Full word reading works fine for a subset of kids, but it leaves a sizeable amount behind. Phonics is fundamental for teaching those kids how to read.
This is how the podcast explains what reading research has found about how people learn to read:
- First learn to associate letters with sounds
- By sounding out words, reinforce those associations
- And associate combinations of letters with known words from their spoken language
Our brains aren't wired for written language like they are for spoken language. We have to actively learn. And by associating letters with sounds, our brains are able to loop in the existing language areas of the brain into written language.
This is how the podcast explains what reading research has found about how people learn to read:
- First learn to associate letters with sounds
- By sounding out words, reinforce those associations
- And associate combinations of letters with known words from their spoken language
Our brains aren't wired for written language like they are for spoken language. We have to actively learn. And by associating letters with sounds, our brains are able to loop in the existing language areas of the brain into written language.