17. I read 'Why Our Children Can't Read' by Diane McGuinness and 'Reading Reflex' by Carmen and Geoffrey McGuinness. I'm confused--who developed Phono-Graphix?

About Read America
Carmen and Geoffrey McGuinness developed the Phono-Graphix reading method between the years of 1989 and 1993. Read America clinic was founded by Carmen and Geoffrey McGuinness early in 1993 By September of that year the Phono-Graphix method had been fully formulated and a research study was under way at the clinic. The results of that study were published in the Orton Annals of Dyslexia (1996), the science journal of the International Dyslexia Society. Since that time numerous field studies have been conducted that evidence the efficacy of Phono-Graphix in primary classrooms, remedial classrooms through secondary years, resource rooms, and volunteer programmes. As of the Spring of 1999 Phono-Graphix was at work in ten thousand classrooms in five countries.

About Phono-Graphix
Phono-Graphix is a system of teaching reading and spelling that addresses the concepts, skills and information needed to be a successful reader and speller.

Concepts (the nature of the English orthographic code)

letters are pictures of sounds
a sound picture can be made with one or more letters
there is more than one way to spell most sounds giving the code variation
there is overlap between many of the sound pictures

Skills (what the brain does to sort out a code like that described above)

segment sounds
blend sounds
manipulate sounds

Information

the 140 sound pictures that represent the 40 or so sounds in English

The Developers of Phono-Graphix
Carmen McGuinness During my twelve year career as a teacher and research psychologist I've researched, written about and lectured on many topics pertaining to children. In 1988 I consulted for NBC while our school hosted the filming of a documentary on learning disabilities. In 1990 our school again hosted a documentary in which I appeared as an education consultant on the topic of sex differences in learning styles ('Brain Sex", Discovery Channel,), first airing in September of 1992. In 1991 I addressed the American Montessori Society, on the topic of reading instruction, at that organization's national conference in Boston.

In recent years I've spent most of my time training hundreds of parents and teachers in the Phono-Graphix method, consulting for the British government in their National Literacy Strategy, and working with parents and teachers on our website.

My writing career commenced in 1985 when I wrote "Discovery Of The Parent," a Montessori parenting guide with specific activities included. I have written numerous magazine articles for various educational and parent publications. From 1990 to the present I have co-authored three scientific research papers. I am the chief author of Phono-Graphix- A New Method For Remediating Reading Problems, published in the November 1996 edition of the Orton Annals of Dyslexia, and Reading Reflex, a book for parents wishing to teach their grade school children to read, to be released by Simon & Schuster's Free Press in 1997. I have recently completed work on a second book, How to Raise Your Child's Verbal Intelligence, releasing with Yale University Press in April, 1999. This will be released by Yale University Press in August, 1999.

Geoffrey McGuinness I completed an honors degree (B.A.) in Philosophy at the University of Bristol in Bristol, England in 1984. My teaching career began at a private research school which I operated with my wife Carmen. I have taught children from the age of four to fourteen. From 1993 to the present I have been the national director of the Read America Clinic in Orlando, Florida. In my capacity as such I have tested and diagnosed the reading problems of over two hundred children and adults. I am a collaborator and co-author of Phono-Graphix- A New Method For Remediating Reading Problems, published in the November 1996 edition of the Orton Annals of Dyslexia. I am the co-author of Reading Reflex, a book for parents wishing to teach their grade school children to read, to be released by FreePress in 1997.

My degree in philosophy affords me extensive knowledge about the nature of language and its relationship to logical reasoning. In 1994, with numerous requests from the parents of graduates of the Read America clinic, I began to develop a method of teaching children to comprehend better, to express themselves better, and to increase their vocabularies, logical reasoning and creativity. The resulting verbal intelligence program is the topic of our current book, How to Raise Your Child's Verbal Intelligence, releasing with Yale University Press in April, 1999.

Speaking Engagements

The Orton Dyslexia Society Annual National Conference Lecture, 11/97, Minnesota
Core Knowledge Foundation Annual Conference Lectures, 3/98, Atlanta
The Green Conference for Achieving Universal Literacy Lecture & Debate, 4/98, Dallas
National Radio Satellite Tour, 2/98 through 4/98, thirty-two major cities only
The Reading Foundation Lecture, 12/97 and 3/98 Calgary, Alberta, CAN
Pueblo College Lectures, 6/98, Denver, CO
Westminster Central Hall Lecture, 7/98, London, England
San Francisco Unified School District Lectures, 8/98 and 9/98
First International Phono-Graphix Overseas Course, London, 10/26 to 10/31/98
Making Every Minute Count, Schools Tour, England & Wales, 10/98
University of Bristol, Lecture, Bristol, England, 10/22/98
Institute of Education, Lecture, 10/29/98
School Heads and Women Teachers Union Lecture Tour, Durham, England, 11/99
Office of Standards in Education Annual Conference, London, England, 12./99
Conference on Phonics, London, England, 3/29/99
Patoss Annual Conference, keynote address, 4/99
Downs Association of Great Britain, 4/99
Core Knowledge Annual Conference, Orlando, 4/99
Ottawa School Board, 5/99
Learning Disabilities Association of Ottawa, 5/99

