The idea that reading must be taught through the sounds of speech (decoding individual words) is 170 years old. So, why do two-thirds of all Grade 4, 8, and 12 students still struggle with reading when reading is commonly taught this way?
Simple: The idea is wrong and, thus, early reading instruction is significantly flawed.
Here are the RIGHT ideas that foster fluent reading fully grounded in comprehension regardless of age or stage of development:
From Read Right Developer Dr. Dee Tadlock, reading expert:
- The nature of the neural network built in the brain by the learner to guide the process of reading determines whether the student becomes an excellent reader or not.
- Reading, like all processes, operates implicitly (below the level of our conscious awareness) and must be learned implicitly (through consistent effort focused on the production of reading that is always comprehended and as fluent as natural speech).
- Anticipating the author’s message, not figuring out the individual words, is the foundational strategy of excellent reading. “Anticipation” is an essential implicit brain function that compels efficiency in everything we do. Without it, the brain’s highly complex network of integrated systems could not function efficiently.
Implications of the Three Assumptions:
To build a neural network that guides the process of reading correctly in the first place, the brain must have simultaneous access to all information needed to successfully figure out the complex process of anticipating the author’s meaning, must be in an environment that holds the brain accountable to produce excellent reading, and must not be misled by instruction based on an assumption that the foundational strategy for reading is figuring out what the words are. Read Right methodology provides the right kind of environment to guide developing readers to produce excellent reading each and every time he/she/they read. It’s what the methods are designed to do.
Not only does Read Right guide developing readers to reading excellence, it transforms struggling readers with mild to severe reading problems–including dyslexia–into excellent readers. We’ve successfully done it for decades. Give Online Tutoring or On-Site Training for Read Right Reading Programs a try.
