Australian Broadcasting Corporation   LOCATION:
http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2005/s1527194.htm  Broadcast:
08/12/2005  Go back to basic for literacy program: report
Reporter: Rebecca Baillie  KERRY O'BRIEN: To say the debate over
child literacy has been passionate is an understatement. What is
the best way to teach children to read? Today, a scathing new
report commissioned by Federal Education Minister Brendan Nelson
is set to reignite that debate. In calling for a major shake-up
it recommends teachers go back to basics with a greater emphasis
on phonics, a method that relies on breaking words into
syllables and sounds. But critics fear an overemphasis on
phonics is old fashioned and promotes rote learning at the
expense of comprehension. What are the other key recommendations
and how will they affect teachers, pupils and parents? Rebecca
Baillie reports.  REBECCA BAILLIE: This six-year-old may sound
like she's learning a new language, but it's actually English,
reduced to its 44 basic sounds. Phonics