This is the quotation taken from one of Lucy's respondents. Teaching in Milton Keynes for instance – how do I use phonics to teach children the different ways to decode the places Woughton, Broughton, and Loughton – (That’s Wuffton, Brorton, and Lout-on to anyone from outside the area) – or how do w...

Part of the programme 'Material World' on Radio 4 this afternoon at 16.30 talks about IQ.

Just a quick rejoinder on this.
Lucy emailed me to say that she is NOT anti-phonics at all and she tells me that she did NOT take down my subsequent comments because she disagreed. She simply doesn't want her blog to become the site of a dogfight. I think that's fair and I sympathise.

Hear, hear, Lesley!

Thanks to Geraldine for publicising the blog posting and to Jim for your generosity. I wrote it as part of what I see as a team effort - I have Susan Godsland, Debbie Hepplewhite and Maizie (for her sterling work on MumsNet) in mind here - in countering the growing challenge to phonics instruction. ...

With thanks to Ken, Elsie and Toots. I thought I'd get back to you in the spirit of wrapping up what I (at least) have to say on this thread - not, I hasten to add, with any inclination toward last-wordism I haven't replied before because you sent me back to the books to re-read McGuinness and, funn...

processing language or driving aren't 'perceptions' they are skills I didn't say they are perceptions. As you say, it's the perception that becomes implicit. The thing is Elsie that McGuinness's setting out of the research, followed by her analysis and her examination of each point cannot be summar...

Well, it really doesn't matter what you think , Toots, or what Diane thinks either. In the two books I've mentioned, as well as Growing a Reader from Birth , Diane presents the evidence and she also deals with your questions as well as many others. But, I could be at this forever more and I don't pr...

Elsie said: I got the impression that Diane McGuinness had spelled out how infants' phoneme analysis works and why it's different to phonemic awareness that has to be taught to novice readers. And that's why John was suggesting I read the books. Are you saying she doesn't actually spell it out in an...

Elsie said: I think what this shows is that we need to define what we mean by 'awareness' and be careful how we use the term. She is extremely careful how she uses the term and furthermore goes on to define exactly what she means in enormous detail in her companion book Language Development and Lear...

Elsie said I was hoping you'd explain it, John, since I don't have a copy, the text isn't available through Google books and Amazon leaves me in suspense after p 23. Sorry, Elsie, I simply don't have time to summarise the kind of detailed and careful analysis that Diane presents. You'll have to get ...

Wouldn't dispute extraction of words bit, but what does she mean about phoneme analysis becoming operational?

If you read the chapter, she explains exactly what she means.

And her evidence for arriving at her conclusions is? ''children’s awareness of speech sounds develop from the prosody of the language then to words then to syllables then to phonemes''. This view has gained currency from Liberman's claim that, in regard to the development of phonological awareness, ...

After so many mind numbingly tedious posts, your response to the Paton article is terrific, Debbie! I hope it gains wide circulation.

I know this is only anecdotal but I have trained in excess of 3000 teachers in linguistic phonics You hide your light under a bushel, Derrie. Actually, from all the guided assignments that all Sounds-Write trained practitioners have to do before pass the course and get a certificate, we know very w...