It’s no secret that reading is the foundational skill behind children’s ability to learn and process information, both in the classroom and the real world. That’s why seeing the “science of reading” gain traction among education policymakers is such welcome news.
An evolving body of cognitive research, the science of reading looks at how people learn to read and provides best practices for instruction. Among other things, it emphasizes the critical role of phonics-based learning, which asks students to match letters and words with their corresponding sounds.
To learn more about the science of reading and how it can be incorporated in the classroom, I recommend reading this paper entitled “The ‘Reading Brain’ is Taught, Not Born.” I’ve included some main takeaways from it below.
Nature vs. Nurture
The paper begins with a key assertion: in contrast with innate human functions like oral language, there is no such “ready-made genetic program” for reading. Instead, the brain “must create new circuits” to learn this man-made skill.
Indeed, contemporary research suggests that humans only began reading and writing some 5,000 years ago, while our species has been communicating orally for much longer (anywhere from 70,000 to 200,000 years, according to different anthropologists).
In this context, helping students develop and connect the different parts of the brain needed for reading (vision, language, cognition, etc.), a.k.a. creating “new circuits,” is of paramount importance for teachers and parents.
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Teach phonics in tandem with other aspects of language
While phonics instruction is strongly supported by evidence and favored by the science of reading, it is not the only instruction method educators should utilize for students, especially as they grow older.
The paper, citing different trials, contends that phonics taught in combination with other aspects of language is “significantly more effective than phonics instruction alone,” especially for developing reading fluency. Other important areas include semantics, syntax, pragmatics and background knowledge.
In practice, students are most likely to learn through instruction that is “phonics-forward,” but also “language-based” and “multicomponent,” helping students combine different cognitive skills required for reading. Moreover, changes in the brain related to reading happen in the first 20 years of a person’s life (if not longer), emphasizing the importance of literacy instruction that begins “well before kindergarten and continues past secondary education.”