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Methods of teaching literacy—analytic, synthetic, and electric
The methods of teaching literacy are sometimes like the blind men and the elephant – each has their own perspective, but only when you look at them all together can you truly understand what’s going on. In this guide, we’ll take an in-depth look at three different methods of teaching literacy, commonly known as analytic, synthetic, and electric. The more information you have about your choices as a parent, the better able you’ll be to make the right decision for your child. (Note: we’ve also created an infographic summarizing this information – see below).
All children can learn to read; it’s just a matter of how and when they learn to do so. When teaching literacy, your goal should be to choose the most appropriate method that works with your child’s personality and allows him or her to learn at the fastest pace possible. If you want to understand more about methods of teaching literacy, keep reading for an overview of three popular types – analytic, synthetic and electric – and their advantages and disadvantages.
Analytic Method of Teaching
The analytic method focuses on breaking down words into their smallest parts—phonemes, or the smallest units of sound. This helps children understand how words are made up and how to read them. However, this method can be quite confusing for children, as they have to learn a lot of new terms. Additionally, it’s hard for students who are learning English to use this method because it doesn’t focus on recognizing whole words in context.
You also need to be able to pronounce all phonemes correctly. Lastly, if you’re not careful with how you break down words into parts (for example, confusing a long o sound with a short o sound), it can make learning how to read even more difficult! If your child has trouble reading anything that isn’t broken down into parts, then this might not be the right method for him/her.
Synthetic Method of Teaching
The synthetic method focuses on putting together longer words by using phonic principles and applying them in context. It uses lots of repetition and provides plenty of examples that help children learn how to read common words quickly. For example, when teaching reading patterns like ss-ee-i-n-g or rr-o-u-n-d, an entire word is spelled out from beginning to end before it is broken down again.
With the synthétique method, teachers teach children basic concepts like writing letters and identifying sounds first before moving onto reading and writing syllables. Children learn by doing. For example, instead of just telling children that cats have three vowels (a-e-i), kids would actually practice tracing those vowels with their fingers over the word cat. The drawback to this method is that some children might become frustrated when they are not able to get it right away or not see immediate results. Also, these activities take time, which may not always be available during school hours.
Electric Method of Teaching
The electric method is a new and popular method of teaching literacy. This method uses an electronic device, such as a computer or iPad, to help children learn to read. The advantage of this method is that it can be very engaging for children. Additionally, this method can be customized to each child’s individual needs. However, the disadvantage of the electric method is that it can be expensive if you need to purchase an electronic device for your child. Some people worry about potential harm from too much screen time. In addition, there are concerns about how to manage distractions from other apps on the devices. Lastly, some people find that this approach doesn’t provide enough face-to-face interactions with other people.
One reason is that children often don’t have someone sitting right next to them who can prompt them when they get stuck reading. Teachers often use guiding questions in the classroom, but students are usually not in close proximity to their teachers while using these devices at home.
