Many academics continue to suggest that phonological and phonemic awareness skills are pre-requisites to later reading success - and this is simply not the case.
This is very important as many people also believe that when learners struggle with acquiring the ability to read, they therefore need to spend time on phonological and phonemic awareness activities - not in the presence of print - in order to make later progress in reading.
This is simply not the case:
http://forumonpublicpolicy.com/archive07/stockall.pdf
Time Well Spent: Phonemic awareness training or paired associate learning for children with language impairments?
Nancy Stockall, Associate Professor, University of Arkansas Fort Smith
Abstract
This paper addresses several inconsistencies in the phonological deficit theory of dyslexia in relation to children with language impairments. Results from studies in the reading and language literature inform readers of the critical elements of phonemic awareness that predict later reading success. These elements combined with explicit instruction of paired associations of phoneme-grapheme symbols are critical to generating reading curriculum that is efficacious and parsimonious for children with language impairments.
Conclusion
An analysis of reading research studies in addition to language development research can help us determine the best and most efficient ways to teach reading to all children. However, for children who come to school with limited language from which teachers can build upon, our models of reading must be rigorous, effective and parsimonious. Waiting to teach the alphabetic principle or paired associate learning of sounds and letters until children master rhyme or alliteration only places these children farther behind in the race for academic success. Time is of the essence. As Bart reminded us earlier, these children can�t afford to go slower to catch up!