Jolly Phonics
Jolly phonics is a very fun and effective way of learning how to read and write. The jolly phonics program teaches five skills that children need to help them read and write.
The first skill pupils will learn is to learn the letters and the sounds they make. Learning letters and the sound they make is made very fun by using interactive whiteboards, activities and games and by corresponding actions with the letters and sounds they make. This helps learning phonics effective by making learning fun and memorable. I think that if learning letters and the sounds they make is made fun through the program` jolly phonics` and actions, songs, activities and stories are taught through their learning then it will help pupils to remember what they have learned and this will help learning become effective.
When I support literacy activities that involve identifying letters with pupils that are still in the process of recognizing letters and the sounds they make, I find that the pupils use the actions they have learned that correspond with the letters to help them remember.
Jolly phonics is a very effective way of learning letters and the sounds they make but can be confusing to learn for some pupils. There are many letters to learn and individual letters can look different (capitals and lower case letters) and sound different. Children may find learning letters and the sounds that correspond difficult and confusing to begin with but as it is taught at a early age most children pick it up fast and except what they are learning. There is lots to learn and remember but the `Jolly phonics` program helps support pupils learning and uses techniques that will help learning phonics be as less confusing as possible. Strategies are used to make it fun and simple. There is no avoiding that the alphabet is what it is and letters can represent more than one sound or have two identities but how it is taught and learned makes the difference between how effective learning can be. To make things less confusing children are taught one letter at a time and taught about that letter. Children are taught the capital and non capital form, the letter itself `A` and the sound it makes `AY` and `AH`. Children also learn other simple words containing that letter `CAT`. They learn through fun activities, singing, story books and actions that will help support their learning by making it fun and memorable and effective.
Children must also learn the sounds of letters put together like `TH, CH, SH,`. These letters together are taught as they make only one sound when put together. It is important that pupils learn these letters and the sound they make when put together as when they begin to read they should recognize what sound they make then blend the sound in. Learning these letters may be confusing to pupils as pupils may not understand why the letters `C` and `H` make a `Ch` sound.
Some children learn their phonics quicker than others but the jolly phonics program runs throughout the whole school, so with the support of teaching staff and the program, all children will eventually pick this up and progress to read and write.
Whilst children learn the letters and the sounds they make, they will also learn how to form letters individually. This is also taught from the start. Children may start just by air writing and then move on to using a pencil and writing or tracing the letters they are learning. This helps support their writing skills and use of a pencil and learn how the letter is formed. Learning from the beginning how letters are formed is a effective way of supporting pupils writing skills. If letter formations are introduced from the start then pupils will find it easier when they come to write.
Once children have become effective learners of letters and the sounds they make, the blending skill is then introduced .Children learn to blend the sounds together to make a word. The word `Cat` will be broken down into its three segments `C-a-t` and pupils will learn to blend the letters together using the sounds the individual letters they make and squeeze them together. Again this can be confusing to begin with but eventually all children will learn how to blend. By teaching how to blend repeatedly and in a way that is made fun, children will soon learn and recognize words. The class in which I do my placement in, uses the interactive whiteboard and a computer program that supports blending. The children as a class sit on the carpet and use this program to learn how to blend. The children seem to really enjoy using the interactive whiteboard for blending word it looks fun and all children are engaged. If pupils are engaged then they will learn.
Pupils also learn how to blend through guided reading, which is done in small amounts and often. Learning how to blend is taught in a fun engaging way that is not too intense for the children or will make them board. The way blending is taught is a very effective way for pupils to learn and therefore making them effective learners and will help them to learn to read.
Children will also learn to identify sounds in words. This supports writing and learning how to spell words. Children identify sounds in a word and then spell that word out. I have supported children in a activity in which children had to write a sentence. Children are encouraged to write independently and try to sound out the words they wish to write by saying out loud the word they want to write and listen for the sounds that word makes. To help support them, children use `Robot arms` to help them break up the word and listen for the sounds the word makes. Children also have a jolly phonics sheet with the letters and a picture that corresponds to that letter to refer to if they need. It doesn’t matter if children spell the word wrong the important part is that they recognize and hear the letter sounds in that word. This technique is blending in reverse and helps pupils to learn to write words they wish to write.
Learning to identify sounds in words is taught to begin with in a subtle way. It doesn’t matter if pupils spell the word wrong to begin with as the aim is for children to hear the letters used in a word and then write it down. This technique supports pupils writing skills as pupils will also be learning how to write and will be practicing their letter formations at the same time. As children move up to the next year (year one) they begin to learn the correct way to spell and have spellings to learn and be tested on. This may put pressure on pupils but it is all part of learning.
