How linguistically‐informed are phonics programmes?

Successive UK government policies have strengthened the phonics element of the National Curriculum for English in England. The policies have included inviting publishers to submit completed self‐assessments of their systematic phonics programmes. The self‐assessment criteria focus on what is deemed to be ‘high‐quality provision’, as defined in the Independent Review of the Teaching of Early Reading chaired by Jim Rose. The programmes whose self‐assessments were judged to be accurate by small panels of independent evaluators have been subsequently listed on a central government website. The authors have acted as independent evaluators in this process and, between them, had the opportunity to inspect the content of over 100 phonics programmes. They have noted that many of these programmes (most of which did not meet the Rose criteria) contained numerous linguistic inaccuracies, particularly in relation to the English spelling system and its grapheme‐phoneme correspondences. The existence, number and range of these errors jeopardise policy implementation and National Curriculum delivery and pose risks for the quality of teaching and learning. The article suggests some reasons for these findings in related published debates and in policy documents, and that phonics programmes need to be more linguistically‐informed. The article concludes with some implications for practice.     

Is systematic synthetic phonics enough? Examining the benefit of intensive teaching of high frequency words (HFW) in a year one class

A comparative analysis of systematic synthetic phonics (SSP) and the intensive teaching of high frequency words (HFW) revealed the latter had greater impact on pupils’ reading attainment and fluency. Data were collected using multiple methods, including miscue analysis, Salford Reading Test, a phoneme skills test and HFW audits.     

探索教学心理规律开展心理素质教育研究

教学心理学是一门正在形成中的新兴学科。跟踪学科研究前沿,注重理论创新是构建教学心理学学科体系的客观要求;探索教学心理规律,进行课堂教学心理的实验研究,促进了教学心理学学科理论的发展;开展心理素质教育的理论与实践研究,把心理学理论研究与素质教育的实践探索紧密结合起来,拓展了教学心理学的研究范畴,增强了教学心理学的应用价值。     

The assessment has become the curriculum: Teachers’ views on the Phonics Screening Check in England

The Phonics Screening Check (PSC) was introduced in England in 2012 for Year 1 children (aged 5 and 6). There have been criticisms of the check in relation to its reliability and appropriateness as an assessment for early reading, although advocates of the check see it as a valuable tool in securing progress in early reading. This mixed methods study sought to evaluate the intended and possible unintended consequences of the PSC, foregrounding the voices of children and their teachers. This article reports on findings from the teachers’ data. The study focused initially on questionnaire data from 14 schools (59 teachers) selected for their diversity in relation to attainment data (PSC and reading) and socio-economic status. Focus groups in seven of the schools (25 teachers) enabled a more in-depth exploration of teachers’ views and practices in relation to the PSC. The study identified the ‘negative backwash’ of assessment. The PSC was seen as an end in itself, rather than a way of securing progress in one of the skills of reading. It found that, the assessment had become the curriculum, to the detriment of specific groups of learners (higher-attaining readers and children with English as an Additional Language). Teachers were found to use the assessment processes of the PSC as objectives for teaching rather than using them as the tools of assessment.     

Benefits of computer‐assisted instruction for struggling readers in middle school

This study investigated the benefits of computer‐assisted instruction (CAI) for middle‐school students attending remedial reading classes. As a supplement to a strong language‐based reading curriculum, a CAI programme that works on strengthening phonics word identification skills was provided to students in the treatment group. These students were compared with control students taught by the same teacher but without CAI support. Students in the treatment group showed greater reading gains than control students. Group differences in gain scores were significant in the area of decoding skills. These results show that a skills‐based CAI programme can boost decoding for struggling readers in middle school.     

Advanced Phonics: Teaching Strategies for Poor Readers at Key Stage 2

Poor readers at Key Stage 2 need ongoing support for their reading development. They are frequently weak in the metacognitive skills that enable good readers to make their own progress and they require a repetition of much phonics material from Key Stage 1. Beyond that, they have a need for the further complexities of English to be taught to them as phonics, not as spelling strategies/investigations. Additionally, they have difficulty in tackling polysyllabic words and must be taught appropriate decoding strategies. There is a dearth of teaching materials in this area and little research evidence as to how such material might best be taught. This paper charts the development of a phonics booster programme for poor readers in Year 5.     

英语教学中阅读技能的培养

在英语教学中，学生阅读能力的提高是一个关键的问题，而速度、理解和词汇是阅读技能的三个基本要素。抓住这三个要素进行训练，对于提高学生的阅读能力有着非常重要的作用。教师在教学中，使这三种基本要素联系得越紧密，教学的综合效果就越好。     

第二语言平衡式阅读教学的实证研究

平衡式阅读教学是一种教学理念。需要教师通过不同的策略和方法去实践,通过实证研究证明平衡式阅读教学这种理念下的课堂教学是可以提高学生的拼读、朗读能力和英语整体水平。     

英语词汇附带习得的影响因素及其研究

词汇学习在任何语言学习中都至关重要,英语学习也不例外。许多研究者对词汇附带习得都有深入的研究,特别是近几年,对其进行的实证研究越来越多,而研究的基础则是影响词汇附带习得的主要因素。文章从国内外对词汇附带习得的研究回顾、影响词汇附带习得的因素等方面进行探讨。     

英语词汇教学浅议

学生在学习英语词汇时,常抱怨记不住单词,或看上去会了的单词却仍有读错、拼错、写错或者用错的现象。本文根据心理学的研究成果,提出了教师在教学过程中解决这些问题的方法。     

曾国藩的藏书思想与读书之道

曾国藩作为晚清时期声名显赫的中兴名臣,被尊奉为"立德、立功、立言"的三立完人,其学问造诣之深,古今罕见。他终生以书为伴,并形成一整套藏书思想和读书之道,其内容为现代人们的图书收藏与阅读提供了借鉴。     

词汇潜能开发与阅读能力的培养

长期以来,人们总以为阅读能力取决于词汇量,其实这种提法不够准确。词汇量与阅读能力是否成正比,取决于词汇的积累过程,单纯地背单词难于相应提高阅读能力,只有通过阅读才能使词汇量与阅读能力协调发展。在阅读过程中进行词汇潜能训练,可以使学生在现有的词汇量基础上,能动地运用自己已有知识、经验和认知策略,最大限度地发挥自己的阅读能力。     

Perspectives on educational psychology

As a background, the views are presented of Jean Jacques Rousseau, Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, Friedrich Froebel, and Johann Friedrich Herbart, who had a five-step proposal for teaching. I then review briefly the new psychology of G. Stanley Hall and William James, followed by trends in psychology and education in the early twentieth century. The influences of psychoanalysis and Gestalt psychology are addressed, as well as the development of educational psychology textbooks and the growth of instructional psychology.