Creators and supporters of this method call it “linguistic phonics” or “speech-to-print phonics.” The difference between linguistic phonics and some other approaches is a technical one springing from how they get kids to make those connections. The linguistic phonics approach was first popularized by Diane McGuinness, a cognitive psychologist, in the 1990s. In some linguistic phonics programs, students aren’t required to fully master individual phonics skills before moving on to new concepts. Focusing on common patterns, as linguistic phonics does, makes teaching “really efficient, and it makes it more focused on student practice,” said Kearns.