Thursday, February 2, 2017

Why Johnny (Still) Can't Read

This is a summary from an article published 1/11/17 in The Wall Street Journal by Michael Roth.  Many students have had trouble learning how to read.  Horace Mann started the swing by saying whole language was the way to learn to read in the 1800's. In the middle of the 1900's we were swinging the other way where phonics was the most important way to teach reading.

This book, Language at the Speed of Sight, by Mark Seidenberg claims people learn best to read well by connecting reading with speech and practicing.  We are teaching the brain the abstract symbols that produce writing and reading.  First students must learn the alphabet and this requires feedback and practice.

This book states, "the dyslexic brain has trouble recognizing commonalities among words because of a phonological impairment - a deficit in the ability to link sound to word to meaning."  He also states that overall America is "not doing a good enough job of teaching young people deep reading skills."

I like to use both whole language and phonics as an approach.  English has so many secret codes.  silent k's, tch endings, s or es or ies as endings,  (to, two, too), (there, their, they're) and many more. Using a program that can read books to students is good as long as  the student actually looks at the words while they are highlighted and being read to them.  The brain is picking up the image and the sound of words and storing it whether they want to learn or not.  As an Ed Specialist having a one hour pull out per week is not enough time to really make a difference.  A have a twice a week phonics program for older elementary and would like even more time.  When students has ADHD it is hard to concentrate in a room with 25 other students.  Sometimes students don't know as many vocabulary words as others so pictures are some important.  With the visuals, students can obtain deeper meaning.

This article ends with, "Every teacher of young children as well as those who train them should read this book."  So I guess I will buy this and read on.

https://www.amazon.com/Language-Speed-Sight-Can-t-About/dp/0465019323/ref=mt_hardcover?_encoding=UTF8&me=


No comments:

Post a Comment