Frequently Asked Questions
FAQS
Phonics simply teaches how the English alphabetic code is truly phonic: that it is based on the sounds of our speech. In our language we have 44 sounds and approximately 175 ways to represent those sounds. Old School Phonics teaches phonics in a systematic and strategic way beginning with what the learner already knows. We isolate a starting point and begin to build from there in manageable chunks so that the learner never feels overwhelmed or out of their depth. An important part of learning with Old School Phonics is the provision of scaffolded support to assist the learner on their journey and have them experience success.
This support will come in many forms:
- the way errors are corrected to aid learning.
- the physical gestures used to draw the learner’s focus.
- the decodable texts provided.
- the variety of lessons and games that are meaningful, relevant and multisensory.
- the follow-up, at-home, practice activities supplied each week.
- the familiar lessons and activities that free up cognitive space enabling the learner to focus on the lesson content.
- the explicit teaching and unambiguous language used throughout.
Basically, we teach three concepts and four skills. The concepts that:
- Sounds can be represented by 1-4 letters.
- A sound can be spelt more than one way.
- The same spelling can represent more than one sound.
While teaching these concepts I help develop the skills of:
- Segmenting sounds.
- Blending sounds.
- Manipulating phonemes and
- Using strategies for encoding and decoding multi-syllable words.
1. Number one, your instincts will tell you something is not right. Other indicators may include the following:
2. Guessing at words rather than reading what’s in the text.
3. Calling themselves ‘dumb’ or ‘stupid’.
4. School refusal.
5. Confusing or reversing letters eg: b/d.
6. Tears and outbursts.
7. The old, “I forgot my reader”, excuse.
8. Struggling to sound out words and/or string sounds together.
9. Knowing a word on one page but not on the next.
10. Escalating poor behaviour at school.
11. A general disinterest and resistance to reading.
12. Substituting similar looking words such as house for horse.
13. Ignoring punctuation.
14. Losing their place on the page, skipping words or lines.
15. Inserting extra sounds into a word or leaving sounds out.
16. Making up the story based on illustrations or context.
17. Substituting words with similar meanings such as ‘said’ for ‘shouted’.
18. Not understanding what the text is about.
19. And here’s a big one!!! Has been a capable reader up until now (generally around Year 3) but is no longer progressing.
20. And lastly, see number 1.
Old School Phonics strongly encourages parents and carers to attend and observe all sessions. Here you will gain a greater understanding of the skills and concepts being taught and be one gazillion percent better placed to help your child at home.
After an initial assessment we would be better placed to answer this very individualised question but of course there are many contributing factors. Does the learner have a specific learning disorder? How far behind are they compared to their peers? All learners have different needs and learn at different rates, some need only a few exposures before information lands in long term memory and others need many and repeated exposures. For many learners there are often bad habits that need to be unlearnt. We would recommend one school term (10 weeks) before deciding whether to continue or discontinue with the program, however we do offer an escape clause after the initial four weeks if you happen to decide that Old School Phonics is not a good fit for you or your learner. In reality, reading is a complex, multi-dimensional and multi-faceted skill that takes time to develop. The main question to consider is, will the learner continue to advance without regular, Old School Phonics instruction? Reading independence is our goal.
Yes, there is separate and specific home practice for every individual learner. It means a commitment of ten minutes each night. Home practice tasks are relevant to what is taught during tuition time and help new information move from short-term into long-term memory.
Some learners will have their tuition times scheduled during school hours. Old School Phonics is careful to protect the relationship between the learner and their school.
Every learner is entitled to one catch-up session (remote available) during the current school term or following school holidays if they have missed a scheduled time and given prior notice.
Want to know more?
If you have any questions or would like to discuss your learning goals, please get in touch today.