Learning to read?

The debate 're phonics v look and say, here is my contribution. I am currently using an app to try and learn some Greek in case we are ever allowed to travel again. As you will all know, they have a different alphabet and I am finding I am using look and say a bit more than phonics. Longer words with a distinctive shape are easy to memorize, using phonics on unfamiliar ones is very slow. So I need both skills. So I think both approaches must be used or some learners will struggle and therefore give up.

Sorry, growstuff, this is the particular bee in my bonnet.

The evidence for systematic phonics instruction as being the most effective method of teaching practically all children to read is extremely strong. I can assure you I have read reams of research over the past decade or so.

Without knowing anything at all about the method used to teach your son I would suspect that it was a mix of methods which completely confused him. That was my experience with the children I worked with.

Poor reading skills rarely indicate any sort of cognitive deficiency in the child; which I took to be the implication of your statement that I only worked with poor or non readers.

It would be interesting to know how, as an adult, he deals with reading completely new and unfamiliar words, particularly complex ones.

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All children do not come from homes where the parents have the ability to help them learn.

MaizieD

Sorry, growstuff, this is the particular bee in my bonnet.

The evidence for systematic phonics instruction as being the most effective method of teaching practically all children to read is extremely strong. I can assure you I have read reams of research over the past decade or so.

Without knowing anything at all about the method used to teach your son I would suspect that it was a mix of methods which completely confused him. That was my experience with the children I worked with.

Poor reading skills rarely indicate any sort of cognitive deficiency in the child; which I took to be the implication of your statement that I only worked with poor or non readers.

It would be interesting to know how, as an adult, he deals with reading completely new and unfamiliar words, particularly complex ones.

Just seen this. No, it wasn't a mix. The school (and teacher) was addicted to phonics. They wouldn't even consider anything else.

When I realised there was a problem, I had countless discussions with the teacher and headteacher and got absolutely nowhere. As far as they were concerned, phonics were the method - end of story. Eventually, I decided to ignore them.

So how does he deal with reading completely new words, growstuff? I'm genuinely interested.