Feedback related to older learners from age 10 to adult

[debbie]

Please provide your feedback on this thread if this relates to older learners:

[debbie]

Praise continues to be heaped upon you and your programme at school- by the Y6/Y7 teacher in particular who is positively ecstatic!

Her pupils are equally interested and excited.

I just spoke with the Y6/Y7 teacher about what it is she likes so much about the programme.
Here are some comments
-she feels great satisfaction that she is actually teaching explicitly something substantial, 'meaty,'interesting, 'challenging' to her pupils.
-even/especially the weaker can take part fully
- she feel it has made her become more organised and more effective across all curricular areas
-the children love the decodable text
-the children enjoy challenging themselves to find words which 'break' the rules!
- you can hear a pin drop in her class during phonic time-all the children are enthused excited and engaged
- it has given her renewed enthusiasm for teaching and she feels she is achieving success
-the integrated nature of the resources are wonderful

and so on and so on.......!

Y6 and Y7 boys and girls said:

“I can read a lot of words now. Before I used to skip words but now I stick with it and work it out!”

“It helps us read quicker.”
“It helps us spell better.”

“It helps us to pronounce words we don’t recognise and then we can find out what they mean like ‘etiquette’ and ‘statuesque’.”

“It helps us understand words better and I found out that words that sound the same can be spelt differently like ‘key’ and ‘quay’.”

“We’re reading better ‘cos we understand more.”

“I was reading Harry Potter and I came across the word ‘feast’. I started to say fe/ast but then I remembered that ‘ea’ is a way to spell /ee/ and so I could work it out.”

“Now I can work out words that I skipped before.”

Oops forgot to mention the most important thing- how did I do that?!- she finds the alphabetic code overview chart ESSENTIAL!!!!

“For teachers and pupils, the lynchpin is the alphabetic code overview chart - each has a copy and both this and the SP notebook are never mistreated/misplaced/forgotten!”

Kate is a primary teacher in Ireland. She does stirling work in her school and promotes synthetic phonics in Ireland. I just wish that she would agree to become a trainer with her considerable knowledge! She was the first person to trial Phonics International even before its launch date!

She wrote to me:

I find myself continually wondering how I managed without the resources provided by the Phonics International programme. Having such a comprehensive bank of resources available at the click of a mouse is wonderful……The programme has removed the hassle and time consuming task of planning and piecing together the necessary resources and allowed me more time to focus on teaching.

[debbie]

I have spent a while with the materials and the programme has become clear. In fact it has far exceeded my expectations. I have printed off some materials and used the format as a framework and methodology to integrate my existing programme which draws on the Lifeboat Scheme and the Multi Sensory System for Reading by Manchester Metropolitan University. It has taken quite a while, but I am delighted with the results.

I have integrated the material in a way that takes two sounds as one lesson and pulled together all the materials together that support the teaching and learning of that sound.

I am so pleased with the scheme It feels churlish to mention anything that would make it even more accessible for me but I know how valuable feedback is so here goes.
• I would have happily paid more to have the course organised in the way I have used it - that is the facility for downloadable files in lesson format.
• The teaching points in the Sounds Book activity Sheets is in a very small font. Again I would be happy to pay more if these were also included in a separate file.
• I will use your assessments and some of my own but when more become available this will be helpful

This was from Michael who is a dyslexia coach in Ireland.

Since this original feedback, I listened to his request about the 'teaching points' on the Sounds Book Activity Sheets and as a consequence, I went on to provide all of the teaching points in larger font in one continuous file. I also included lists of all the cumulative, decodable words from all the Sounds Book Activity Sheets from Units 1 to 12. This is a great, at-a-glance booklet and can be found at the top of your Unit 2 webpage.

Thanks for the feedback, Michael! I do listen!

There is also now a number of free assessments available via both your free Unit 1 resources at the bottom of the webpage - or via a small, yellow box on the PI homepage.

There are more free assessments to follow which I have been trialling in our Phonics International primary study school!

[debbie]

My daughter is 12 years old and is at high school, but she has always struggled with reading and writing as she was not taught using the phonics method at primary school.
I have tried to get the school to give her extra help with english but they tell me that her problems are not bad enough to get help so I have decided to help her myself.

I have a friend who is using your system and she can see a big difference in her son's spelling and writing. Would I need to start from the very first unit or do you think we could start further on?

Parent

My answer about 'starting point' is based on the individual need of the learner. In general, it is better to start at an easier point to establish the routines for activities on the core SOUNDS BOOK ACTIVITY SHEETS.

