Phonics is an Essential Part of the Diet of Teaching Reading

I recently came across an article that claimed ‘Phonics is not a panacea for all struggling readers’. This opinion piece, originally published in The Atlantic Journal-Constitution and then reposted on the Reading Recovery website, is a strange concoction of arguments. The authors seem to be arguing against phonics instruction while simultaneously claiming that phonics plays an important role in learning to read. The evidence that they draw on leaves readers completing bizarre mental gymnastics to try and discern the logic.

The authors open with discussion about recent funds in Georgia and New York that are being allocated so that teachers can better support students with dyslexia. There is an acknowledgement that dyslexia potentially affects 20% of students. This is a decent opening before it launches us to an uneven parallel.

Apparently, the real issue we should be focusing on to address reading is not what happens in our classrooms. Rather we should instead be concerned with the nutrition of our students. There seems to be an argument that we cannot teach children to read because they are hungry. Or maybe it is suggesting that we can only be concerned about one thing at a time. Either way this is an attempt to place blame for poor reading rates at the feet of families. The cry that families of dyslexic students hear all too often to “just read more” has been altered to “just feed more”.

I have taught in a school where we have provided school meals. Too often students turned up to breakfast having not eaten since the lunch we had provided the day before. I am acutely aware of how hunger impacts on learning. To suggest that teachers are trying to meet the nutritional needs of students by teaching them how to read is absurd and demeaning. Teachers pride themselves on meeting the needs of our students. Teachers also recognise what is within our control. Whether a child receives the full nourishment that they need at home is simply not within the direct influence of schools.

Claiming that hunger prevents teachers from delivering meaningful instruction underestimates the abilities of our educators. Teachers are amazing at meeting and understanding the needs of our students, within the scope of our training. While nobody wants a child to be hungry, we can still teach them when they are.

Continuing to shift blame, the idea that proficient readers tend to read more than weaker readers is explored. This tendency causes the gap between them to continue to expand- sometimes referred to as the Matthew Effect. The cause of this gap is apparently to do with ‘reading habits’. This seems peculiar because I would have assumed that a fair chunk of this difference actually is to do with whether the child has the skills required to read. Someone who doesn’t know how to read is not likely to want to read! We need to ensure that we incorporate systematic phonics into our teaching of reading so that all students know how to read.

Phonics is again questioned as the Orton-Gillingham program is considered. The fact that this program is not included in What Works Clearinghouse seems to be enough evidence for it to be ineffective. I will remind you that this article was republished on Reading Recoveries website and if you have missed the irony then please read this policy paper or this article.

Having besmirched phonics, the ability of professionals to accurately diagnose dyslexia is called into question. Apparently, our children are being misdiagnosed and this has led to too much phonics. This completely ignores the fact that the instruction that best meets the needs of dyslexic students is the same instruction that best meets the needs of ALL our students.

After criticising phonics, the importance of phonics is finally asserted. It turns out that the criticism has only been about ONLY teaching phonics. Which would be fine if such a school existed. Such a place does not exist. This article seems positioned to perpetuate this myths and further deepen a dichotomy that is not helpful.

Phonics is not a panacea, but it is essential. It would not be enough to just eat iron, but it is an absolutely necessary part of our diet. Many people get enough iron in their regular diet. Some people need to take iron supplements. Some people learn to read without phonics instruction, but far too many do not. Enhancing reading instruction with phonics is vital for our children, with no side-effects.
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The Science of Reading does not support solely teaching phonics. Rather than pretending that phonics is an issue, we need to focus on how phonics instruction can support more of our children to become proficient readers. Our children, and their families, deserve to be taught how to read. 

Photo by Anna Pelzer on Unsplash