishing/UKLA.
• McGuinness, D. (1998) Why Children Can't Read and
  what we can do about it. London Penguin.
• McGuinness, C. and McGuinness, G. (1998) Reading
  Reflex. The Foolproof 'Phono-Graphix
• Method for Teaching your Child to Read. London
  Penguin.
• McLernon, H., Ferguson, J. and Gardner, J. (2005)
  Phono-Graphix Rethinking the Reading
• Curriculum, in Kennedy, E. and Hickey, T. M.
  (Eds) Learning to Read and Reading to Learn.
• Dublin Reading Association of Ireland.
• Rose, J. (2006) Independent Review of the
  Teaching of Early Reading Final Report.
• www.teachernet.gov.uk/publications