University students who are studying to become teachers could correctly answer only 60 per cent of the questions on phonics, according to a new survey that highlights how equipped future educators are to teach children how to read. The results, shared with The Globe and Mail, showed that the student teachers could answer 64 per cent of questions on phonological awareness, which is the ability to identify and manipulate the speech sounds in language.
Robert Savage, the dean of the faculty of education at York University, weighed in on the survey. Savage says the results show a structural issue across institutions. “If teachers know only 60 per cent of the correct responses, then they can only teach with 60 per cent accuracy to their students at best. So, it clearly does have impacts,” he said.