Page 9 - ELG2402 Feb Issue 488

NEWS

evidence in support of his argument seen repeated by many other Five four-year-old US pre- use of two-dimensional cartoon
undermining confidence in SP. researchers, teachers and other school students took part in the models and the use of masks
Another score which has been experts across the literature and study, having two 10-minute during the COVID pandemic.
taken to support the impact of seems set to continue. It may be sessions per day, five days per
SP is the International Reading relevant here to note the different week for 36 days. Phonemes were
Literacy Study (PIRLS) which academic backgrounds of the initially modelled by the instructor. REFERENCES
tests reading comprehension: protagonists in the cited articles. As Students were then asked ‘what n Bowers, J. S. (2020) Reconsidering
England moved up from eighth a neuroscientist, Bowers’ research sound?’ when presented with the evidence that systematic phonics
position in 2016 to fourth in investigates how word knowledge cards showing various graphemes is more effective than alternative
2021, leading one education is learned and coded in the brain and accuracy was recorded by methods of reading instruction,
commentator to write: while Brooks was an experienced an observer without immediate Educational Psychology Review 32:
‘The UK Government made teacher who moved into education feedback. 681-705
the Year One Phonics Screening research, principally focussing on Assessments were carried out
Check mandatory in English the use of phonics. Experienced under three conditions, one Bowers, J. S. (2023) There is still
schools in 2012. There is good researchers in any field tend to where the student could see the little or no evidence that systematic
evidence suggesting that the have favoured angles, but perhaps instructor’s mouth and gestures, phonics is more effective than
Phonics Screening Check played the view from neuroscience has less one where the instructor’s common alternative methods of
a significant role in England’s invested, hence Bowers remarking: mouth was hidden behind a reading instruction: Response to
improved performance in the ‘The “reading wars” that pitted mask and they could not see the Brooks (2023), Review of Education,
most recent PIRLS assessment.’ systematic phonics against whole instructor’s gestures, and also a DOI: 10.1002/rev3.3432
However, Bowers points out language is best characterized as a control condition to gauge overall
that the biggest increase in PIRLS draw.’ improvements. Brooks, G (2023) Disputing recent
scores occurred between 2006 and Analysis of the results showed attempts to reject the evidence
2011, before the use of the PSC; in Phonics: seeing is believing that while students generally in favour of systematic phonics
fact, the 2021 score is only slightly When teaching pre-schoolers made good progress in acquiring instruction, Review of Education
improved on 2001. Furthermore, phonics, being able to see visual grapheme-phoneme associations DOI: 10.1002/rev3.3408
England is consistently outranked cues such as the speaker’s gestures in both conditions, their
by countries that are not required and mouth movements improves acquisition improved nearly Novelli, C., Ardoin, S. P. & Rodgers,
to use SP and do not have a PSC, learning grapheme-phoneme twice as much when they were D. B. (2023) Seeing the mouth: the
such as Singapore, Ireland and correspondence, according to able to see the instructor’s mouth importance of articulatory gestures
Northern Ireland. a study by Novelli, Ardoin and and gestures; something to during phonics training, Reading and
The debate between Professors Rodgers from the Universities of consider given the increasing use Writing, doi.org/10.1007/s11145-
Bowers and Brooks can be Georgia and Iowa, USA. of computer-assisted learning, 023-10487-3

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