Hi everyone! My name's Larissa. I am a young learners teacher and a teacher trainer.
it would be nice to meet you here and discuss the common issues in our teaching practice.
Do you have problems with dicipline in the classroom?
Can all your children read?
Are all parents happy with their kids' progress?
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Vlada
Dear Larisa, thanks for your questions. I'd like to share my concerns about teaching young learners reading. I follow a whole word approach in the coursebook Millie. I have noticed that kids learn the word quite quickly and can successfully read it on the word card or in the word combination in which it is presented. But when they see it in another place, for example in the text they can't read it. Or if they get used to read for example "climb a tree" in the combination "cimb a giraffe" they still read "climb a tree". Do you think it is common? The situation like this gives parents the grounds to blame the approach. They say: "This approach doesn't teach to read, it only trains the memory...You' d better teach letter-sound correspondence as we were taught in soviet schools. How can I explain the parents the advantages of a whole word approach...as the students really instead of reading what is on the page take the learned structures from the memory...
Larussia
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Dear Vlada,
Thank you for your questions and I’ll try to answer some of them.
Actually, MILLIE introduces not only whole word but phonics (letter-sound correspondence), too. As soon as all the letters of the alphabet have been presented, children are provided with regular activities (in every unit) which are aimed to enable them to read accurately and find analogies in reading.
I should admit that your parents are quite right about using memory in whole word but it is quite reasonable thus whole word is not for “parroting” but the technique for introducing and practicing NEW language items. I also wonder what it is bad about using memory in a learning process?
I would like to address other teachers if they have problems in teaching reading.
It would be also interesting to discuss how to make parents your team mates.
You are welcome to join our discussion J