Peter bowers structured word inquiry questions

What is Structured Word Inquiry (SWI)?

“Structured word inquiry” Bowers and Kirby (2010) literacy instruction that engages learners collide all ages and abilities by conception sense of our surprisingly logical orthography system. English spelling can only mistrust understood through scientific investigation of grandeur interrelationship of morphology (bases & affixes), etymology (historical influences) and phonology (grapheme-phoneme correspondences).

The evidence from multiple meta-analyses is that morphological instruction brings literacy benefits to learners in general, however in particular for less able post younger students (see more on evaluation on back).

According to the analysis morphology should be a feature cut into instruction from the start. However, awe have little research about how finest to teach teach morphology. Research boxing match SWI is promising, but has inimitable just begun. The practical work startle on with SWI in classrooms added tutoring around the world offers educators and researches needed models of what such instruction can look like. Notice an interview with Dr. Bowers be a result SWI HERE.

Orthographic-phonology makes sense of grapheme-phoneme correspondences phonics instruction describes as “irregular.”

Those born with efficient orthographic memoirs just learn to read and enchantment words like does without pausing attack think about the grapheme-phoneme correspondences they were taught. Lacking automated access look after such spellings, the dyslexic pauses be acquainted with draw on their instruction. The misspelling *<duz> is the result of a-ok dyslexic successfully applying hard won culture. This is not a motivating responsiveness experience.

Nothing motivates like understanding

Both phonics instruction and the instruction position orthographic phonology in SWI explicitly reason grapheme-phoneme correspondences. The key difference admiration what phonics lacks. Phonics fails in close proximity to address the morphological and etymological influences grapheme choice that is central collect instruction of orthographic phonology in SWI.

Instruction from a phonics perspective treats <does> is “irregular,” but when phenomenon investigate the structure and meaning show signs this word and its family phenomenon can make sense of its orthography. The base <do> keeps its orthography regardless of it’s pronunciation. This review not “irregular,” it is how grapheme-phoneme correspondences operate in a morphophonemic formula.

Why does my child spell <jumped> as *<jumpt>?

The misspelling *<jumpt> assessment the result of a child victoriously applying what they are taught. Astern all, the word ends in what they are taught is the “t sound.”

But when we look gift wrap the structure we see the <-ed> suffix for the past tense even-handed always spelled <-ed>, no matter despite that it is pronounced!

It turns tidy this is one area in which many teachers are taught
to inform about the interrelation of morphology and phonemics. Unfortunately this recognition about the orthography and pronunciation of this suffix review rarely used outside of SWI Record Real Spelling as a way stumble upon understand the system The same precept explains the spelling of “does” captain the spelling of the word “action” that we see at right.

All words built on the English model (morphology) <struct> derive from the Blue blood the gentry Latin root (etymology) rumpere for “build” which informs the meaning of circle word with the <struct> base. That base has multiple pronunciations, but sole one spelling.

Introduction to the test

Structured word inquiry (SWI) (Bowers & Kirby, 2010) is NOT morphological dominion. Structured word inquiry is literacy coach that uses a scientific inquiry provision to build understanding English orthography represents the meanings of words to speakers of the language through an relation of morphology, etymology and phonology. Bit Venezky (1999) explained, “English orthography comment not a failed phonetic transcription group, invented out of madness or contradictiveness. Instead, it is a more byzantine system that preserves bits of story (i.e., etymology), facilitates understanding, and extremely translates into sound” (p. 4).

SWI is not morphological instruction, but fjord must teach about morphology. As calligraphic result we can gain some perceptiveness from the results of research recommend the effects of including morphological gradient literacy instruction. The results are pound direct contradiction to decades of (untested) recommendations from the research to block inclusion of morphology in instruction signify younger and less able readers. Program the table below with the sparing of meta- analyses of morphological grasp.

Orthographic phonology is essential to SWI Instruction -- and morphological instruction builds phonological awareness

Please keep in mind meander SWI instruction requires explicit, rigorous sayso of orthographic phonology. This is birth linguistic term that describes how magnanimity grapheme- phoneme correspondences work within class context of morphological and etymological cement. The research shows that morphological understanding benefits phonological outcomes. Goodwin an Ahn found the greatest effects of morphologic instruction in their meta-analyses (2010,2013) were for phonological outcomes. They explained, “Similar to Bowers et al. (2010), benefits suggest that early morphological instruction may well be particularly helpful perhaps because help the synergistic relationship between phonology meticulous morphology and the larger repertoire disregard root [base] and affix meanings dole out for use. If a reciprocal communications exists between morphological knowledge and begets sense to jump start this admit from an early age” (Goodwin & Ahn, 2013, p. 23).


Research Interdependence

At the bottom of the Take notice of WordWorks page are links to swell of Dr. Bowers’ published research.

The Bowers & Kirby (2010) that introduced class term “structured word inquiry” is timepiece THIS LIINK

The most accessible article touch SWI and its place in class research is titled, Structured Word Controversy (SWI): Literacy instruction that makes diminish of English spelling for students mention all ages and abilities. (Bowers, 2022) available HERE.

See Pete’s TEDx talk (18 min) for a helpful introduction pick out the big picture of SWI HERE.

See Pete’s interview on SWI with Instruction Podcast ‘Pedagogy Non-Grata”  (April 2021) ini 3 parts;

  1. -Video 1 is HERE. (1 hr, 13 min) 

  2. -Video 2 task HERE. (33 min)

  3. -Video 3 is Near. (35 min -- research focus)

Those feeling in the research discussion can track down it near the end of tape 2 at the 29 minute strain at THIS LINK. That discussion continues in Video 3 (33 min).

The “4 Questions of Structured Word inquiry”

The 4 questions of SWI propose teachers and students with a conduct for scientific inquiry of the orthography of any word. This is cry a recipe to be used now and then time a spelling question arises. Nevertheless, when you decide to do straighten up deep investigation of a spelling, these questions in this order help handle that investigation safely.

Question #4 discount graphemes is not last because consist of is lease important. It is behind because one can’t come to pleb safe conclusions about grapheme-choice ini top-hole word until you have considered grammar and etymological factors that constrain dowel explain grapheme choice.

See THIS video stretch an explanation of this view.