Phonics Connect
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Nau mai, haere mai.
Welcome to the Phonics Connect website.
Phonics Connect was developed in response to concerns from Cluster 4 schools in Tāmaki Makaurau regarding low levels of literacy, different approaches to the teaching of early literacy skills, and the significant number of catch up programmes introduced to address the growing ‘tail’ of low attainment in reading and writing.
When training our teachers in Phonics Connect, we are very clear that they need to be explicit and support students to use these skills across the curriculum. One of the rationales for choosing the name Phonics Connect was to emphasise the explicit teaching, or connection, between phonics, reading, and writing.
Leisha Horwood (Phonics Connect Co-ordinator & Facilitator)
Leisha Horwood (Phonics Connect Co-ordinator & Facilitator)
Julie Tolsma, Julie Cooke & Tara Holland (Facilitators).
Acknowledgements
Much like the whakatauki, the Cluster 4 RTLB Phonics Pilot Programme is the result of the work of many. Its success in the UK stemmed from the support and dedication of a team of Literacy Advisors and Advanced Skills teachers working together to produce a robust phonics programme. With ongoing support from the Borough of Tower Hamlets, the Tower Hamlets Phonics programme was launched as a systems-level initiative with the support of school management teams throughout the region. Groups of dedicated teachers were supported by a skilled Literacy Advisory Team working alongside them to ensure consistency in the delivery of the programme across year levels.
Background
In the early 2000s, the Literacy Team in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets produced the Tower Hamlets Phonics scheme. Much of the material was based on the DFEE’s Progression in Phonics’ document which supported the National Literacy Strategy (Department of Education, England 1999) and developed by the Tower Hamlets Literacy Team working in conjunction with Ruth Miskin. Ruth Miskin is considered to be one of the UK's leading authorities on teaching children to read. She currently runs the very successful literacy training programme ‘Read, Write Inc’ which runs in 25% of UK schools. Tower Hamlets Phonics Stages 2, 4, 5, 6, and 7 lessons are largely based on her SuperPhonics series (SuperPhonics, Hodder Children’s books, 2001).
In the late 1990s and early 2000 Yolanda Soryl taught in Tower Hamlets. As an AST (Advanced Skills teacher), she worked alongside the Tower Hamlets Literacy team to support schools with the implementation of their phonics programme. After returning to New Zealand, she launched the Tower Hamlets Phonics Programme as ‘Primary Phonics’ providing one day training courses throughout New Zealand. Yolanda has made some modifications to the Tower Hamlets scheme to meet the needs of New Zealand children. “She continues to be New Zealand’s foremost phonics training provider” (Soryl, 2021)
In 2020 the Cluster 4 RTLB team launched the phonics programme in two pilot schools on the North Shore. Initially this was done in conjunction with Yolanda Soryl with participants attending her training course. To make the programme more sustainable and robust, in 2021 further adaptations were made to the existing scheme; materials adapted and refined and the programme relaunched as Phonics Connect. The aim being to provide ongoing training and support for schools in the implementation of a phonics programme over a period of two to three years.
In 2022 the Cluster 4 RTLB team will continue to develop and refine Phonics Connect and support teachers in delivering a consistent and robust programme across the primary level.
Participating Schools
Greenhithe Primary School 2020, 2021 Murrays Bay Primary School 2020, 2021 Mairangi Bay Primary school 2021
Copy of Circles of Evidence.pdfRTLB practice is based on ‘The Informed Practice Models’ three circles of evidence (Macfarlane and Macfarlane, 2013). Phonics Connect is an evidence-based programme. Peer observation sheets to maintain fidelity are used to support the implementation of the programme and pre and pre-post evaluation tools are used for ongoing monitoring.
Tika (Research)
Click here for references.
Case Study: Blue Gate Fields Infant School - Cracking The Code and Making Meaning (Teachers TV)
Aroha (Whanau)
Whānau-school partnerships: Mokopuna and whanau are offered information and support through home-school connections using resources such as an information leaflet for Whanau outlining the Phonics Connect programme, and additional home games, and activities.
Pono (Practitioner Knowledge & Skill)
Educators/Kaiako: Phonics Connect is an inclusive and systematic approach to teaching phonics. It provides kaiako with professional development through our unique RTLB Ongoing Model of Support, including teacher training days, RTLB modelling, peer observations, RTLB feedback & feedforward.
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