Table of contentsThe challenges faced when learning phonicsThe challenges of SSPWhat does the researcher say?Can phonics be exaggerated?Impacts of teaching SSP phonics on writingThe National Curriculum and phonicsConclusionThroughout this assignment, I will critically examine the role that systematic synthetic phonics (SSP) has on writing. When learning to write, children are usually encouraged to break words down and sound them out, so they are able to spell and then write the word. SSP requires children to learn each sound and blend in a certain order. From there, sounds and mixtures can be put together to form words. Decoding words using this process is used as a writing strategy. This highlights the importance of phonics, particularly in the early years. Phonics is crucial for teaching children to write and spell because the sounds in words are not like the sounds we hear in the common alphabet. Without the role of phonetics, this would lead to spelling errors. Togerson's research details the process in which PAS is taught and how it is easily recognizable to children. This research has had considerable influence on the teaching of phonics in today's primary classes, particularly in relation to the National Curriculum. For phonics to be successful in children's writing development, it is important that teachers have strong knowledge in the subject. In the teaching standards, it is emphasized that teachers have good teaching skills and can “demonstrate a clear understanding of PAS”. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Challenges Faced When Learning Phonics Throughout this section, I will explore the challenges children face when learning phonics and the limitations of teaching phonics phonetic. Phonics is a controversial strategy. Although compulsory, each school may have its own approach to teaching phonics; therefore, children will learn differently. One method of teaching phonics taught in primary grades is the 'whole language approach'. Noam Chomsky came up with the idea of ​​“language acquisition,” meaning that “the ability to learn a language follows a particular pattern and is instinctive.” Chomsky's work clarifies that everyone has an instinctive ability to learn any language, but that we do not learn by imitating others. Therefore, could the SSP method of copying words and sounds be a bad way to teach children to write and spell? Goodman then created a “whole word system,” which encourages children to use cues and recognize the word as a whole rather than breaking it down into sounds when using the SSP approach. If the whole language approach was the preferred method of teaching phonics in a school, children might find it more difficult to learn to write and spell. SSP gives children the skills they need to break words down, so it will be easier for them to spell and write the words they need. If they have only been exposed to the whole word approach, children may have difficulty decoding the words they hear and then being able to write or spell them because they have only learned the whole-word approach, which means that they do not have theability to decode what they hear because their reading technique involves looking at the complete word. Challenges of SSPEvery child has their own preferred method of learning, some children may not grasp certain concepts and SSP may be one of methods that are most difficult for children to understand. adapt. SSP contains many different grapheme variants, so when learning SSP; children can easily become confused when writing. This problem can be overcome if children learn common grapheme rules, such as "ay" at the end of a word and "ai" in the middle. Being exposed to these rules can make a huge difference in children's writing development, without which children are at high risk of becoming poor writers and have poor spelling. Another way to support phonics learning is to group words by grapheme. For example, the same, lame, came. This gives children the opportunity to learn words by association and therefore understand spelling patterns that can be applied to everyday writing. Although, according to Chomsky's language acquisition device; we do not learn by imitating. So, is this really the right way to teach children to read and write? Teaching phonics is compulsory according to the National Curriculum, therefore the methods outlined are taught in classrooms across the UK; different regions and therefore different accents. While this may not seem like a big deal, technically it can lead to a lot of misconceptions among children. Depending on where you live, most people have different accents; One of the main indicators of a person's accent is the pronunciation of long vowels. People in the north pronounce the word “bath” differently than people in the south. It is therefore important that teachers do not take “all the focus” away from the child when teaching the SSP approach. When teaching children who use English as an additional language, it is crucial that teachers modify their accent to get the correct pronunciation of the word. This is because these children are not as familiar with the correct pronunciation, so it is the role of the teacher to model it correctly, so that no misconceptions arise. I faced this problem when teaching a Polish child. It took him longer to understand the concept of pronouncing certain words than his peers in the Northeast. One of the main challenges of SSP teaching that I have not addressed is "tricky words", these are words in the English language that cannot be decoded using an SSP approach because they don't follow the rules. These are words such as “me, being and being”. These particular words cannot be spoken and therefore must be taught using recognition. These words generally take the longest to learn because they do not follow a particular process. At school, I taught these words in various ways such as flash cards to review at home and in class. Place them frequently in the classroom and develop games so that children can learn and be exposed to them in a stimulating way. What does the researcher say? Jim Rose is the author of a highly influential review detailing how PAS supports children's progress from a young age. As part of this study, it was discussed how a language-rich curriculum and high-quality phonics teaching can have a major influence on children's reading and writing development; which results in high quality work. For this reason, it is important that schools and teachers includehigh quality phonics lessons from the foundation stage of early