Question

One of the following is NOT a method of teaching reading. What is it?

• A. The word method
• B. The alphabetic method
• C. The look and say method
• D. The bilingual method

Answer 1

Answer:

C. The look and say method

Methods of Teaching Reading:

• Phonics Method:

  • Focus: Emphasizes the relationship between letters and sounds.
  • Process: Students learn to decode words by sounding out individual letters and letter combinations.
  • Benefits: Helps in developing strong decoding skills, essential for independent reading and spelling.
  • Exam Relevance: Frequently tested in teaching aptitude and English language sections of competitive exams.

• Whole Word Method (Sight Word Method):

  • Focus: Recognizes words as whole units without breaking them down phonetically.
  • Process: Children memorize the visual appearance of common words.
  • Benefits: Useful for high-frequency words that don't follow phonetic rules (e.g., 'the', 'is', 'are').
  • Exam Relevance: Understanding different approaches to word recognition is crucial for teaching methodology questions.

• Language Experience Approach (LEA):

  • Focus: Connects reading to students' own experiences and language.
  • Process: Children dictate stories or ideas, which are then written down and read by the teacher and students.
  • Benefits: Makes reading meaningful and relevant to the learner, fostering comprehension and motivation.
  • Exam Relevance: Often highlighted in exams that assess pedagogical approaches and child-centered learning.

• The Look and Say Method:

  • Focus: Primarily relies on memorizing the visual form of words.
  • Process: Students are shown a word and taught to recognize it instantly, similar to the whole word method but often with less emphasis on context or phonetics.
  • Limitations: Can hinder a student's ability to decode unfamiliar words and may lead to rote memorization rather than true understanding. It is generally considered less effective than phonics-based approaches for developing comprehensive reading skills.
  • Exam Relevance: Questions often probe the effectiveness and limitations of various teaching methods. Understanding why a method is considered less effective is key.

Key Considerations for Competitive Exams:

• Distinguishing Methods: Be able to differentiate between phonics, whole word, LEA, and other reading instruction techniques.
• Effectiveness: Understand which methods are widely regarded as most effective and why, particularly in early literacy development.
• Pedagogical Foundations: Recognize the underlying principles and research supporting different teaching strategies.