Phonics

Description

A re-drafting of the government's literary strategy in 2007 is expected to order primary schools to adopt a system of "synthetic phonics" to teach children to read.

Under the system, sounds associated with letters or groups of letters must be learned before they can be combined into words.

But many teachers have condemned the move, claiming that this method makes the process boring and onerous, and that it replaces the use of "real books" with dull phonic-specific publications.

Presenter Sheena McDonald is joined in this programme by experts and teachers, including:

• Dr Dominic Wyse, lecturer in early years and primary education, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge
• Debbie Hepplewhite, primary teacher and a leading member of the Reading Reform Foundation
• Katy Kowalska, early years teacher in Cambridgeshire
• Ruth Miskin, phonics advocate and former primary head

Read a review of this video on the Teacher Training Resource Bank site.

Part of the series: Talking Point