As we all know, teaching the alphabet - letter recognition, letter formation and letter sounds, is a major part of literacy education in the emergent years. After reading Developing Early Literacy Skills: A Meta-Analysis of Alphabet Learning and Instruction I thought back to when I was teaching Pre-K and Kindergarten. The journal looked at instructional models of teaching the alphabet and what results each yield. Through the study, the author became aware that there is a lack of data to support instructional methods for alphabet learning. It was stressed that the outcome of students mastering the information outweighs the actual method of instruction.
This got me wondering more about what the Pre-K I was teaching prescribed for the most effective way to teach the alphabet and the difference between what I encountered when I began teaching Kindergarten. In the school where I taught Pre-K they believed in a direct and explicit instructional approach to teaching the alphabet. The teacher would introduce one letter a week, beginning with A, and the entire week would be devoted to practicing first saying the letter, then writing the letter (upper then lowercase) and finally working on the sound that the letter made. This approach was effective with the students, however, looking back I wonder if it would have been equally as effective if the children had not been in the daycare/preschool setting since the age of 2. When I moved to teaching Kindergarten, that school used the Orton-Gillingham method for teaching the alphabet. In this method the teacher is to introduce the letter O first because it is the easiest shape for young children to make and the shape that many other letters build off. Subsequent letters are introduced based on their use of the round shape in formation and only after that were other letters introduced. The Orton-Gillingham method focuses on teaching the alphabet with a kinesthetic and visual learner in mind. The students spend time forming the letter in the air or in sand while saying it and then move to the sound the letter makes followed directly by a word that begins with that same sound. I liked the Orton-Gillingham approach to teaching the alphabet because I feel that it hits a wider variety of learners. Yet, I am still left to question what is the most effective order to introduce the letters in? I learned the alphabet in the actual sequential order and I wonder does teaching the letters out of sequential order hinder their ability to then recite the alphabet? And, what is the true value of being able to recite the alphabet? Many times a child can do this but cannot identify a letter by name in isolation.
Piasta, S. B. (2010). Developing Early Literacy Skills: A Meta-Analysis of Alphabet Learning and Instruction. Reading Research Quarterly, 45(1).
I like the Orton-Gillingham method you explained. I think it would be a logical method of introducing the alphabet to the students. When speaking with another one of our peers in class, she told me that her PreK class begins with S, as it is the easiest sound to learn. I found a sequence online that learns the letters in an order that allows students to begin building words as early as possible. (http://jollylearning.co.uk/overview-about-jolly-phonics/) It is interesting to think there are so many different manners to learn the same 26 letters.
ReplyDeleteThe sequential ABC order, does not mean anything to Kindergarten students. I do not think it would affect most students ability to learn to recite the alphabet, as many preschoolers learn that prior to coming to Kindergarten. You could also incorporate singing the ABC into your morning routine, so that the students are learning ABC order as well.
I believe another effective way to teach the letters would be to begin with the letters in a child’s name. As these are the letters the children have had the most exposure too and have a vested personal interest in. This approach however would not be a very practical method in a classroom where each child has their own name.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI guess there are a number of different sequences based on the purpose. I agree with the article when it mentioned that the NELP study lumps letter writing, letter sound knowledge, and letter name knowledge all into alphabet knowledge and that each area is a little different.
ReplyDeleteI worked for a handwriting curriculum publisher that taught the letters with lines first. An occupational therapist created the program and said that the straight lines were the easiest for children to write. Then they added the letters with curves and slants.
In phonics, most instruction uses a sequence based on the frequency of usage of the different sounds. I'm not sure if S is the easiest sound to learn, but it is one of the most frequently used sounds, so it's usually taught early in the sequence.
Rhea, I think you're right about the ABC order. For young children, it is just something to recite or sing in a song. It only becomes necessary for alphabetization, dictionary skills, etc. I like the idea of just including it as a part of a daily routine. I also agree with your idea about names. Names have special attachment for kids (and all people, in fact), so it's always good to capitalize on that. It just has to be incorporated along with a whole-class letter instruction sequence.
These are all very interesting points and up till now didn't really think about how important it is to teach the letters of the alphabet in a certain sequence or not. In my classroom/school we teach the students the ABC's and like Rhea said, it just becomes a song to them. Most of my students can identify the sounds out of sequence, but some will just say what they know. They will also sing the "now I know my ABCs..." part even if we aren't singing the song, which makes me think is it just memorized or do they actually know the letters of the alphabet. In the first month of school we teach the whole alphabet and focus on the children's names in small group. This also gave me a look into learning what letters my children knew so I could focus my instruction on it. In October we focused on the letter M and P, this month is A, N and W. I want to assume that the purpose for the order is because they are all stick letters, minus the loop of the P so it will be easier for the students to learn to write them.
ReplyDeleteEach week I will focus on a letter of the month and like what you did Allie, we focus on the sound it makes, think of words that begin with that letter, do activities based on the letter and write lots and lots of letters! (It varies every week).I like the Orton Gillingham program, but I always assumed that sticks and lines were easier than the curved line, so making an O is an interesting choice to begin with. I wonder if there is a set order to teach the letters in or if everyone has a different opinion of it. I would be interested to find out!
Jamie