[NLA] Phoneme Awareness is the Key

Thu May 23 21:06:03 EDT 2002

Well spoken, Daphne.

Are there any policies about NOT doing product placement / advertising on 
the NLA listserv? We've seen this one before.

Gina

>From: "Daphne Greenberg" <alcdgg at langate.gsu.edu>
>Reply-To: nla at lists.literacytent.org
>To: <nla at lists.literacytent.org>
>Subject: Re: [NLA] Phoneme Awareness is the Key
>Date: Thu, 23 May 2002 19:44:31 -0400
>
>Although it is important to prevent reading difficulties in the early 
>grades, I disagree with your statement that: "there is a window for 
>"getting it."  There is imprinting going on." Do you know of research to 
>back this statement up?
>What I understand from the research is that children who are behind, fall 
>further behind because they are in classes where the assumption is that 
>everyone has a certain skill level. Therefore, children who do not have 
>that skill level, cannot benefit from the instruction that is taking place, 
>at least not as well as the others who are at that skill level. Then, what 
>you have is a dominoe effect, where children start falling behind in all 
>kinds of areas-if you can't read at grade level, you will not pick up the 
>vocabulary for that grade level, you will have difficulty learning science 
>and social studies content, because you can't read the books, and you will 
>have difficulty in math with word problems that you cannot read.
>In terms of a critical time period for obtaining phonemic awareness, 
>researchers such as Morais and colleagues have shown that there is no 
>critical time period, that adults who have never been schooled can pick up 
>phonemic awareness with training.
>If there is a critical time period, then we would be wasting our time with 
>adult learners. As many can tell you, this is not the case. It may take 
>longer for adults to learn some of the basic skills because they have to 
>unlearn some compensatory habits, but this does not mean that they cannot 
>learn.
>Daphne
>
> >>> tzurinskas at yahoo.com 05/23/02 15:56 PM >>>
>Thanks Andrea for the gem below.
>
>I attended the Workshop on Adolescent Literacy May 20
>in Baltimore.  It was stated there that 60% of the 9th
>graders in Baltimore are testing at 5th grade level in
>reading.  This is happening across the country, and
>from the data below it appears that these kids will
>never "get it" as well as they could have if they got
>reading help in grades 1 through 3.  We now know that
>teachers can't put off reading remediation until later
>grades.  There is a window for "getting it."  There is
>imprinting going on.  If no child is to be left
>behind, our 1st to 3rd grade teachers are crucial.  I
>congratulate our President and First Lady on their
>initiative.
>
>Data show that there is one criterion that best
>predicts reading success in later grades, phonemic
>awareness (Stanovich, 1993-94).   English spelling
>inhibits phonemic awareness.  In fact, countries with
>irregular spelling (such as English) have twice the
>number dyslexics as countries with regular spelling
>(such as Italian) (Paulescu 2001).  Paulescu says that
>spelling "causes dyslexia" and that simplifying
>spelling would help relieve it.  This may not be
>possible, but what is possible is simplifying phonetic
>spelling to achieve the phonemic awareness that is so
>important.
>
>If I were to ask those in attendance at the workshop
>to spell phonetically the sounds of "ah", "eye", 'awe"
>I doubt many could do it.  These are special symbols
>in our dictionaries that can't be typed (unless
>special software is installed).   Most of us using
>pronunciation guides generally trace these symbols to
>keywords to say them.  How are we to achieve phonemic
>awareness, which is the primary key to reading, when
>we can't spell our phonemes, crippled by such outdated
>guides that are not keyboard friendly and not even
>internationally standardized?
>
>On the table before the Adolescent Literacy Workshop
>was left a free CD that can serve as a phonemic
