What is the best way to teach
reading?
Ask any 20
educators this question, and you may receive 20 different answers. The controversy over how to teach reading has
been around for decades and continues to be relevant today.
As the field
of Educational Neuroscience (the blending of brain research and educational
research into a new scientific field) continues to grow, our knowledge of how our
brain learn becomes better understood.
A study
co-authored by Professor Bruce McCandliss published in Brain and Language from Stanford Neuroscience Institute provides
some of the first neurological-reading evidence. Learning specific neurological teaching strategies is of
great importance to students and teachers.
The Study
In this
study, researchers devised a new written language and divided several students
into two groups for instruction. In one
group, the students were taught to read using a letter-to-sound instruction (/c/
…. /a/ …. /t/) method. The other group
was instructed to read using a whole-word association (‘cat’) method. After learning multiple words under both
approaches, these words were presented in a reading test while brainwaves were
monitored.
The Results
The visual
brain mapping techniques used in this study showed various parts of the brain
activated while reading. Students in
both instructional groups learned to read words, but the brain map showed students’
learning took place in different areas.
It was determined that newly learned words were influenced by how they were taught; not just what students were taught.
The Significance
Students in
the letter-to-sound instructional group showed activity on the left side of the
brain, which activates the visual and language regions. During early word recognition, the left side
of the brain is activated for skilled readers. According to McCandless, “Ideally, this is the
brain circuitry we are hoping to activate in beginner readers.”
Students in
the whole word instructional group learned sufficiently to recognize particular
words on the reading test, but the underlying brain circuitry was impaired. Instead of using the left hemisphere, these
students engaged the right side of the brain - which is characteristic of
children and adults who struggle with reading.
The Conclusion
According to
McCandliss, “It’s like shifting the gears of the mind – when you focus your attention
of different information associated with a word, you amplify different brain
circuits.”
McCandliss also stated, “If children
are struggling, even if they’re receiving phonics instruction, perhaps it’s
because of the way they are being asked to focus their attention on the sounds
within spoken words and links between those sounds and the letter within visual
words.”
The Application
When applying the results of the
study, the best strategy to insure students are “focusing attention on the
sounds” is to implement Phonemic Awareness instruction, the ability to detect
sounds in words. Focusing on the sounds
within each word will help students activate the visual and language areas of
the brain needed for reading success.
Carleen M. Paul owns
Skills for Success Learning, an online educational company providing students
with the latest services in Educational Neuroscience. She can be reached at
951.858.1643 or www.SkillsForSuccessLearning.com
Wong, May. (2015, May 20). Standford study on brain waves shows how
different teaching methods affect reading development. Retrieved from https://news.stanford.edu/2015/05/28/reading-brain-phonics-052815/
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