In the beginning of the jolly phonics program, learning how to write words and spell them is fun but as pupils progress through the years learning to spell correctly is done through spelling books and tests. This way of learning how to spell is not much fun but pupils are rewarded with certificates when they have achieved. This will give pupils motivation and encouragement to learn. Pupils are encouraged to write and spell independently in the classroom and are not under pressure to spell correctly but through learning how to spell from their spelling books and tests children should remember how to spell the words they have already learned. Learning how to spell supports reading and writing.
Overall the effectiveness of the jolly phonics program is very efficient and successful. Learning how to read, write and spell is taught in a way in which pupils will find, motivating, fun, memorable, and therefore their learning will be effective. Jolly phonics is taught in a subtle way in which pupils will not feel under pressure.
To begin with jolly phonics is very fun hence the word `Jolly` and learning phonics is taught in a way in which pupils will be engaged and want to learn. As pupils grow and move on to the next years learning phonics, how to read write and spell may not be as much fun as it was in the beginning ,but pupils also need to understand not all learning is fun and it is something we all need to do.
Overall learning how to read and write is made as fun through the phonics program and once children have learned to do so it will be a skill they will use through out life. It is important to make learning how to read and write fun, memorable and motivating in order to make it effective as reading and writing is a very important skill we all need to learn and have in life.
I still use the techniques `blending` and ` blending in reverse` to help me read, write and spell words that are unfamiliar to me. So still today I use those techniques I have learned in school to support my literacy skills.
The way phonics and how to read and write is taught makes the difference on how effective the learning and outcome to learn is. If learning phonics, reading and writing was taught in a way in which pupils did not enjoy or understand then their learning would not be as effective. We all need to learn how to read and write and if it is taught in a way in which we are engaged, motivated and are keen to learn then the effectiveness of our learning will be successful. Its not just what we aim to learn, its how we learn and are taught that makes the difference between the effectiveness of our learning. Jolly phonics is certainly an effective successful way of learning how to read and write and it has been proven through the program that it works.
Mathematical Realism
The effectiveness of learning numeracy through adding realism is a successful effective way of learning. Adding realism adds meaning and supports pupils to work with numbers by adding significant to a numeracy question.
It helps pupils relate numeracy to real everyday life and how they can use their numeracy skills in every day life. It shows pupils the importance of learning numeracy by showing them how often we use those skills in real life situations.
By adding realism numeracy is made fun. It helps pupils engage and makes numeracy something more than just numbers. If pupils were taught to learn with numbers alone then pupils would get bored and loose motivation. Pupils need motivation and to be engaged in learning in order to understand and successfully learn what they are being taught. By adding realism it motivates pupils by making numeracy questions more interesting and engaging.
Adding realism provides pupils with the knowledge of how we use numeracy in everyday life and how it will be beneficial and relevant to them. If pupils are shown through adding realism how numeracy will benefit them and will be relevant to them in every day life they will see the importance of learning numeracy and should be keen to learn. Pupils will be keen to learn if we can relate numeracy to every day life by adding realism. If pupils see that numeracy will be relevant to them and will help support them in situations when they need to use those skills, it should encourage them to learn.
We all need to learn numeracy skills, but most of us fear numeracy, dislike it and find it boring. By teaching numeracy through adding realism should help and support pupils to engage in the lesson by making it real and relevant and make their learning effective.
The only downfall is that some pupils may prefer to work with numbers alone, but teaching numeracy through adding realism teaches pupils how numeracy can be relevant and beneficial in real life and how we use it. It teaches pupils how they can use different numeracy skills they have learned and put them to use in real life. It is important to remember that not all pupils will enjoy, understand and prefer to add realism to numeracy.
Different pupils have different preferences and may understand, enjoy and work better when other strategies are used. It is important to use all kinds of strategies like adding realism, practical activities, problem solving, graphs/charts, work sheets, computer programs ect. It is important to differentiate numeracy lessons to support pupils with different preferences and to make learning numeracy interesting. It is important to teach numeracy in a variety of ways so pupils do not get board of learning in the same way all the time. By adding realism it helps pupils to become interested and keep them engaged and motivated to learn numeracy.
Adding realism is an effective way for pupils to learn numeracy but should be taught amongst other teaching strategies for it to become effective. If adding realism was taught and learned alone then pupils would get bored of learning the same way. Teaching numeracy skills should be balanced and a variety of skills should be taught through different strategies. Adding realism is just another strategy of teaching and learning numeracy skills and although it is a very effective way of learning in the classroom it must be part of a varied way of teaching and learning. The effectiveness of learning numeracy through adding realism is great but it must be balanced way of learning, other teaching methods and strategies must be taught as well to make the learning of numeracy become effective.
H. Rotheram
