Sound-to-Symbol-to-Meaning

Phono-Graphix and Language Wise Dual Certification Course

Four Day Course Syllabus

  • Day One - Address the areas of research and practice drawn upon the theory and practice of Phono-Graphix reading and spelling instruction.

    • We introduce four children and their reading scores and subscores on Phono-Graphix skills tests. These four children will be used throughout the course as a means of teaching and discussing diagnostics and clinical and classroom practice. We look at the challenges that face them as they attempt to master the four concepts and three skills necessary to read and spell English. As we discuss these concepts and skills we look in depth at why each is required, discussing specific examples of when and how each skill is used, and explaring what the data show about correlations between segmenting and comprehension, phoneme manipulation and fluency, and blending and memory.
    • Concepts
      • Letters are pictures of sounds
      • A sound picture is more than one letter
      • There is variation in the code
      • There is overlap in the code
    • Skills
      • Segmenting
      • Blending
      • Phoneme Manipulation
    • With a basis of understanding carefully laid, we move forward to discuss where and why each child is placed in the instructional scheme, as well as how to manage differing abilities in the same classroom.
    • The basic code level of instruction is demonstrated with a focus on good technique and specific error correction for each lesson.
    • The Phono-Graphix breakthrough in teaching segmenting is discussed and demonstrated in detail.
    • In the afternoon we discuss interpreting subskill scores to determine the length of time needed to remediate specific students. We demonstrate and practice giving the tests.
    • Phono-Graphix error pattern analysis is demonstracted and discussed as a diagnostic tool for determining students' mis-strategies. The four types of errors are covered in detail:
      • Phonological errors
      • Phonic errors
      • Visual errors
      • Global errors

  • Day Two - On day two we move into blue level work, using two of our demonstration students for further coverage of diagnostics and presentation. Key lessons are demonstrated and discussed in detail with an emphasis of how each might go with students of varying abilities.

    • Lessons for the instruction of Adjacent Consonant Sounds
      • Blue Word Building
      • Blue Phoneme Manipulation
      • Blue Word Reading
    • Advanced Code Instruction
      • Discovering Reading and Mapping
    • Error correction is discussed and demonstrated, offering specific learning theory as an argument for using errors as the instructional platform. A distinction is draw between errors that demonstrate missing information and errors that demonstrate poor skills.
    • After morning break we explain the original Phono-Graphix research published in the Orton Annals of Dyslexia, and five important studies conducted since:
    • Phono-Graphix - a new method for remediating reading problems, C. McGuinness
    • Examining the effects of Phono-Graphix on the remediation of reading skills of students with disabilities: a program evaluation - Endress, S.
    • Dyslexia-specific brain activation profile becomes normal following successful remedial training, Simos, P., et al.
    • Phono-Graphix - who needs additional literacy support? An outline of research in Bristol schools. Dias, Katy & Juniper
    • Assessing the benefits of phonics intervention on hearing-impaired children's word reading. Palmer, Centre for Human Communication and Deafness, University of Manchester Deafness and Education International