You tube - a really good synthetic phonics lesson???

[JAC]

We've got a new teacher at my school who is teaching reading for the first time to beginners- previously she was with younger children in Steiner, so not much experience there and even less in her initial training. She is very keen to learn, but people can only take in so much at once. A new teacher in a class has a huge amount to do and learn. The teacher has a class of complete novices to children who are excellent readers (Y1/2 but take it that we are a year behind UK for beginning instruction - pre-primary only became compulsory this year - and it is more like a YR/1)

It occurred to me that there may be you tube videos of a teacher taking a group of children which would give the teacher an idea of how to run a lesson, and might be more useful to help her focus her questions and discussion. I've watched a few, one RWI was not too bad. But I thought someone here might know of something without my having to trawl through a lot of dross!

[Susan Godsland]

I haven't watched the following yet but it does sound as though it might be suitable:

Video excerpts from phase 3 phonics session.
http://www.cleo.net.uk/resources/displa ... %2Fwl.html

[JAC]

Thanks Susan, it's not too bad and has good supporting information. I hope the Aussie teacher can follow the Lancashire accent!

[Debbie Hepplewhite]

Very heartwarming at face value - but full of practice which I would consider to be very flawed.

Before I give a list of what I suggest could be better still, or different, I'll see if anyone else is interested in watching the video with a 'critical eye' to notice the same things that I would change.

I certainly would not recommend this practice for teachers new to synthetic phonics teaching - but it could be worthwhile to watch with a 'critical eye' for generating discussion amongst colleagues.

Whilst my comments may seem harsh, the teacher is doing a lovely job of some rather 'typical' practice in recent times in England. So, in effect, this is not a criticism of the teacher's practice as an individual, but more a critique of practice which has evolved as a result of the prevailing early years ethos combined with ideas as suggested in the previous government's 'Letters and Sounds' publication.

Children will learn with the kind of practice we see on this video, the question arises as to whether they could learn better still with some changes to this practice.

[Debbie Hepplewhite]

http://www.phonicsinternational.com/FR_ ... utines.pdf

Jac - you may or may not consider these sub-skills and core skills' routines helpful for your colleague.

http://www.phonicsinternational.com/FR_ ... utines.pdf

The link immediately above includes issues to consider with the phonics routines.

These posters can be found on the 'Free Resources' page of Phonics International.

Anyone who takes the time to read the points I raise on these posters might gain some clues as to what I would consider flawed practice on the video footage above.

I appreciate that this is just my point of view - not necessarily the view of others.

[volunteer]

OK - just had a quick look at it - they read very few words during that time, and they didn't write at all except "sh" in the air. I'm not sure how many of them actually learned anything they didn't already know. The speed with which they all appeared to read "can a dish hop?" at the end would suggest that they could already read pretty well, or that they already knew all those words by sight. So they could have done a lot more reading in that time.
All the words in the lesson were mono-syllabic. There was lots of time waiting for things to happen. One child had settled down to suck her thumb and have a hair twiddle.

[Derrie Clark]

One child had settled down to suck her thumb and have a hair twiddle.

Bless her. Wonder what she was thinking?

[Sue Blackburn]

I would agree with volunteer's comments. Parents would be very comforted to see their children involved with these activities, but there is no reinforcement via writing and the teacher cannot really tell who has got the message or not by the end of the session.

[volunteer]

Also no mention that there are other ways to spell the sh sound which they will come across sooner or later in their reading e.g. Lunch

[maizie]

The teacher couldn't even see some of the children, nor could they see her. Not that it mattered as it looked to me like a 'rehearsed lesson. Didn't one child let the cat out of the bag (literally!) when she reeled off the contents of the bag...

[chew8]

If there are RRFers who have strong views on what an ideal synthetic phonics lesson should look like, isn't it time that they produced videos to which we could refer people?

Jenny C.

[Susan Godsland]

isn't it time that they produced videos to which we could refer people?

Time and money constraints, I expect.

http://www.syntheticphonics.net/catalog ... ategory=26
Sound Discovery Training DVDs.
(Set of four DVDs). £354
A series of four DVDs compiled to show teachers and parents how synthetic phonics can be used at its best.

[chew8]

If the Sound Discovery DVDs are the ones produced several years ago, I think I may have them. I watched them at the time and had some reservations, but maybe the ones you refer to are more recent, Susan.

Jenny C.

[Elizabeth]

Like Jenny, I wish we had more videos of good practice!

I would love to produce some, but am completely daunted at the thought of
a) finding the teachers that are doing really well and are in a school that would like to be filmed
b) the cost of filming
c) the organisation needed

Getting good research is even more difficult. We desperately need it, but I think it is beyond me, because of the cost in both time and money, finding qualified people to do it, organising it, etc.

[volunteer]

It is a good idea. Does the RRF have funds and raise money as a charity or not? I don't have a clue how it works. I have recently used a video person in Kent who does professional stuff for You Tube as part of his work. If one of you (Derrie maybe?) knew of where there was some excellent practice in Kent it could be done maybe?

I have reservations about a video alone though - it's very important to have some notes along with it which explain why children were being taught that particular thing at that point in time and a critique of the lesson. Otherwise it could just be a bit canned and staged - as probably was this lesson we have just watched. I presume it was a deliberate demo to show the elements that a phonics lesson was required to have at that particular school maybe?

Visiting and seeing "good practice" in the flesh is probably much better and, apart from travelling costs (from the far side of the world?), better value.