Date : March 22, 2024
The debate over whether we should teach our children to read by learning ‘sight words’ (whole language learning) or whether we should teach them to sound out the letters that make a word (structured literacy/phonics) is raging again, so it is time to set the record straight on which concept is best and why.
How We Learned to Read vs How Our Kids Learn to Read
Do you remember learning to read? I do! First, I learned the letters of the alphabet. I learned what sound or sounds each letter made and then I learned how putting those letters together made words. This may be how you learned to read too! It’s called phonics.
However, during the late 1970’s there was a move towards teaching kids to read by recognising whole words. Hands up if your kid has brought home ‘sight words’ from school to learn! Instead of learning the sounds of letters and putting them together in words, children were expected to memorise whole words. But the movement towards whole language learning didn’t really take hold until the late 80’s and early 90’s when Australian schools threw the baby out with the bath water and mostly banished phonics in favour of sight words.
If you were schooled in Australia in the 70’s or early 80’s, there is a good chance you learnt to read by sounding out the letters in the words and making sense of them within the context of the other letters and words. However, if you have had kids go through school in the last 30 years, they would have learnt sight words – whole words that they must look at and memorise.
Kids in Australia Can’t Read Properly
For more than two decades, Australian kids have been falling behind in their ability to read at the expected level for their age. The most recent study published by Grattan Institute found that a third of our children can’t read proficiently. That means in a class of 24 kids, 8 struggle to read! That is an epic failure for the education system and those tasked with ensuring our kids receive the best education available. However, the good news is, the researchers at Grattan Institute know what the problem is and how to fix it!
How to Teach Our Kids to Read
As is common in education, things have gone full circle, and the way that you and I learned to read is back in favour. The research from Grattan Institute has found that the ‘whole-language’ approach does not work for all students. In fact, they suggest that it should be banished from Australian schools altogether. I for one am thrilled and would bet most teachers you speak to will be delighted too!
Just like you and I did, students should learn to sound out the letters of each word. Teachers should read aloud to their class often too. Once students have mastered decoding unfamiliar words, they still need explicit teaching to build up their background knowledge and vocabulary, so they can comprehend what they read – which is the goal of reading.
What Can Parents Do to Help?
Lots! Just like teachers, parents can read aloud to their children – especially at bedtime. Read instructions on packets to them, read signs to them, read any words that you come across in daily life. You don’t need to sit with them and show them flash cards with letters on them but do point out letters in daily life – especially letters that are used in their name, or in mum, dad, gran, and friends’ names. Take them to the library for rhyme time and story time, borrow books and read them at the library and at home.
When they get to school, engage with their teachers and if you are able, volunteer in their classroom. Talk to them about school and what books and stories they liked and why. Encourage them to borrow from their school library.
Reading is Fun
Hopefully, the education system will take notice of this latest research and support our teachers to teach ‘the old way’ so our kids’ reading outcomes are better in the future.
Reading opens doors to new worlds and adventures and is a healthy habit for life.
Janine Mergler
Janine Mergler is a veteran Queensland teacher, lecturer and editor who has taught children, trained generations of teachers at QUT and worked for the Qld Govt as an education specialist, developing education resources and delivering community awareness programs. Currently the owner and editor of Families Magazine, a publication specifically targeted at parents who value a quality education for children. Janine leads a team of professionals who write about family lifestyle, early childhood, schools and education information and family-friendly events.
