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The Future of Fonics: Spelling and Literacy

by Isobel Raven

140 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #04-2699; ISBN 1-4120-4891-5; US$17.00, C$19.95, EUR14.00, £10.00

In a pleasantly informal style, The Future of Fonics examines the search for "easy reading" in the 20th century and the potential of spelling reform to bring about literacy for all.

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About the Book           About the Author           Excerpts           Catalogue Information

About the Book

Twice in the last hundred years, reading education in Ontario took radical shifts in method. Both shifts were purported to be backed by science. Both methods held out the promise of "easy reading". The drudgery of previous methods was to be abandoned, and learning to read was to become a simple and enjoyable procedure.

In an engagingly informal style, the writer of The Future of Fonics examines the course of reading instruction throughout the century. She zeroes in on Ontario, but schools in the USA, New Zealand, Australia, and Great Britain share a similar history in reading education. She pays particular attention to the uses of phonics instruction as different philosophies of reading education held sway.

Isobel Raven comes to the conclusion that in reading and writing English, phonics has been weighed and found wanting. All methods have left behind a group of students she calls " the struggling average." These students have average ability, and are not candidates for special education. They work as hard as their "happy average" classmates, but plod miserably in their efforts to acquire literacy. Such children are in great danger of becoming part of that 20% of the adult population whose literacy skills are inadequate for success in a knowledge based society.

The author purposes that a reform of English spelling will bring literacy into the reach of the struggling average. It will also benefit the thousands of people learning English as a foreign language.

The Future of Fonics is daring, insightful, and thought-provoking. It is also short. Give it a read.

The Future of Fonics by Isobel Raven is a must-read for parents and teachers confronting the issues of early literacy. A fresh look at improving outcomes for the "struggling average" child, written in an engaging style.

Dianne Johnson, Co-ordinator Special Education (Reading), Toronto District School Board, (ret.)

The Future of Fonics by Isobel Raven is an excellent book for the general reader interested in education, language and the pitfalls of English spelling.

Dorothy Hart, Ontario Elementary Teacher, (ret.)

I was fascinated by the explanations of where phonics fail. The failures are obvious now that they have been pointed out, but this is the first time I have even thought about it. The war stories are great -- amusing and increased my understanding. The Future of Fonics is a good read.

Barb Nobel, Social worker , Toronto

This book is a primer for every teacher-generalist or specialist. I love the idea of the 2000-word intelligible code.

Dawn Douthwaite, Teacher, Mission BC

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About the Author

A crucial experience tutoring Valdet, an eight-year-old Kosovo refugee, transformed this placid retiree into a crusader for spelling reform. Valdet's battles with reading clicked with Isobel Raven's long experience as a first-grade teacher. There she had identified a group of learners she called "the struggling average." These children of average ability, while not candidates for special education, plodded desperately in their efforts to learn to read, unlike their "happy average" classmates.

Five years of university study in philosophy and psychology prepared Ms Raven for the rigors of researching and writing The Future of Fonics . In later years she taught basic literacy skills to adult students. This brought her up against the obstacles English spelling throws in the way of mature learners. Her life as a wife and mother kept her in touch with the concerns of parents for the education of their children.

Isobel Raven now lives in Toronto, Canada, devoting herself to writing, reading, family and friends, and her cat, not necessarily in that order.

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Excerpts

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Catalogue Information

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