>awareness assessment tool.  It uses truespel
>"pronunciation guide" spelling.  The phonemes in the
>60k truespel dictionary are written in a regular
>letters compatible with USA English accent.  The CD
>tests how well participants can link phonetic spelling
>to the sounds the hear using this simple phonetic
>spelling.  Nonsense words are used in training and
>testing for accent and language independence.  Copies
>of this CD can be obtained from truespel.com or
>truespel at hotmail.com.  Researches are encouraged.
>
>The aim of truespel, the world's only "pronunciation
>guide spelling" is to replace dictionary pronunciation
>guides which consists or special symbols.  Truespel
>conversion is free to all at
>http://www.foreignword.com/dictionary/truespel/transpel.htm.
>  It can be used to show USA accent for English.  As a
>future application it can serve for youngsters as
>their initial spelling system.  When they associate
>the 40 sounds of English to 40 spellings, they can
>spell any word they can sound out, even the long ones.
>  Phoneme awareness begins here.  Dictionaries will
>have the pronunciation guide spelling first so that
>words can be looked up as phonetically spelled.
>Computers will return traditionally spelled words when
>phonetic ones are entered.  Other languages are being
>truespeld so that one qwerty phonetic spelling applies
>to all.
>
>We have got to not only help our kids but also save
>our kids.  Seven of 10 prisoners cannot perform basic
>reading and writing task.  Phonemic awareness is the
>key to reading.  Truespel, I believe, is a tool that
>will greatly help us get there and beyond.  .
>
>Tom Zurinskas
>Creator of truespel
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>--- AWilder106 at aol.com wrote:
> > Dear Colleagues,
> >
> > I have written a summary of Dr. Reid Lyon's talk at
> > the recent Learning and
> > the Brain Conference in Cambridge, MA.  While the
> > talk was about children's
> > learning, many apply the concepts to adult learning
> > because the basics are
> > more or less the same, as far as we know.  I hope
> > the following is clear, the
> > talk was not quite presented like this, but the
> > meaning here should be clear.
> >
> > My addition:  studies by VPurcell-Gates, Heath,
> > Taylor and Dorsey-Gaines,
> > Taylor, give nuance to Lyon's remarks.
> >
> > Lyon started with 5 questins
> >
> > 1)  How do children learn to read?
> > 2)  Why do some children have difficulty learning to
> > read?
> > 3)  How can we prevent reading difficulties?
> > 4)  How can we remediate reading difficulties?--kids
> > are often "teaching
> > disabled," we do not provide teachers with the
> > knowledge they need to teach,
> > so some hold more closely to philosophy than
> > science.
> >
> > Reading is the most visible behavior in schools;  if
> > you can't do it you feel
> > dumb, may develop classic ADHD symptoms, which are
> > really escape and
> > avoidance behaviors.
> >
> > 1)  Learn to read
> >
> > #1. Substantial ORAL LANGUAGE interactions from
> > birth onward; extensive
> > LITERACY INTERACTIONS from birth onward.  (see Hart
> > & Risley, Snow, Louisa
> > Moats for SES differences)  Moats, DC:  90% of kids
> > at  risk, majority had
> > never seen a book, teachers not trained to take up
> > the slack.  Literacy
> > interactions:  read to, letters on fridge, language
> > play, etc.  Low SES = 1/2
> > of words/hr. that higher SES children hear.
> >
> > #2.  Have developed an understanding that words are
> > spoken, can be segmented
> > into abstract sounds (phonemes)
> >
> > #3  People handle words as acoustic bundles, ex:
> > CAT is one sound;
> > acoustically, rhymes are an ordinary way kids learn
> > to break the code--BAD.
> > SAD, MAD;  CAT, HAT, MAT.  low SES kids,  probably
> > less practice.
> >
> > #4  Kids learn:  print represents the sounds of
> > speech; letters and letter
> > patterns are connected to speech sounds; learn how
> > to decode accurately and
> > rapidly; use cortex to confirm decoding,
> > pronunciation of unknown words; use