childhood. Due to the implications within the National Curriculum, regarding the teaching of phonics; which I will explore later: in the Rose report he explores numerous inspectors' reports which show neglect towards the teaching of phonics in early years classes. During this period, children's writing progress was limited, which could lead to disadvantage for children with EAL or children with special educational needs; because the provisions they needed to excel were probably not in place. In the report, Jim Rose explores the National Literacy Strategy, explaining how it has engaged many schools in developing high quality phonics programmes; detailing the most effective ways of teaching to raise writing standards. Rose emphasized the importance of speech and language alongside reading and writing. He states that these are the “core skills needed to lead to emotional, social and intellectual progression.” It is crucial that phonics is taught from an early age so that children can develop many communication skills. Not being exposed to phonics from a young age can have detrimental effects on children's writing development. In the Rose Report, there is a brief section on the “Spotlight Model” (SLM); This details how being exposed to the main principles of phonics can reduce the risks presented in SLM. The Rose Report had a great influence on the national agenda we follow today. Can phonics be overdone? Although SSP phonics teaching has many benefits, as Belvins points out, his research also shows that the success of phonics teaching cannot be regulated and is dependent on knowledge of the subject and methods of delivery. education. This means that if the teacher lacks confidence or knowledge of the subject, children could be at a disadvantage. In his literature, Belvins also states that it is possible to overdo phonics in the primary classroom, and from my personal point of view I think this statement may be correct. During a professional internship, I noticed in certain schools that children were stigmatized about phonics. When told it was phonics time, the children sighed and didn't want to participate, saying it was "boring" and they wanted to play instead. With further research into the phonics method taught at this particular primary school, I discovered that they had a 40 minute phonics lesson every afternoon, every day. This may not seem like a long time to adults, but for 4 and 5 year olds; after their dinner, their brains would be exhausted. This is why the children did not want to participate in the phonics group and why these children's progress in writing and reading was so poor. After a few weeks of observation; I gained permission from the principal to conduct my own phonics sessions using methods I had acquired through personal experience, at university and other placements. The first week I did 20 minute whole group sessions, from which I was able to see what level each child was at within the SSP 'letters and sounds programme'. I then grouped the children according to their abilities and two groups were formed. Each morning, myself and the class teaching assistant lead a 15-minute interactive phonics session witheach group. During this time we discovered a new sound, gave the children the opportunity to say it, allowed the children to write it down and then recite it. If a child was having difficulty, they could turn to their partner for help. At the end of each week, each sound has been revised to ensure that children experience the full potential of this offering. After 6 weeks, we assessed the children and found marked improvement in their reading and writing, with some children increasing by 2 colors in their reading books. The children enjoyed learning and that was the main objective: if the children enjoy what they are doing, they are more engaged in the task and therefore, they will get more out of it. Children are also more alert in the morning than in the afternoon, meaning they will benefit more from the session. My 15 minute phonics strategy has now replaced the “boring” 40 minute session, at this particular school. This shows a correlation between excessive phonics teaching and lack of interest in children; proving that little and often phonics teaching is more effective.Impacts of SSP Phonics Teaching on WritingAlthough I have explored many of the challenges that students and teachers may face, phonics has many positive aspects through relation to the development of children's writing. Good phonics teaching allows children to become more ambitious, because their vocabulary is made up of words they have just discovered. They are able to attempt to write and read these words using their SSP knowledge. On the other hand, the “global approach” can be considered outdated, as mentioned above; this requires children to read the complete word in its “whole”, it requires children to memorize the complete word. This limits children's vocabulary, particularly in relation to their writing. When writing and spelling independently, children may have a word they want to use; although they may not know how to spell it. Using the SSP approach, children can decode the word and then reconstruct it to spell it. If taught using the whole word approach, children are limited to using the words they have been exposed to and do not know how to spell new words due to the approach they have been taught. This will discourage children from being determined in their writing, as they are unable to attempt unknown words using the 'whole word approach'. Writing develops at a slower pace than reading. As part of an SSP reading program I taught, “read, write. Inc.”; Children begin to practice forming their letters when they initially learn their sounds and when they begin to blend and segment words. This gives children the opportunity to develop their writing skills at a faster pace than in other phonics programs, where writing usually comes later in the process. This helps overcome the National Curriculum concern that reading develops much more quickly than writing. Written skill can also be developed through speaking by using and sharing language with peers. This is why a language-rich environment is crucial in the primary classroom. This can influence children's learning how language works as a whole and give them the opportunity to express what they would like to say. Children exposed to a language-rich environment have an advantage when it comes to applying written language on paper. Having the opportunity to discuss individual experiences allows children to gain.