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THE
PHONICS INSTITUTE
Definition of Reading
To read aloud, we convert written
words into spoken words. We can
call this word recognition. Usually we read to understand, but the
ability to sound out the written word may be taught as a skill.
In his 1955 book Why Johnny Can’t Read, Rudolph Flesch wrote
that this conversion to sound this word recognition is reading.
He relegated the understanding of words to a penumbral status in
the concept “reading with understanding.”
Precise comprehension flows from the ability to “speak the written word”
word for word. This is why word
recognition habits are the backbone of reading.
To develop backbones so strong reading becomes easy and fun, phonics
should be the all-pervading basis of teaching to read. Through phonics, we learn the names and sounds of letter; how
letter sounds may vary from word to word; the sound of special letter blends;
the ability to blend successive letter sounds, one after another; the ability to
break words into syllables; and the habit of consistently applying these
principals to the sounding out of unfamiliar words. When we have the phonics habit, we become justifiably
confident in our ability to read well.
Phonics discourages guessing at words. In
contrast, guessing using incomplete visual cues and context, and memorizing
words without understanding the “sound values” of all the letters, are
encouraged as “reading strategies” in most American classrooms, resulting in
bad habits and poor readers. Our
nation is drowning in a rising tide of illiteracy and semi literacy because
these bad habits inhibit understanding and make reading difficult.
Pervasive phonics, on the other hand, works fine with learning
vocabulary, grammar, style, semantics, syntax, and the rest to foster
understanding.
Our modern definition of reading, “deriving meaning from print,” lumping
word recognition and understanding together without analytical differentiation,
obfuscates analysis of the methodology of teaching reading.
Proper habit development is key. Let’s
end the world of woe for the chronic guesser.
Let’s return en masse to Dr. Flesch’s definition of reading.
If we do, tremendous powers could blossom in the focus the redefinition
would bring.
Through THE
PHONICS INSTITUTE its director intends to promote the phonics habit, and
discourage guessing and memorization unassisted by phonics in teaching reading.
Financial support, though not tax-deductible by those paying income
taxes, is needed and thankfully welcomed.
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