Phonics Instruction and Spelling Outcomes

Deanna Gerrity

Co-Presenters: Individual Presentation

College: College of Education

Major: MA.SPED/LRNG-BEHDIS

Faculty Research Mentor: Fike, Janet  

Abstract:

The study will be focusing on teachers’ perceptions of foundational writing skills, spelling standards, and their implementation in New Jersey’s elementary schools. Spelling is a crucial component of expressive communication and a basic early literacy skill, however only recent updates to the New Jersey Learning Standards have attempted to focus more closely on its connections to oral language and phonics.The relationship between spoken sounds (phonemes) and written letters (graphemes)—phonics-based instruction is a proven method for teaching early reading and spelling abilities. Students are taught to encode words by segmenting sounds into letters and decode words by combining separate sound units in a methodical and explicit manner. Explicit phonics, in contrast to implicit or whole-language approaches, offers a dependable, predictable framework that enables students to independently explore new words, improving vocabulary, reading fluency, and comprehension. Explicit, methodical phonics training greatly enhances a student's ability to spell correctly, according to numerous studies. Students can use their decoding knowledge in reverse for encoding by comprehending the consistent principles and patterns that govern the English writing system.Teachers who participate in professional development supporting structured literacy practices gain the knowledge necessary to instruct the diverse needs of today’s youngest learners. The research presented will point to areas where educators feel they need more background knowledge or support, while looking at what potential barriers and successes of phonics-based instruction being used.