| All parents are obsessed with doing the best that | | | | methods went through a change in the United |
| they can for their children. Be it feeding, clothing, | | | | States and more and more schools started |
| nurturing or teaching a child to correctly | | | | adapting the phonics method of teaching. |
| pronounce alphabets and words, all parents want | | | | There are different ways of teaching phonics, |
| it to be just right. Some parents are hooked on | | | | which are, synthetic and analytical phonics. In |
| phonics when it comes to teaching their children | | | | synthetic phonics, children are taught to spell a |
| how to pronounce the English alphabets and how | | | | word and then join the sounds together to form |
| to pronounce them correctly when used in | | | | the word. In analytical phonics, children are taught |
| different words. | | | | to analyze the correspondence between an |
| Parents and teachers used to depend on their | | | | alphabet in a word and their grouped sound; like in |
| own abilities to teach children the alphabets and | | | | "shriek", the syllable "shr" are joined to produce |
| their correct pronunciation. If a parent or teacher | | | | the sound. |
| did not know the correct pronunciation, it used to | | | | With the ready availability of phonics teaching |
| get passed on to the children. Many children have | | | | programs on the internet and in stores, a number |
| been through the embarrassment of being | | | | of parents are opting to use them to teach their |
| ridiculed for pronouncing a word incorrectly. But | | | | children English. The phonics method does not stop |
| now with audio and visual aids so easily available, | | | | after a child starts speaking some sentences |
| parents are leaning towards using phonics | | | | fluently, but continues even after that. In fact |
| programs to help their children learn pronouncing | | | | because of the vast complexity of the English |
| alphabets. But, just learning how to pronounce the | | | | language, some people learn the correct |
| English alphabets correctly is not enough. Children | | | | pronunciation of a word very late in life. |
| need to learn words, sentences and the correct | | | | The attention span of a child is very short and to |
| usage of alphabets. | | | | keep a child interested in learning phonics means |
| Phonics learning is at times argued to be in | | | | that the child should be kept interested in it. For |
| competition with language teaching methods. While | | | | this modern day, phonics programs include |
| this debate was on in 1984, the United States | | | | drawings, games and animations to keep the |
| government had a research conducted on phonics | | | | children from getting bored. |
| teaching method. The result of this report stated | | | | There is now an extensive variety of hooked on |
| that by using phonics, teaching methods improved | | | | phonics programs available for children on the |
| the ability of children to identify words. Associating | | | | internet. The parents can see demonstrations of |
| sound with alphabets helped children improve their | | | | the various programs on offer and then decide |
| alphabet and word identification abilities and it also | | | | which one is the most suitable for their child. |
| helped in improving their blending of alphabets | | | | Teaching children new sounds and associating the |
| together into words. After the results of this | | | | sounds with objects and animals help a child to |
| research were published, English language teaching | | | | learn faster and be interested in learning. |