Reception DC encouraged to guess words from pictures. Afraid I've got off on the wrong foot with teacher.

[Satina]

DC2 has just started reception and we were excited for all the new experiences the next year would bring. I'm worried however that I've got off on the wrong foot with the new teacher.

Sorry, this is long:

When DC1 was in the same class she flew through reading books and was known to be a very strong reader. However she eventually hit a barrier and her progression stalled. School weren't bothered as she was still ahead of expected for her age but I, who listened to her read daily noticed problems. Specifically that she was guessing unfamiliar words which sometimes meant she completely misunderstood the meaning of the passage she'd just read.

I'd never helped a child learn to read before, so I did extensive research into how to help her and went back to basics of focusing on decoding unfamiliar words and eventually she flew.

Since DC1 was in reception the school has replaced their book scheme to one that's supposed to be more decodable.

I was eager to avoid the same problems occurring for DC2 and was optimistic that the new book scheme would mean decoding would be encouraged rather than guessing.

I was therefore surprised when the very first comment in DC's reading diary was 'DC has been encouraged to use the pictures to help guess unfamiliar words'.

All of the reading I did around the subject, when DC1 was learning suggests this is bad practice.

E.g. The Rose Report says:

"However, if beginner readers, for
example, are encouraged to infer from
pictures the word they have to decode
this may lead to their not realising that
they need to focus on the printed
word.They may, therefore, not use their
developing phonic knowledge. It may
also lead to diluting the focused
phonics teaching that is necessary for
securing accurate word reading.Thus,
where beginner readers are taught
habitually to infer the word they need
from pictures they are far less likely to
apply their developing phonic
knowledge and skills to print. During
the course of the review, several
examples were seen of beginners
being encouraged to infer from
pictures the word they did not
immediately recognise from the text."

I asked for a quick chat with the teacher who rang me at home. I explained that I was very happy with everything in reception so far but that I'd really prefer DC to be encouraged to decode unfamiliar words and not guess. She thought I was trying to push for DC to have more complex books and spent some time telling me why she thought this would be detrimental. I clarified that I definitely was not pushing for harder material and in fact would have preferred an easier, decodable book.

I said I wasn't expecting any changes to the way the class is taught as a whole, but wanted DD to have books she could decode with her current knowledge (which I'm happy to provide if they don't have enough) and to be encouraged not to use alternative methods until she was secure in her decoding.

Teacher then spent some time telling me the importance of using other methods as some children struggle with phonics and it helps them and that it's important for children to learn through repetition and using other cues aswell as decoding.

This is where I'm worried I overstepped the mark as I said that I appreciate what you're saying but all my research suggests otherwise, which I know must be really annoying to be told as a professional by someone who is not a professional in that area.

I said I'm happy to provide all my references which the teacher said she didn't need.

Ultimately, all I wanted was for my DC to become secure in her decoding before other methods are used, so as not to confuse her.

Teacher has now agreed to this with DD, but I'm feeling so guilty and anxious about having said anything in the first place.

I should have kept my mouth shut and just focussed on decoding at home and let them do their own thing at school.

Do you think there's anything I can do to improve matters and reassure the teacher that I'm not going to be a PITA parent all year?

We teach decoding as the main reading strategy, however we also teach sight reading of HFW and other, inference based strategies, such as having a ‘guess’ using pictures when faced with words that are not decodable, e.g. ghost.

Oh. My. God.

I don't know where to start.

Have you not read the NC? The bit about it being statutory? Did you decide that meant optional?

cantkeepawayforever I agree and thing pictures can bring lots of enjoyment to reading. At home, we first decode the words using phonics so 'lots of fish' (which DD can decode) then look at the picture and I'd probably say "Wow, look at all those fish DC, how many can you count? Look at the different colours. Which is your favourite fish?" etc.

The training that the teacher SHOULD have had SHOULD have taught pure phonics as the best way of teaching decoding. It obviously didn't.... so in fact the OP's research has identified an area where the teacher's training is out of date or deficient...

Absolutely. KS1 teacher here. It is very concerning that after years and years of evidence showing that pure phonics achieves the best outcomes for all readers, there are still schools and teachers who are wedded to the outdated idea of mixed methods. You were right to raise your concerns but, frustratingly, as a parent, I'm not sure what else you can do. If he school has an Ofsted inspection you can raise your concerns via the parental feedback form as the national curriculum clearly states that phonics should be the only method for teaching reading.

I learned to read fluently at 3, using pure phonics. I taught my own DD to read at 2, also using pure phonics. By the time she entered reception, she had a reading age of 12, and was reading Dickens with the headmistress, as she was bored in class.
OP, I think you were absolutely right in everything you said to the teacher. Not all teachers are excellent - my DD, when she was 5 years old, had to correct her teacher’s spelling on more than one occasion!
You have no need to apologise. If anything, the teacher should be apologising and explaining why she is not using the most effective method, as currently recommended across the country.

Not recommended. Statutory!

