The AtoZphonics website, at first blush, seems to apply only to children. The games are definitely for young children, and I assume the sound acqusition sequencing is based on acquisition steps for first-language acquisition by children rather than the sequencing for second-language acquisition by adults. That being said, the “Top Ten Phonics Rules” is an excellent reference for both instructors and adult learners. http://www.atozphonics.com/phonics-rules.html
Additionally, there are two checklists: Alphabet phonogram Checklist http://www.atozphonics.com/support-files/alphabetphonogramflashcards.pdf and the Initial Blend Checklist http://www.atozphonics.com/support-files/initialblendsfc.pdf which could definitely be used in adult settings.
There are many great resources provided for phonics, however, the games, etc. appear to require significant adaptation to be useful in an adult second language setting. One complaint is when you click on many of the links a message from Google appears indicating the link is broken so site maintenance could be improved.
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yes, it does seem the resources are most useful and would require modification. Even the flash cards you provided the link above seems it would be better off to be modified...since even the instructions say 5-10 minutes everyday, seems to be geared towards children. Also, I wonder if the material accesses enough of the wealth of phonological and linguistic knowledge an adult already possesses in their L1? Is their a way to gear flashcards to do this more?
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with the concept of teaching phonics even to adults. However, we should keep a keen eye on the needs of students. Depending on the proficiency level, I may make a significant modification on the top 10 rules that would be more meaningful to their work applications. For example, in the context of teaching business English, I may compile the top 10 phonic rules based on most frequently used business vocabulary. I believe teaching general sound-spelling corresponding rules as a guideline will be a great help for L2 learners on pronunciation.
ReplyDeleteSharon Peters
ReplyDeleteEspecially liked the point made about teaching through phonics that when the student - be it child or L2 adult - learns that a letter like "A" has more than one possible pronunciation depending on context, it is not so disheartening. After all, they have one or two more sounds represented by "A" that they can try. It encourages students struggling to learn the L2 when they feel its not a "one strike and you're out" situation.
I really like the suggestion to use alliteration to practice sounds. The site points out that this is very common for children learning to read (or practicing difficult sounds). Alliteration is used often in children's stories and nursery rhymes. For a second language learner, alliteration can help them practice difficult sounds or initial consonant clusters. Likewise, rhyming words can help students practice difficult English vowel sounds. I still remember a tongue twister poem that we learned in my high school Spanish class that emphasized the different Spanish vowel sounds. This reminds me of the activity we discussed in class that tests phonemic awareness by having four words (such as cat, bag, sad, and bath) and asking which sound all four have in common. Perhaps activities that involve alliteration or rhyming words could help to reinforce those concepts for our English learners.
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