If We Don’t Teach Students to Think, Phonics Will Never Stick

We Keep Saying Struggling Readers Need More Phonics. But What If We’re Wrong?

We’ve been teaching phonics for decades. But why are kids still struggling to read?

Phonics isn’t failing kids—our approach to cognition is.

Every day, a student walks into the classroom, sits down, and struggles. The lessons are there. The phonics drills are repeated. The worksheets pile up. And yet, nothing clicks.

Educators ask: Do they need more phonics? More practice? More exposure? But what if we’re asking the wrong question?

What if it’s not a phonics problem, but a thinking process problem?

Cognitive processing is more than just acquiring information—it’s about learning how to learn. Unlike traditional approaches that rely on memorization and repetition, cognitive processing helps students engage deeply with the material, making thinking, learning, and remembering easier over time. When a child struggles with reading, it’s not just about drilling phonics—it’s about developing the cognitive processes that support reading success.

Recently, I conducted a poll asking a simple but powerful question: What’s the biggest reason struggling readers stay behind? The results were telling:

• Lack of phonics – 46%
• Not enough practice – 38%
• Cognitive deficits not taught – 5%
• Poor classroom engagement – 10%

At first glance, these results may seem to confirm what many already believe—that struggling readers simply need more phonics instruction and practice. But as someone who has spent years studying literacy through the lens of cognition, I was shocked that only 5% of respondents recognized cognitive deficits as a major factor.

And that tells me one thing: we have a major blind spot in how we understand reading failure.

A Moment That Changed Everything

I still remember the day I sat with a struggling reader—let’s call him Elijah. His teacher had been working with him for months, using a structured phonics program. She was convinced that with more practice, Elijah would catch up.

But as I watched him try to read, I saw something different.

He stared at the page, gripping his pencil tight. His lips moved as he tried to sound out the word “cat.”

“C-a-t,” he whispered, tapping each letter with his finger. But then his face twisted in frustration. He started again. “C...a...” He stopped. “I don’t know.”

The teacher encouraged him to try again. But each time, it was the same—he could sound out the letters, but he couldn’t blend them together. His eyes darted around the page as if searching for an answer that wouldn’t come.

That’s when I knew: This wasn’t a phonics problem. This was a cognitive problem.

Teachers Are Frustrated—But Are We Asking the Right Questions?

I’ve seen it happen time and time again. Everything seems to be going well with phonics—until students have to segment and blend. That’s when it happens. Their eyes go to the sky, their heads bow, or worse—tears start falling. Some students shut down, others get angry. I’ve seen children act out, sent to detention, or even sent home because they reached a breaking point with reading.

Yet, I’ve never once heard a teacher say, “They’re crying because I don’t know how to help them think through the process or open up their working memory.” Not once. Instead, struggling students are often labeled, remediated, or moved out of the classroom. But the truth is, this isn’t a discipline issue—it’s a cognitive issue.

I recently spoke with a teacher who sighed in frustration, saying, “I’ve tried everything—why won’t he get it?” She had drilled phonics daily, but the student still struggled. When I asked if she had ever considered his cognitive processing, she looked at me, confused. “What do you mean?” That’s the problem—too many educators don’t even know this is missing.

Cognition is the Missing Link in Phonics Struggles

The reality is that when children struggle with phonics, it’s often because of cognitive deficits—not just a lack of exposure to phonics itself.

Reading isn’t just about memorizing letter-sound relationships. It requires the brain to engage in a series of complex cognitive processes. If these underlying cognitive functions are weak, phonics instruction alone won’t be enough.

When we say cognitive deficits not taught, we’re talking about:

• Auditory Processing – Can the child hear and distinguish between sounds correctly? Without this, phonics instruction won’t stick.
• Working Memory – Can they hold sounds and words in their mind long enough to process them? If not, blending sounds together becomes impossible.
• Processing Speed – Can they quickly and efficiently decode and comprehend text? A slow processor will struggle, even with explicit phonics instruction.
• Executive Function – Can they focus, plan, and shift between different reading tasks? A distracted brain won’t retain phonics rules.
• Pattern Recognition – Can they recognize letter-sound relationships quickly enough to read fluently? Without this, decoding words remains a frustrating struggle.

If these cognitive skills are weak, a child might learn phonics rules—but still struggle to apply them in real reading situations. That’s why more phonics isn’t always the answer.

The Next Step: Shifting the Conversation

How many more kids will struggle before we admit phonics alone isn’t enough?

?? Educators, parents, reading specialists—this is the conversation we NEED to have. Let’s talk.

Are we really closing the reading gap—or just repeating the same mistakes? Drop your thoughts below. Let’s challenge the status quo.

If we don’t teach kids to think, phonics will never stick.

#Literacy #ReadingIntervention #ScienceOfReading #EducationMatters #CognitiveDevelopment #StrugglingReaders