Phonics
How was it used?
I used these resources in a 1:1 situation with a year 5 pupils that had severe literacy delay.
He has been in school for 5 years and knew just over half of the initial sounds of the alphabet.
One prominent tool I visualised using was the NGFL alphabet. It draws the letter, it says the phonemes and it says the letter name. The tool can be seamlessly integrated into the lesson, using it to reinforce letter sounds as and when necessary. The drawing of the letter guides the multisensory aspect by modelling each shape which the pupil can overwrite with his finger on the screen along with the pencil as it draws, this can be done ad infinitum, which is what the pupil needed. The Microsoft flashcard words were then used to practice the very simple blending skills which the pupil has found so difficult as the words are made up of only two or three sounds.
The project was fairly simple to manage as there was only one pupil involved. A home- communication letter meant the pupil always brought the DSi which was clearly a winner in helping motivation. The stylus use with the DSi quickly transferred to the stylus use in MS Paint and the ability to change brush size and colour also aided engagement.
Good relations with the classroom assistant meant that follow-up work using the NGFL alphabet could be maintained throughout the week and access to a keyboard to practice letter-location also. Progress was posted on my personal blog and comments are invited.
Impact and Outcomes
- I baselined the pupil using the Catch-Up phoneme-matching chart. The pupil ‘knew’ 13 of the 25 graphemes and 1 of the 4 digraphs used in the assessment. He recognised ‘a’, ‘I’ and ‘it’ from the first 12 High Frequency words.-
- As well as the NGFL Online Alphabet, MS Flashcards, the tablet and MS Paint writing tool, I also used the Nintendo DS as another writing device. He only needed to be asked once, he brings it every lesson. The motivational benefits handheld devices bring is clear as the attainment outlined below will show. The use of plasticine to make new letter shapes also supports the Multisensory approach as the pupil is showing signs of remembering letter shapes far more consistently and recall of new letters appears to be improving.
- After10 sessions or so (absence, school closures and building work have impinged on the amount and frequency of sessions), the pupil is now recognizing 6 more graphemes and 2 more digraphs. This should be taken in context within the timescale that he is a Year 5 pupil so in essence, he has increased his letter knowledge from 14 from Reception to Year 5, to 22 in the last half of Year 5. He also attempted and blended sounds to read ‘at’, ‘and’, ‘the’, ‘can’.
- This is still a work in progress but the indications are that if this approach is continued then this pupil can be taught to read.
Learner Feedback
The classroom assistant has said that he looks forward to me coming because, in his words- ‘he do learn me’.
He has commented on lessons, ‘cool’, ‘enjoyed It’, expressed genuine surprise as he heard comments on his blog via the Text-to-speech tool, has laughed and joked in lessons, probably the biggest feedback was his surprise smile when he blended ‘a’ ‘n’ ‘d’ and felt he had really READ the word ‘and’.
Other Resources
DSi, computer, stylus, Microsoft flashcards, plasticine, MS Paint, tablet
Lesson Learnt
The primary impact on me was that engagement needed to be a significant factor if the project was to succeed. This pupil had been in school for more than 5 years and knew only about half of the initial sounds of the alphabet. Firstly using the NGFL Alphabet just to get the multisensory juices flowing was significant i.e. him seeing the letter, hearing the sound, watching the shape being drawn, overwriting the shape being drawn and seeing him trying these ‘new’ shapes as if there was new meaning to them. Also, to use a variety of tools and approaches, different media, desktop and handheld technology and traditional methods was empowering, for me the project taught me that there is a huge place for technology to enhance and broaden the multisensory approach favoured by so many Dyslexic Practitioners towards tackling difficulties experienced by those with Dyslexia, Specific Learning Difficulties and general literacy delays.