Many teachers and parents start at the 'c', 'k', '-ck' material in Unit 1 - and then go on to Unit 2.

Unit 2 has plenty of material which usually needs teaching even for older students - and older pupils and even adults do not find the core material patronising.

One headteacher I know prints off much of the material for older students at 'half size'. This is an excellent suggestion for most students - unless the size of the font really does help in its bigger format.

Printing at half size is one solution for older students - but also saves on paper and ink! To that end, try to photocopy on both sides of the pages wherever appropriate. For example, some teachers photocopy the writing lines for self-dictation on the back of the 'I can read' texts. Thus, not only can the students focus on their spelling and punctuation, but also on producing their work in good handwriting written carefully on writing lines!

[debbie]

More from Michael:

That new booklet is great. I will print it off and take some time with it.

I am using you materials extensively and find the framework and the structure absolutely invaluable. The way I run a 50 minute session is:

30 mins (varies)
1. Introduction of sounds and learning point
2. The pictures with sound ask the child to see and hear the sounds through the words
3. Use the pictures only with counters to spell sound and show correspondence,
4. Take time here to do phoneme substitution and deletion by manipulating counters
5. Move onto the words in context on say the sounds section and reinforce learning from 1
6. Move onto lists pick a few words
7. Listen to the reading (these are GREAT) the child is also asked to do one grammatical thing on each page. "in this passage I want you to show me you are you by raising the pitch of your voice when you come to the question mark etc."
8. Then we may do some of the other materials or something from Jelly and Bean or The Lifeboat Series which correspond to your lesson.

After doing a lot of research I have invested in two book series the complete Jelly and Bean Series and all the Barrington Stoke books.

I also use a neurocognitive movement program based on the Infinity Walk which the child is required to do for thr duration of my programme while listening to accoustically engineered music

I'm busy and getting refferals from parents teachers and medics and feel that Synthetic Phonics has given my program great structure and focus.

Just one comment - you can sometimes have too much of a good thing particularly on a computer programme where it is hard to see the wood from the trees. The best thing I eved did was print everything off (hang the expense) and work through them manually so I could literally get a feel for the programme. This really enabled me to feel the structure and the rigour behind it. I then filed everthing I wanted by letter sound and built up my own files that way. It was a big investment in time but is really paying dividends now...

...I really am delighted with the pogramme but nine months later am only just learning to use it to its full potential. I know how tough a business start up can be -if you want to use anything I have said in your advertising you are welcome - just bounce it back to me.

[debbie]

I will give you a really detailed report at the end of this term i.e. after a full term of doing it. Lots of good things happening. In EBD-land progress is usually slow but we are making progress – even ______ – who is on the 1st percentile for literacy!!!! He read the list of ea words to me the other day, using the strategy with fist when he needed to – m-eat-t oh meat!!!! He then produced a page of neat joined handwriting- amazing.

Further:

I have just spoken to my Head today - the Inspector has phoned him to say that she is so pleased about the programme that she is telling everyone she comes into contact with!

Is it any wonder we have schools for boys with behavioural difficulties when they haven't been taught to read!

It is utterly shocking that there are so many disaffected young people who cannot read - and that there are so many people in prison who cannot read, or read and write well.

I am very concerned to trial the Phonics International programme in prisons and would encourage people to approach me to set up trials - either formal or informal - let's just get the programme tried out in every context where literacy levels need to be addressed!

As Phonics International is so easy to access where the internet is available, the programme could be delivered relatively easily in a prison. Even literate inmates could support the teaching of their peers.

[debbie]

Phonics International - A REALLY GOOD Reading/Hand-writing/Spelling Programme

Phonics International is a comprehensive programme which will help your student at whatever age or level they are at reading, writing and spelling. It is also very good for speakers of other languages. Many primary schools pupils are now using a phonics system to teach reading, writing and spelling and the PI scheme has seen great success rates in schools.

How it works:

The scheme builds up difficulty unit by unit and also includes an Early Years pack for pre-primary school pupils or primary pupils with a lower level of reading ability. It is based on teaching a sound - for example /s/ and then the corresponding 'code' or letter combinations. So, the /s/ sound corresponds to words spelt with _s, _ce, _ss, _sc, such as snake, palace, glass, scissors etc. This systematic approach to reading and spelling means that pupils learn to analyse the sounds in words rather than guessing, and as a result, they become more confident readers and spellers.

You don't have to follow the whole programme - you can dip in and out depending on the needs of your particular student.

