Phonics International

[debbie]

http://publications.education.gov.uk/eOrderingDownload/CM-7980.pdf

This White Paper makes very interesting reading - and much is certainly changing in the English schools' context.

Oxford University Press have published a very handy summary of the White Paper which some people might find very useful:

http://fds.oup.com/www.oup.com/pdf/oxed/primary/The_Importance_of_Teaching_Digest.pdf

I have called upon several paragraphs within the White Paper for the homepage of my new training website at www.syntheticphonicstraining.com .

The government has made it very clear that it backs systematic, synthetic phonics teaching - with no fear of using the word 'synthetic' whatsoever. The need for synthetic phonics teacher-training has also been highlighted - for in-service training in schools and for student-teachers in universities.

I am very pleased to say that I have now provided training for the London Metropolitan University and the University of Cumbria (the Carlisle and the Lancaster campuses). Lecturers at some of our universities seem to be reluctant to provide thorough training in the synthetic phonics teaching principles as they are not in support of the method. (I suspect it is lack of experience of ever teaching using the SP principles and a lifetime of promoting mixed methods or other methods to teach reading!)

The University of Cumbria has now purchased the multi-user licence for Phonics International to support the training of their students.

As I designed Phonics International to be a training-whilst-you-use it programme, I am so pleased that staff at the University of Cumbria have recognised the potential of Phonics International for student training purposes.
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Debbie Hepplewhite