> > phonics  for unfamiliar words (do not predict
> > unfamiliar word use from
> > context; have developed background knowledge,
> > vocabulary, to connect to what
> > is read, known.
> >
> > 2)  Reading difficulty.
> >
> > #1  Kids who do not have an early start are at risk
> > for reading deficits at
> > 10 years.
> >
> > #2  Early start = knowledge of 5 principles
> >
> > Alphabetics (the use of letters in an alphabet to
> > represent spoken words)
> > made up of two parts:
> >
> > 1. phonemic awareness = knowledge of speech sounds
> > 2. word analysis = letter-sound knowledge
> >
> > 3. fluency = ability to read with speed and ease
> > (see Maryanne Wolf's work)
> > 4.  vocabulary = knowledge of word meanings
> > 5.  comprehension = understanding a text or
> > "constructing meaning"
> >
> > #3  A major reading deficiency =  slow movement from
> > visual area (back of
> > brain) to frontal cortex (organizing area) means
> > less FLUENCY  Both low SES
> > kids and dyslexic kids may have this problem. Low
> > SES kids = less practice;
> > dyslexic kids = neurological problems.  [Also,
> > Tallal's work on sound
> > segmentation and kids who have trouble hearing VERY
> > QUICK sounds is another
> > part of dyslexia.]  EG, there is a problem in
> > linking the brain areas.
> >
> > 3)  Prevention
> >
> > #1  Teachers need to directly, explicitly teach what
> > is going on with the
> > five principles.  38-40% of kids do not read when
> > whole language/literature
> > approach only is used.  (3-5% = neurological
> > problems with reading)
> >
> > #2  NB--kids from disadvantage share the same brain
> > pattern while reading as
> > do dyslexic kids.  IQ/achievement = invalid marker
> > as it will reflect BOTH
> > DISADVANTAGE AND DYSLEXIA.  Need literacy, language
> > practice from earliest
> > school years on. [AW:  Reading is a skill that can
> > be learned.]
> >
> > #3.  Select a reading program which will work for
> > most kids, then adjust it
> > to work for the other kids.
> >
> > 4)  Remediation
> >
> > #1  Educate teachers.   Teachers will use methods
> > that bring results.  Hold
> > colleges of education accountable for turning out
> > capable teachers.
> >
> > #2  Use books which are enjoyable for kids to read =
> > 95% are at their
> > instructional level.  Motivation overcomes
> > plasticity, motivation is critical.
> >
> > #3  Need aggressive peer review at state levels of
> > reading programs beore
> > investment.
> >
> > (Above is the result of work since 1985, studied k
> > and grade1 to learn risk
> > factors.   Began early intervention and prevention
> > trials.  Early assessment
> > models:  Snow, Torgeson.  NICHD has a Reading
> > Research Program, 44 sites in
> > N.America, Europe, Asia.  33 years, 39,802 children
> > and adults.  21,860 good
> > readers.  16, 942 with reading difficulties.   Have
> > tested every theory,
> > every SES, every ethnicity.  Results have to be
> > generalizable.  Measure 3x/
> > yr, find kids who do quite well, not quite well,
> > horribly.)  [AW:  for more
> > particulars, get in touch with Lyon's office at
> > 1-301-496-9849]
> >
> > NB:  The "Report from the Work of the NIFL/NCSALL
> > Reading Research Working
> > Group (Strategies For Teaching Adults To Read)"
> > draws from "Preventing
> > Reading Difficulties in Young Children for Adult
> > Learning and Literacy."
> > (Snow, Burns, Griffin, 1998).  See also "Lessons
> > from Preventing Reading
> > Difficulties in Young Children for Adult Learning
> > and Literacy, " (Snow and
> > Strucker) in "The Annual Review of Adult Learning
> > and Literacy, vol. 1,
> > NCSALL " (2000, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco)
> >
> > Andrea
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> > http://literacytent.org
>
>
>=====
>Read all about truespel at truespel.com.
>Convert text to truespel USA accent by copy/pasting it at: 
>http://www.foreignword.com/dictionary/truespel/transpel.htm
>
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