The Conversation September 25, 2024 Elaine Reese
Children’s literacy rates are falling around the globe. In response, a number of governments, including New Zealand’s, are overhauling the way reading is taught in primary school.
One key change is a renewed focus on phonics (mapping sounds to letters).
But an overemphasis on phonics could dampen children’s motivation to read for enjoyment and understanding…For children to become successful readers, we need to enrich the soil by instilling a love of stories and books in the first five years of life and beyond — long after the phonics work is finished.
Read here