Resources:

PI has done all the work for you. There are masses of resources - hundreds of potential lessons all ready and waiting! They are really colourful, appealing to learners and systematically organised. You can decide to teach the /s/sound one lesson and print out the related activity sheet, flash card, worksheets on handwriting, story writing and it's all there in abundance. Read the Overview and Guidance Booklet first to get more of an idea of how to teach the scheme.

Pippa Gross, a tutor for 'The Complete Works Theatre Company' wrote the above to encourage fellow-tutors to use the PI programme.

Phonics International sponsors 'The Complete Works' and should be able to provide further feedback about 'results' over time.

Further:

Hope you are well. I am not sure if you remember speaking to me a while ago about the phonic international programme, we have a very large pool of tutors who have recently signed up to the programme and have found it fantastic. We have had a lot of positive feedback from our tutors on the programme and it has helped a lot of our students develop their literacy and vocabulary skills. I’m not sure if you remember but we spoke about whether you would be able to come to one of our training days to speak to our tutors about the programme to and help with any questions they may have.
We have recently recruited a large number of new tutors to get started in the new academic year which is September and therefore are having a training day on Thursday 1st October 2009 and was wondering if you would be able to come down for an hour or so to really help to push the programme and receive feedback from the tutors who have been using the programme.

I have now provided a training-introduction to TCW tutors in response to this request - and you can view some photos and read about this event on this link:

http://www.phonicsinternational.com/Complete_Works.html

[debbie]

I'm an instructor of a reading course for teachers at Queen's University in Ontario, Canada. The teachers in my course are always looking for materials to make the job of teaching reading easier. In the interest of helping them, I often search out programs for them to use. I've had a chance to preview the first unit of your program and I am impressed. Is there a chance that you might offer your program in different English dialects (e.g. Canadian English in particular) in much the same way the Jolly Phonics has adapted their program for American and Canadian audiences? Most of your program plays out well -- it's the vowels that are different. For example, the word "orange" wouldn't go under the /o/ category in Canadian English. It would go under the /or/ category. Similarly, the "aw'' in "dawn" and the "au" in "sauce" in Canadian English would be pronounced /o/.

I would love to be able to offer this program as an option for teaching phonics in Canadian schools.

I have since worked with Corina, and others, to adapt The Alphabetic Code Overview Chart to address her queries. [Thank you to all my advisors!]

I have also provide 'o' as in 'octopus' and 'ue' as in 'barbecue' and 'aw' as in 'dawn' to address her pronunciation concerns. See the 'USA/Canada' button.

Corina has, of course, evaluated the complete PI programme following her initial contact with me:

I have to say, your program is impressive. Your rationale and explanations are logically sound and you have been very precise about how and when you present sounds. I agree with you on all of your points in your Guidebook – not teaching letter names at first, considering the extent to which multi-sensory programs are helpful, eschewing consonant blends and clusters etc. This is how I teach reading, and this is what I encourage teachers to consider while teaching reading. I also appreciate how your program has the potential to address the needs of learners at all ages. Some older readers need phonics too, and you’ve provided instruction in sounds and letters in a manner that does not insult. I also appreciate that you provide voice recordings for sounds online. Teachers need to know how say sounds accurately (many of them don’t) so their students can do the same.

We're arranging to provide video material with 'saying the sounds' in a general American way!

[debbie]

We love the program and I'm referring others to it every opportunity I get. It is so concise and clearly laid out. In order to help my daughter I did a lot of searching around and there is nothing else like Phonics International; it's truly brilliant. Thank you for all your hard work and dedication to this cause; it is making a positive and great difference in our lives.

I look forward to seeing the new charts. I wish Phonics International was taught in all Canadian schools -- what a difference it would make.

Canadian parent

Remember - please see the 'USA/Canada' button top left on the PI homepage for the new Alphabetic Code Overview Chart www.phonicsinternational.com

[debbie]

Just to let you know I have been using pure Phonics International for the last half term with a mixed group of years 7-9 secondary school and they are LOVING it! Progress is fabulous, and 3 students who my SENCO reliably informed me would never learn to read....................are reading, spelling and writing and coming to EVERY session!

The only thing that could make it better would be a few comprehension activites? I have written some myself based on the 'I can read' strand, especially asking about inference (e.g. why do you think that Dad packed a tent? What do you think they will use the pan for?). What do you think?

Best wishes and thank you: recommending it to everyone now!

This secondary school teacher has tried a number of good phonics programmes over a long period, but this is the first time she has focused on using, as she puts it, "pure Phonics International"!

