I.t.a. revisited
Based on its use with first graders in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, for an eleven year period, Initial Teaching Alphabet (i.t.a.) appears to have a number of advantages for reading instruction. These years of research have indicated that advantages of are that it permits child to: advance sore rapidly in reading and writing experience; achieve significantly superior reading skills at an earlier time; read sore widely; write more prolifically, more extensively, and with a higher degree of proficiency; develop high spelling skills fairly early; show a lack of inhibitions in writing which are commonly found early in first year; and write gore creatively in terms of number of running words and number of polysyllabic words used. An analysis of subsidiary characteristics indicated a narked reduction in letter confusions, fewer restrictions on adhering to a particular structure in a published series, reduction in need for remedial reading posts, and a reduction in failure rate. (WO FILMED FROM BEST AVAILABLE COPY -PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS COPT. RIGHTED MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY Albert J. Mazurkiewitz TO ERIC AND OFIGANiZATI.AS OPERATING UNDER AGREEMENTS WITH THE NATIONAL IN STITUTE OF EDUCATION FURTHER REPRODUCTION OUTSIDE THE ERIC SYSTEM REQUIRES PERMISSION OF THE COPYRIGHT OWNER revisited Albert J. Nazurkiewicz Kean College of New Jersey U S MENTOR HEALTH. EDUCATION I Wt NATIONAL INSTITUTE Of EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HAS SEEN REPRO OUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIGIN ATING IT POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS LYME() DO NOT NECESSARILY RERRE SENT OFFICIAL NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION POSITION OR POLICY Since 1963, when major work in Bethlehem with began, eleven years of 1st grades, some 14,000 children in 45 classes have etxperienced achievement of reading. In this decade plus one, three successive populations were studied for six years, allowing replication of initial studies as well as investigations of a variety of factors. In my first year's report to C.R.A. membership at its Rochester meeting, little more than a statement that i.t.a.'s usage was of signiflcant value in reducing frustratir)n in learning to read, that children learned to read more easily and expressed themselves more readily, could. be offered. Appeartns on an AFA panel with Gibson, Levin and others in a subsequent year, T. was amazed to learn that I could not be faulted for my research design, but could he questioned as to my lacl, of a detailed theory of reading. Later, I was to be criticized by Warburton for my research design as one which permitted no useful knowledge about differences in learning in versus T.O. A clear case of dammed if you do and dammed if you don't is suggested. But this instance merely hints at myriad contradictions entailed in comment luring these years. As a result of behaviors by reading experts, typified best as somewhat suspect, much fiction has been generated about and these fictions abound in our professional texts. While it can be kindly said that these fictions merely indicate biases of individuals, it can be further stated that such statements reflect either a wholesale lack of scholarship or loss than minor study (if any) in such areas as learning, transfer effects, reactive inhibition, conservation, decentration, etc; and absolutely no knowledge of content or desii7n of existing materials. While I'm suggesting that our so called experts are inexpert, I should also to read as stating that several are incompetent. (You should not confuse my statements: I am not including Levin, Gibson, or Warburton among these.) !That, hmever, have these 11 academic years, 18 student years of study and reflection shown? The advantages of are not simply that it permits child to learn to read easily and well but these years of research also show that children: I. advance more rapidly in readilg and writing experience; achieve significantly superior reading skill at an earlier time; read more widely; and write more prolifically, more extensively, and with a higher degree of proficiency, than their T.O. counterparts and have no difficulty in making a reading transition to T.O. materials when they are allowed to develop sufficient confidence and efficiency. 2. develop very high spelling skill in fairly early. The transition to spelling T.O. in two years subsequent to initial reading is relatively easy when directed instruction and guidance in spelling are given; and achievement in spelling on standarized tests and in creative writing is significantly better. 3. show a lack of inhibitions in writing which are commonly found early in first year, and that this expressiveness continues into second and third years. Significant accomplishments are found in these children's creative writing in terms of number of running-words and number of polysylabic words used and, in relation to some published series, originality. When, however, an analysis of subsidiary characteristics is made, we note that there is 1. a marked reduction, to point almost of elimination, in typical 1,-d and other letter confusions suggesting that design of Pitman's characters contain additional discriminative features which are perceptually significant in tne learning process. Where no modification of character is made (n or u), intervention strategy to compensate was successful in adding discriminative features through verbal means. 2. We have observed that use of in a publisheC series does not demand that a particular structure be used for reading-writing program. No rule of prohibition or inhibition was discovered in use of as introductory medium to complex notational system: T.O. Thus an author's program could be based on his philosophy of educating child, on assumptions concerning way children learn best, or on studies of learning and research in reading and writing. The construction of a reading program which utilizes to a maximum advantage therefore may be limited by a publisher's economic needs or an author's philosophical views, but places no constraint on either. While vocabulary and interest content of a reading program is not limited by i.t.a., word analysis program is always a reflection of structure of orthography based on but, again, no particular organization is demanded. When an author chooses to use a look-say discovery approach to word recognition, he should expect that limitation of discovery approach, probably as an effect of pupils lack of development of conservation, will produce less skill than his materials might have if he chose a didactic phonic approach. But he cannot assume an inherent weakness of since is only an alphabet which is modified by eight rules into an orthography. It is his lack of understanding of learning theory, etc. which has produced effect, not When an author chooses to use language experience elements which encourages and programs written expression by child almost from first day of school, he can expect a somewhat lesser reading skill 1:velorient than obtainable if writing is discouraged, but he can also e;:pect a significant out-pourinc; of written expression has a long-lasting effect on child's ability to express himself confidently and well. If he married the. language experience approach with deliberate interventions from traditional to promote selfreliance and self-directed expression, he can expect a long-lasting effect en tie child's ability to approach such tasks with oricinality. 3. While aboN'e arc importat to an examination of stren ;tbs and weaknesses, effects of an beginning are more importantly studied on longitudinal bases. In three such studies, (Bethlehem, Bloomfield and Livingston) replicated finding that a. A 75 to 805 reduction. in need for remedial reading post as compared to T.O. counterparts is a major, significant, educational benefit for a school district in terms of benefit to child who has not had to suffer failure and egodamage, and in terms of economic benefit when reorientation and use of staff released from wasteful and negligbly effective remedial work is possible. b. Further findings that a reduction in failure rate by more than 605 over a six year period or that remedial reading needs in an taught population were largely In terms of comprehension not decoding, more than suggests, it shrieks out loud, that has such decided advantages that one can only nod in agreement with Warburton and Southgate (i.t.a.! an independent evaluation) who indicated that the best way to learn to read in T.O. is.to le'arn to read in i.t.a. Weakness of usage, in contrast with strengths of itself, are legion. Each of those that can be enumerated reflect instructional inadequacy, philosophical bits, etc. and are not a reflection of inadequacy of For example, child who, having an beginning, has not suffered ego-damage, who has giined confidence in his ability to master complex process of learning to read, who has not been inhibited in writing what he can say or think, and who is released early to an independent learning approach, becomes a confident child, fearless in his attack on reading and writing. He becomes a child strongly independent of teacher and what's more, he knows it. For teachers who need a child's dependency on her, such a child is a difficult one to deal with. While we'd agree developing confident, independent learners is an
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