> skip the phonics and jump to some kind of gestalt of the word shape

I like that summary. It highlights something specific for me: this teaching method is essentially about word grifting, as in “trying to cheat the text out of a meaning without having paid its cost of reading”. With that mindset instilled early and decades ago, it’s no wonder AI text is so prevalent in schools and that such schisms exist between its adherents and detractors. I bet the students who were taught to grift reading don’t realize anyone who learned reading one of the hard ways can identify AI text from nuances invisible to them.