By Dee Tadlock, Ph.D.
Each month we bring you a column by Read Right developer, Dee Tadlock, Ph.D. Read Right empowers kids with the philosophy that, if a child isn’t learning to read, it’s not because there’s something wrong with the child. Rather there’s something “wrong” with the way the child is being taught! Let’s show you what we mean.
Can you understand the meaning of the following paragraph?
Aoccdrnig to rseerach, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are prseetend. The olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht frist and lsat ltteres are at the rghit pclae. Th rset cn be a toatl mses nd yu cn sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm.
You probably got the meaning even though you couldn’t have sounded out most of the words! Nor could you have recognized any of them by sight! Now try this:
With hocked gems financing him
Our hero bravely defied all scornful laughter
That tried to prevent his scheme
Your eyes deceive he had said
An egg not a table correctly typifies this unexplored planet
Now three sturdy sisters sought proof…1
You didn’t get the meaning, did you? Even though you “read” all the words the first time, you probably didn’t understand the author’s meaning. Now read it again and this time think: Christopher Columbus1.
The Read Right system was developed by a mom, Dr. Dee Tadlock, who was determined to help her son, a struggling reader. This required her to discover how the brain learns to read successfully. During her extensive research, she found that reading (whether early reading development or remediation) must be grounded in meaning, not decoding. Since 1991, Dr. Tadlock and Read Right Systems have helped thousands of children, teens, and adults in the United States, Canada, China, and Germany through school-based programs, telephone tutoring, and at-home programs.
Read Right’s premise that all children can learn to read, plus their phenomenal success rate, is why NSFM partners with Read Right. Reading empowers the lives of children and, together with Read Right, we are in the business of empowering kids.
1J. Dooling and R. Lachman, 1972, “Effects of Comprehension on Retention of Prose” Journal of Experimental Psychology, Volume 88, pages 216-222.
Reading is a mosaic of subconscious activity in the brain that is dependent on foundational concepts such as these: books tell stories, books make sense, there is a right-side up and an upside-down to books, you always turn pages in the same direction, there is a proper time to turn the page, reading is fun, and stories tell about other people, places, and experiences.
This important foundation is laid by enjoying books with children from the time they are very young and doing so often. In fact, having books around and talking about the value of books, even if you yourself aren’t an excellent reader, motivates kids to learn to read. Children develop a comfort with books, pretending they can read, making up the story as they go.
Each child has to figure it out for herself, but all children can read when they develop a concept of what reading is and when they have an environment that allows them to experiment over and over again until they “get it”—just like riding a bike! As conscious parents, we need to acknowledge our own feelings about reading and, if reading aloud is not something we’re passionate about, we can find other people willing to share that passion with our children. It is worth the effort! Why is reading out loud so important?
INFLUENCE YOUR CHILD TO VALUE READING
Everyone is familiar with the adage: “Actions speak louder than words.” As a parent, you are the most important person in the life of your child. The value you give to reading is the value your child is likely to give it also. Read to your child on a daily basis. If you enjoy reading to yourself more than reading aloud, find someone else to read aloud to your child as you convey how much you enjoy reading to yourself. Tell him you can hardly wait until he can read all by himself. Read at bedtime, naptime, and any time you can. Get books that are relevant to what’s happening in life; visitors coming, trips to the doctor, the dentist, or the hospital, holidays, places you might go on vacation.
There is a direct link between how much your child values reading and how strong his or her intent is to experiment and figure out the process for himself. Toddlers who “experiment” by opening a book and turning its pages “just like mommy or daddy” are in the process of forming important foundational neural circuitry that eventually will contribute to mastering the complex process of reading.
FAMILIARIZE CHILDREN WITH “BOOK CONVENTIONS”
Children who are read to frequently learn all kinds of essential things about books: what the front is, how the back looks, how to turn a page, and that the print on a page represents the same meaning being expressed by the reader. They begin to figure out what a word is in print, and they learn that, while not exactly the same, the language found in books is very similar to language in everyday conversation. Frequent reading to your child will help familiarize him with all of these book conventions, making it easier for her to figure out how to make sense out of reading.
CREATE OPPORTUNITIES TO EXPOSE YOUR CHILD TO NEW INFORMATION
You can broaden your child’s world by reading books on subjects that are new to him. The joy you feel reading books on topics that you’re passionate about will be evident to your child, and both of you will share an on-going special time as you give your child a very precious gift: the love of reading.
Reading aloud expands your child’s knowledge of the world; it will also expand her knowledge of language. Children who are read to a lot have much larger vocabularies when they enter school compared to children who are not. Reading aloud from a variety of books also exposes children to more complex sentence structure than is commonly heard in everyday language. Their brains will assimilate the complex structures naturally and without effort.
CREATE AN EMOTIONAL TIE WITH YOUR CHILD
When you read to your child, hold him in your lap with your arms around him and let him snuggle into your body. This creates warm, loving feelings in both of you and those feelings will be associated in your child’s mind with books and the act of reading. Associating reading with a warm and positive emotion helps lay a strong foundation for a love of books that will translate to life-long learning.
VERY YOUNG CHILDREN CAN FIGURE OUT READING ALL BY THEMSELVES
Every year, thousands of children as young as three, four, and five, surprise their parents by picking up favorite stories and reading them—really reading them-- with no formal instruction! Research shows that these children had been read to often, had access to information about the alphabet, and had ready access to answers for questions about books from parents and others. You can create the same conditions at home to help your child experiment and figure out the reading process—and it all begins in those special moments, snuggled up with your child reading a good book!
About the Author:
Dee Tadlock, Ph.D. is the founder of Read Right Systems. In her book, Read Right! Coaching Your Child to Excellence in Reading she explains how some children figure out the reading process with no apparent help. www.ReadRight.com
November 2007