Teaching Phonics in Early Childhood

Discover evidence-based skills for teaching phonics to young children

Are you a parent, guardian or educator wanting to encourage literacy development in a young child? This 2-week course by QUT will share research-based knowledge and skills around code-based literacy in early childhood.

Intentionally and explicitly teaching the relationship between letters and sounds through play-based pedagogies is an important part of your child learning to speak, read and write. Phonics helps children listen to, identify and use different sounds that distinguish words from each other in the English language.

What is phonics, and why is phonological awareness important?

The course will begin with an introduction to phonics, explaining what exactly it is, and why it’s so important. Next, you’ll learn the best ways to teach phonics to children in the early years, including which resources to use.

You’ll gain an understanding of phonemes and phonological awareness, which is an understanding of the sound structure of words.

How to teach phonics using phonemes and graphemes

In week 2, you’ll discover some teaching strategies and models such as play-based pedagogy, which is a type of education based on open-ended play.

You’ll be introduced to some of the best activities to help teach children phonics, such as practising phonemes, graphemes and reading alphabet books. We’ll also discuss the ways belief can shape practice.

This is a general, introductory course aimed at anyone supporting children to prepare for school, including parents, educators and workers in early childhood education and care (ECEC), centre directors, early primary school teachers, and education leaders.

For Australian educators, this course aligns with the following Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST):

• Know the content and how to teach it
  • 2.1, 2.5
• Engage in professional learning
  • 6.1, 6.2, 6.3
• Engage professionally with colleagues
  • 7.4

For Australian educators in before-school settings, this course aligns with the following National Quality Standard (NQS):

• Quality Area 1 – Educational program and practice
  • Element 1.2.1 Intentional teaching: educators are deliberate, purposeful, and thoughtful in their decisions and actions.
  • Element 1.2.2 Response teaching and scaffolding: Educators respond to children’s ideas and play and extend children’s learning through open-ended questions, interactions and feedback.