Forbes Magazine, 10-20-97
Express-Times, 12-2-97
Allentown Morning Call, 4-8-98
Daily Telegraph, England, 5-30-98
25 City US Radio Tour, 6/98
Sunday Telegraph, England, 6-7-98
Orlando Sentinel, 9-7-97 & 6-7-98
Nature Magazine, 5-21-98
Houston Press, 5-14-98
The Belfast Telegraph, Ireland, 8/98
The Canberra Times, Australia, 8/98
New York Times (review of Reading Reflex), 8/2/98
Just One Chance opening segment (BBC2 television), 9/22/98
The Daily Mail, England, 9/27/98
The Daily Commercial, Leesburg, 10/98
The Independent, England, 12/98
The Daily Telegraph, England, 12/98
The Belfast Telegraph, Ireland, 1/99
Daily Telegraph 5/99
Canadian Broadcast Corporation, 5/99
The Trevor McDonald Show, airing 12/99

18. My students are tuning out my error corrections.

The error corrections described in Reading Reflex, Word Work and the Phono-Graphix Clinical Manual have been researched and proven very effective. I suggest you review the following article from our parenTeacher magazine to be sure you're doing your error corrections correctly.

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The error corrections are the secret ingredient in Phono-Graphix. They're that magical teachable moment when the teacher can make or break the point. For far too long teachers have been taught how to teach as a preventative. Well, that's lovely if you're the perfect child. The latent learner who lies in wait for pearls of wisdom to come from the mouth of Miss. But guess what!... Even the prince of latent learning, Albert Bandura, knew that some things can be learned this way, and some just can't. So model through good reading, and tell the children what this sound picture is and what that sound picture is, but when they err, be ready with the error correction that will take that mixed up logic or that missing piece, or that wrong option, and force the logic of the nature of the code right into their little brains... gently of course.

There are four basic error types

• Phonological errors in which the child omits, adds or reverses a sound.
• Phonic errors made because the child did not know the phonetic code, or tried to use a letter name to read the word.
• Global errors based on a guess.
• Visual errors of visual memory or acuity (d/b m/w t/f).

General guidelines for correction of errors

1. Run your finger along the top of the word to indicate the sound pictures as you slowly say the word.

2. Do not segment the words for the child, but say the word very slowly. Your finger should be just over each sound picture as you say that part of the word slowly. This technique allows the reader to learn that what you see is what you hear.

3. Always refer to the sound, never to the letter name. Each lesson has examples of error corrections.

4. Correct one error at a time.

5. Start with phonological errors (errors where the child has left out, added or reversed a sound).

6. Then move to phonic errors (errors where a child has mis-read a sound picture).

7. Offer feedback about what the child has done, and then offer new information or skill guidance to help him correct.

8. Offer an error correction even if the child self corrects, just to sum up what happened.

Typical errors and corrections

Child reads 'please' as 'piece'

Say, "If this was 'piece' there wouldn't be an 'l' (sound), but there is. Read all the sounds please, and make sure you say that 'l'." Now the child will correct to read the word as 'pleace' ('s' last sound). Say, "Good, you got the 'l' in that time." Point to the 'se' and say, "This can be 's', but it can also be 'z'. Try it as 'z'." Now the child should read 'please'. Say, "Good, and that's a real word isn't it? It makes sense in the sentence. Good job!"

Child reads 'Spanish' as 'spinach'

Point to the 'a' and ask what sound it is. If the child can't identify the sound 'a' simply tell him the correct sound. If the child correctly identifies it go on to say, "You said 'spinach' (accenting the 'i'). We need an 'a' here (pointing to the 'a'). Try again please." Now he will correct to read the word as 'spanich'. Pointing to the 'sh' say, "What sound is this?" Again you should tell him if he doesn't know.

Child reads 'bed' as 'dead'

Indicate 'b' and say, "If this was dead, this would be 'd', but it's 'b'. Try again please."

Child reads 'clown' as 'clone' in the sentence, 'There was a funny clown at the circus.'

Indicate the 'ow' and say, you read this as 'oe', and it can be 'oe', but "'There was a funny clone at the circus,' doesn't make sense. It can also be 'ow', try it as 'ow' and see if that makes more sense."

Child reads 'house' as 'home' in the sentence, 'The boy lived in a nice house.'

Say, "I think you guessed this word (indicating 'house'). Please read it (indicating 'house')."

Child reads 'simple' as 'simply'

Say, "This (indicating 'le') is a way to show 'l'.

Child reads 'containing' as 'continuing'

Indicating the first chunk say, "You got the first chunk right 'con'. Now read the next chunk (offering code knowledge as needed on 'ai'). So what have you got so far (contain). Good, and what's next?"

Child reads 'stamped' as 'stamp'

Say, "You didn't finish the word. After 'stamp', what's next?"

Child reads 'show' as 'shower'

Using your finger to indicate the word as you say it slowly say, "If this is 'shower', where's the 'er'? Read the whole word please." Now the child should correct to 'show' ('ow' as in 'cow'). Say, "Good, but 'show' isn't a word. This (indicating 'ow') can be 'ow', but it can also be 'oe'. Try 'oe' please."

Child reads 'earn' as 'near'

Say, "What's the first sound in this word?" Now he should correct to 'eern'. Say, "This (indicating 'ea') can be 'ee', but this (indicating 'ear') can also be 'er'. Try 'er' please."