Phonics : practice, reseach and policy

'This book should be read by every teacher of reading who works in an English speaking country.

Collectively, the authors make a timely and significant contribution to our understanding of how children learn to read, and how teachers can help them learn better.

Anyone who has been frustrated by partial and biased rhetoric about teaching phonics will welcome this admirable and timely book' - Colin Harrison, Professor of Literacy Studies in Education at the University of Nottingham 'This book offers a wonderful array of perspectives on the phonics debate.

Don't just buy it - read it and discuss it! You'll be empowered and enlivened' - Helen Bromley 'A comprehensive review of the current state of phonics teaching, from a range of acknowledged experts - this book is an extremely useful contribution to the ongoing debate on the teaching of reading' - Sue Palmer, independent literacy consultant 'The book is approachable yet informed; much of its value lies in its clarity and good sense.The sane voices of the writers bring their wide range of expertise to bear on this most 'hot' of current controversies, offering opinions based on reliable and proven evidence' - Eve Bearne, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge 'Amid the current and often heated debates about the place of phonics in the teaching of reading following the Rose review (2006), this is a welcome and timely book, which will be an invaluable resource for teachers, students and lecturers who are involved in teacher education. ..there is something for all readers, whatever their particular perspective' - Journal of Early Childhood Literacy 'A fascinating debate on the nature of phonics and its place in how children learn the fundamental skills of literacy.

The book includes analysis and discussion of the most recent research findings and guidance from this country and oversees, including a discussion of the Rose Review and related curriculum guidance.

I have finally understood the difference between synthetic and analytic phonics as a result of this book! ...Whilst mainly aimed at primary school teachers this book has much to offer early years practitioners' - Early Talk Phonics: Practice, Research and Policy unravels the controversy surrounding phonics which currently characterises much of the discussion about reading standards and teaching reading.Bringing some much-needed balance to the debate - the book offers genuinely focused advice on how to make sense of the various theories and on their applications in practice, helping teachers to find the right practical solutions to suit the children in their settings. The book includes chapters on: o How children learn to read and how phonics helps o The role of early phonics teaching o Classroom approaches to phonics teaching o Involving parents and carers o Speaking and phonological awareness o Spelling links o Staff development o Responses to the Rose Review on Early Reading.

It will be essential reading for student teachers on initial training courses, and for more experienced staff in a range of school settings.