In Tompkins chapter five phonemic awareness and phonics are discussed and how to approach teaching them. In reading the corresponding article, Everything you wanted to know about phonics (but were afraid to ask) I began to think about how teachers teach in different ways such as mentioned in the article when discussing teaching whole language versus basal reading. As we are learning about all of the ways to teach phonics and phonemic awareness we are looking to do it in the most effective and efficient way possible. However, we are all new coming teachers and we are all learning this but not all teachers may have learned the same thing. If we are teaching these lessons throughout the year, that is only one grade; one year. What happens if the teacher in the following year focuses on only one way of teaching their students or doesn't read to them much? What if I am the teacher who gets the children from a classroom that only taught phonemic awareness and phonics in a certain way but didn't make it engaging for the students so now they are disengaged? Will I still be able to provide that joy in a classroom when I am building on a less positive learning experience?
Further analysis on the readings made me realize that students learn phonemic awareness and phonics in a sequential manner. I think before I was overthinking the idea that not all children will come into my classroom at the level they should ideally be at. The article and Tompkins gave me some incite in how to address this. At the Kindergarten level I will definitely have students coming in from all different places in their education in general, however by the use of repetition, games, practicing, and a variety of teaching methods, the children can all get to where they need to be. As educators it is our job to get the students where they should be at the end of the year. Phonemic awareness is the first step. Children should be able to understand the sounds of letters. With an almost stepping stone approach, students will use what they know and continue onto the next part of learning how to read and understand the words they are reading.
Before reading the article and the chapter in Tompkins I became stressed when thinking about phonemic awareness and teaching phonics. The words themselves seemed so complicated to me. The idea of teaching children to make sense of words and build their reading and writing skills gave me anxiety because it was hard for myself to learn that as a kid so it seemed even more difficult to teach. i think the one thing I got out of this Deeper dive the most is that I know that I shouldn't be teaching everything at once, this is a gradual learning process that builds upon each other. I worried about having to do it all as an educator and I know now that it isn't even good for children to have so much thrown at them at once. The methods mentioned to teach phonics and phonemic awareness made me start to think about what I can do in my classroom. I can incorporate play, movement, games, activities, etc. to get my students engaged in the learning of this piece of their education. I got nervous originally that I would have to teach the lessons strictly with a pencil and paper like i had to when I was a kid but I was relieved to learn these new ways that can engage the students in ways the paper and pencil wouldn't.
Stahl, S. A., Duffy-Hester, A. M., & Stahl, K. A. (1998). Everything you wanted to know about phonics (but were afraid to ask). Reading Research Quarterly, 33(3), 338–355. https://doi.org/10.1598/rrq.33.3.5
Kaya Lani, this is a great start. You pose some really interesting questions for yourself and your reader(s). In these entries, your goal is also to explore how you might answer your own questions. How would the readings help you to answer your questions?
ReplyDeleteOne point from the readings that I would encourage you to keep in mind is that phonemic awareness is not something that needs to be taught and retaught each year. Once children have acquired an awareness of sounds and can distinguish between discrete units of sound, the don't need additional instruction. The same is true when thinking about phonics. I think Tompkins provides the best overview as she illustrates how teachers' focus on phonic becomes more complex as the students' competencies in decoding and spelling become more sophisticated.
Kaya Lani, I appreciate the additional points you made in the last two paragraphs. These really helped to expand your thinking. As you continue to share your reflections on the readings, be sure to also include specific quotes or strategies that the authors discuss.
ReplyDeleteFor example, you make a very powerful assertion at the end of your third paragraph. You say, "Children should be able to understand the sounds of letters. With an almost stepping stone approach, students will use what they know and continue onto the next part of learning how to read and understand the words they are reading." What would be great to know is what specific strategies that were offered in the readings do you feel you would most certainly use when you teach your future students (or even the ones you are working with now).