That’s phonics. Proponents say it frees up brain space because children are not memorizing words but rather sounding them out – cracking the code – so they can then analyze and critique the ...

• Professor Tom Nicholson is a specialist in children's literacy at Massey University's Institute of Education, Auckland campus. Recently I gave a talk to ...

But for the last few decades, the cognitive science has been clear: Teaching young kids how to crack the code—teaching systematic phonics—is the most reliable way to make sure that they learn ...