[Seaplaner]

It gets back to "whole language" (aka sight reading) versus phonics reading instruction philosophies.

Sight reader learners are at a major disadvantage, as they cannot sound-out most words, and (in my observation) are handicapped at a young age compared to phonics-trained students.

Teachers will swear up and down that whole language is superior, and will point to studies (poorly designed and controlled, one suspects) that support their falsified contentions.

[BobL]

“Teachers will swear up and down that whole language is superior, and will point to studies (poorly designed and controlled, one suspects) that support their falsified contentions.”

For those who doubt you, go to a Kumon Center, and see what approach to reading is used, when parents DIRECTLY pay the bill. Also ask them what they think of calculators in math instruction - 180 degrees opposite of those in the public schools who claim to know how to educate our kids.

[Myrddin]

Phonics was pushed in kindergarten through 2nd grade classes. My spelling skills were spotless as a consequence. Learning Welsh pushes phonics to the limits, to wit: llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. For Englsh speakers, the challenge was pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis. Sight reading won't cut it. Phonics plus understanding the rules of a given language will allow you to grasp multiple languages quickly. It doesn't help as much with tonal languages (Mandarin, Vietnamese, Thai) and omits syllable stress details e.g. Russian or gender inflection as observed in Arabic.

Vowel harmony in Turkish makes pronouncing that language easy. The front/back vowel complexities of Irish and Scots Gaelic are challenging. Running words together as is common in spoken French requires lots of practice.