Writing Resources
A balanced approach to teaching phonics is the best method of instruction I believe that the ability to decode a word is an invaluable skill Likewise I also believe that we need to support a love for reading To do both we need to encourage a combination of approaches As educators we know that our students learn best through various ways In my experience most of the schools that I have worked in have taken this approach In order to reach all students teachers use many methods of instruction when teaching reading and phonics Teachers use the whole word approach by teaching site words reading mentor texts and modeling writing At the same time teachers are also using phonics to teach decoding and spelling skills In the late 1960s we learn that the government funded a study to analyze the different methods for teaching phonics In the text it says According to Bond and Dykstra 1967 1997 directors of the project no approach is so distinctly better in all situations and respects than the others that it should be considered the one best method and the one to be used exclusively This study was conducted to end the debate about which method of instruction was the best however there were no statistical findings to prove one was better than another With any approach you will have students who succeed and those who do not It is our job as educators to recognize when one strategy is not working for our students and differentiate the learning As we continue to look at phonics and the way we teach reading I hope that we are able to find more resources that will aid in differentiation and early interventions
