Thanks, Nellie, glad to be of some help.
Jodi, I meant he was wrong with the spelling although right with the sound.
Using terminology like that makes it easier for teachers to write their interminable reports, I think. It was hard enough to get them to use verbs, adjectives and nouns, without explaining digraphs and morphemes, etc.
When I was at college, I remember doing an assignment on using ITA, the initial teaching alphabet, one sound one symbol, invented by Pitman, I think.
So there would be no problem with mixing up ai or a-e, they would all be spelt the same.
My eldest son learnt to read that way. Then, of course, you had to learn to read the traditional way.