Her feedback re comprehension questions for Units 1 to 6 is perfectly valid and it has been my intention to provide written comprehension questions for these earlier units.

There are written comprehension questions for Units 7 to 12 which can be used directly by the students for oral and written responses.

Suffice it to say, that I will produce and publish written questions for these earlier units - indeed, this teacher has agreed to send me any she devises and finds successful - in other words, they will already have been trialled with real students!!!

Further:

I have recommend PI to a school in special measures that I am doing work with. They are having trouble persuading SLT at the school to move to PI as __________ is what the borough recommend and everyone is too scared to to deviate from that due to SM [Special Measures]!

Two key teaching staff came in today to watch me teach PI and really liked it (although I made it clear that I am NOT the world's best SP teacher). Do you mind if I let them have some exemplar material from PI? They are having real trouble getting the school to pay for it, but it was clear to them the advantages of PI over _________. If they use it and it gets credit from OFSTED would that be useful to you? Or do you already have OFSTED feedback?

I think a video of it being taught might be good on the website as well, just because you need a bit of imagination to see how the materials could be lively in a lesson. What do you think?

I would really welcome any video clips, photographs and scans of students' work to add to our PI website.

In the UK, it is really a difficult process to gain parents' permission for publishing photos and video. We also need to see video clips of every scenario to share with others with similar contexts.

Please do share your experiences!

[debbie]

This is the most recent news from the teacher above. She is certainly finding that student after student who have been described as unteachable were teachable all along. How many other students have been written off where the method of teaching reading in the infant and primary schools did not teach them to read first time round? How many more students could we teach to read in secondary schools with the right kind of teaching as intervention?

Hi Debbie,

I have just done /ng/ and /nk/ and one of my students, written off as never able to read, told by 2 teachers at primary school that he was lazy, turned to me and said

'I have got a word that has got /ng/ and /nk/ in.

Thinking.'

I very nearly cried with delight.

My group all BEG to read to me nowadays. 100% attendance: in fact if it is break beforehand they turn up early.

This is what teaching should be about!

Please note the comments on attendance which is not an issue once such students as this can see for themselves that they are truly learning and that the programme really does work.

[debbie]

Izabella has kindly provided a description of her findings for the message forum. She has contacted me a number of times with feedback and to tell me how she is telling others her positive views about the PI programme.

I have a 10 year old child who has greatly benefited from Phonics International. The explicit teaching of synthetic phonics with a focus on The Alphabetic Code is a wonderful program that has engaged her in the study of phonics in an exciting and fun way. As a parent I find the program to be effective, easy to use, and inexpensive. The flow of the 12 units is straight forward building up usable and active knowledge as the learning progresses. The brilliance of Phonics International has allowed my child to successfully apply the phoneme/grapheme knowledge of a studied unit to words not covered in that unit. Once a unit is studied she can apply that knowledge to any word where its phoneme/grapheme corresponds to that unit. This access to phoneme/grapheme knowledge of The Alphabetic Code has greatly enhanced her reading and spelling literacy without the need for rote memorization. It is clear that much consideration and work has gone into the development of Phonics International and I give great praise and thanks.

Izabella Roam,
Vancouver, Canada.

Thank you for this, Izabella!

[debbie]

Your spelling teaching instructions have been a revelation – instead of spelling being an additional chore, it reinforces the GPCs needed for reading and the kids love it. I’ve been doing some spelling with the 12 yo boy I’ve started to tutor and despite all his diagnosed LDs, he understood the technique straight away and remembers it from week to week.

Australian Tutor

Debbie's quick reminder:

The core SOUNDS BOOK ACTIVITY SHEETS include all the core alphabetic code knowledge and the key skills and sub-skills required (plus code knowledge guidance for the 'teacher'):

They include:

*the new (or revised) letter/s-sound correspondence

*words of different lengths to sound out and blend

*handwriting practice of the focus grapheme (particularly in earlier units)

*phonemic awareness and mnemonic drawing activity

*spelling with editing routine

Alternate use of the SBAS with 'another' activity at word, sentence or text level plus an extension activity as appropriate for stage of learning and ability.

[debbie]

PS: Re the request for comprehension questions for the I CAN READ texts for units 1 to 6 - these have now been written and they are available to download in the various units.

[debbie]

http://www.phonicsinternational.com/Sec ... ite_up.pdf

This report describes the use of Phonics International as an intervention in a secondary school.

The link can be found on the PI homepage down the centre column.