New UCL Institute of Education research on the role of phonics in the teaching of reading has generated many excited headlines saying the narrow focus on phonics in UK schools is 'failing children'. But I would caution that phonics has its place and we must be careful not to throw the phonics baby out with the bath water.
The research sheds new light on a long-politicised issue which pits a focus on children systematically memorising phonetical sounds and using these to decode words, against gentler and more nuanced 'whole reading' approaches such as learning and comprehending individual words and their meaning in context; supporting children’s enjoyment of reading; and shared reading experiences with adults.
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