Education system

Press, 21 March 1983, Page 20

Education system

Sir,—How do we adults attack an unknown word, a word such as “prestidigitation?” Would we look for picture clues, trying to guess the word from context using the first letter or two as an extra clue? I wonder how J. McLeod and T. H. Harrison would tackle “tatterdemalion.” Do they never break a word into syllables and sound it out? Many children cannot. My daughter is very good at guessing words from context. The guessed word even begins with the same letter and usually makes sense but it is the wrong word. She does not know. She reads on down the page continually reading the troublesome word incorrectly. My older children all had the same problems until they learnt their phonetics at home as many children do. What a difference that made to their reading and spelling. It is not so difficult to learn phonetics. After all we did and use it too.—Yours, etc.,

H. SMITH. March 17, 1983.

Sir,—To teach reading solely by sounding out letters (F. O’Leary, March 14) is impossible because (a) it does not work (consider words like dough, bough, through and rough) and (b) it would kill any child’s desire to read. I disagree also with the contention that children read only the pictures; in my experience five and six-year-olds do read the words. As for guessing, why should children not do it?

Even F. O’Leary does, as in the misuse of the term “phonetic spelling.” Our children do not need new methods, but a chance to make better use of existing ones. A class of up to 40 five, six or seven-year-olds, with their varying needs and abilities, is not an ideal environment for learning to read. Children simply need smaller classes at school and help and encouragement at home.—Yours, etc., M. SANDERSON. March 16, 1983.

Sir,—ln response to J. McLeod and T. H. Harrison I wish to state that phonetic spelling is not a new, untried system such as “Janet and John.” It was the only system used in New Zealand until 1936. All older people can spell. The disaster I pm referring to is the thousands of New Zealanders who are at present taking adult remedial reading classes, through no fault of their own. But I am pleased to find that people are willing to defend the present system because it is only by discussion that its inadequacies will become apparent. T. H. Harrison says: “How mixed up would our children be if we attempted all reading by sounds of letters.” This is a revelation to me because it means that picture reading, or picture guessing, is more entrenched than I thought it was. The “look and guess” method has produced more mixed up readers than phonetic spelling ever has, and it is going to carry on doing so until we do something about it.—Yours, etc.,

F. O’LEARY. March 17, 1983.