I was in this situation when my DDs were in year R. I also used to go in to listen to readers. I didn't say anything to the teacher but I used to pick books that I knew were decodable as much as possible, luckily they had a good selection of both. Once they got past there first few stages they had learnt some 'tricky' words and found it easier to work out other words but in the beginning I stuck to phonics as much as possible with my own children and others.

That should be 'the first few stages'

Have you not read the NC? The bit about it being statutory? Did you decide that meant optional?

Sadly, if a primary school is an academy, they are not bound to the National Curriculum. Usually more of a problem at secondary but more and more primaries are becoming academies

They are, however, bound by the latest Ofsted schedule - and, if they've really ignored everything since 2014 (Or 2005, as it appears one PP has) they are screwed!

There are not really mixed responses op. There are about 98‰ of poster telling you that you overstepped the mark. You did. And yes, you will be seen as the pita parent.

And fwiw, pictures help children read.

ballsdeep - it depends what you mean by 'reading'.

Yes, they help children enjoy reading, get into the story, add further information about the characters / setting that is not in the text etc etc (there are absolutely brilliant picture books everywhere at the moment, for all ages, where the pictures and text work together brilliantly to create the whole 'feel' of the book).

No, they do not help children to decode words.

Both Feenie and I are teachers, as is DippyAvocado - what i find interesting is that the TEACHERS here are telling you that you are right, and have a good point, whereas non teachers think you are being a PITA, perhaps because they don't understand the egregiousness of not using phonics properly to teach decoding....

The research suggests that about 60% of children can’t ‘teach themselves’ decoding alongside other, sometimes useful strategies, so overall, you are probably right that a focus on decoding will help your DD to learn to decode. But about 40% of children will learn to read however you teach them. Apparently.

My own opinion is that pure phonics doesn’t foster much love of reading. It’s dull.

Seaweed, but isn't not being able to decode words in order to read books very dull too??

Phonics teaching for decoding is only a small part of daily 'reading' teaching, or should be. Children should be read to daily from excellent books,. they should hear stories across the curriculum. they should role play from books, create art based on books, discuss books, be immersed in books, illustrate books, write as book characters ... and they should also learn to decode books for themselves, using explicit phonics teaching. It's not either / or. It's both

They are, however, bound by the latest Ofsted schedule - and, if they've really ignored everything since 2014 (Or 2005, as it appears one PP hashmm) they are screwed!

No experience with primary but I have had experience with Ofsted not caring a jot that a secondary school is not following the national curriculum. Ofsted is so hit and miss, I have found, that I am not surprised too many schools seem to get away with what they do! A scandal really.

(And tbh I would rather listen to a beginner reader reading the Songbirds series or similar than I would listen to the same reader guess their way through Floppy et al, with 97 repetitions of the same word...)

That really is dull...

Think you should retrain as early years teacher

Phonics teaching for decoding is only a small part of daily 'reading' teaching, or should be. Children should be read to daily from excellent books,. they should hear stories across the curriculum. they should role play from books, create art based on books, discuss books, be immersed in books, illustrate books, write as book characters ... and they should also learn to decode books for themselves, using explicit phonics teaching. It's not either / or. It's both

Which is why I have no issue with them engaging with picture clues, providing they are learning to decode as well.

I have loads of books that are decodable at different levels and they're colourful and interesting and no more dull than the old look and say books DC1 used to bring home.

We also try to foster a love and enjoyment for books and different stories at home by reading loads of picture books, singing rhymes, telling stories (the DCs love the game where we take it in turns to make up the next bit of a story) etc. I'm not worried about DD not enjoying reading due to being encouraged to decode unfamiliar words.

Obviously you’re entitled to your view, OP. Mine is based on my experience of teaching hundreds of poor readers at secondary in the last five years, most of whom will have been taught using synthetic phonics. It’s an overly functionalist model, in my opinion.

Which is why I have no issue with them engaging with pictures.

Not picture clues. Pictures. Look at pictures, discuss pictures, draw pictures, count things in pictures. Just don't use them as a 'guessing game' for what a word might say. because when there isn't a picture per word, the likelihood is that that strategy won't work, whereas actually decoding the word written down will.

'Excellent, you've worked out that the word is goldfish. Now let's look at the picture to find out about the goldfish. Where is it? What colour are its eyes? Which of the goldfish in the picture do you like best? What shape are its scales?'

vs

'That word begins with a g. Let's not bother to try and read it, let's look in the picture to guess what the word might be. Oh, no, not fish. that starts with an f. No, not girl either, she's just there because she's looking at the fish. It's g...g....g.... Oh yes, you have guessed the right word now, areen't picture clues so helpful in reading?'

cantkeepawayforever

Discussing the fish doesn’t help them to read. Using a picture clue can, however, aid word recognition and reinforce understanding of syntax.

most of whom will have been taught using synthetic phonics

As the OP's experience shows, many of them will have not been taught using high quality synthetic phonics. They will have been taught the initial common correspondences and then required to guess or learn words as wholes, while being given books fro reading schemes that are not phonic.

So don't blame the METHOD. Blame the TEACHING of that method.