Exploring the conventional methods of teaching literacy via synthetic phonics.
To read or not to read: decoding synthetic phonics
Synopsis
This work busts the myths surrounding UK government policy on childrens' literacy, and suggests that research which advocates for systematic synthetic phonics is flawed, challenging the UK government to review its approach and the research it consults.
It suggests that any research into synthetic phonics is not undertaken from the perspective of teaching children to read. The author claims that the reflexivity and reactivity of teaching, as well as the unpredictability of the daily challenges faced by teaching, precludes them from merely using prescribed methods of teaching. He adds that the blending of sounds and correlating them with letters is not the same as teaching children to read, arguing that reading involves the comprehension of text rather than the ability to read out loud and pronounce words.