Developing Reading Proficiency
In the article Children Teach Themselves to Read, Peter Gray offers a perspective on how and when your children should be taught to read. Or, rather, why your children shouldn’t be taught to read. Unfortunately, many schools are still convinced that children should be inundated with methods like phonics so every child in one grade can be on the same level. The underlying problem with this is that children are individuals; different methods of learning work for different children. Furthermore, even if children learn well with the same method, they may be ready at drastically different times to advance to the next educational level.
Two of my siblings and I were taught to read by my mother. While my sister …show more content…
This issue is critical for a topic like reading, as throughout elementary school and beyond reading is one of the most important modes of communication in western society. To essentially force the adoption of a relatively complicated skill could have consequences that affect the rest of the child’s education (Gray, n. pag).
For those receiving alternative education, independent reading isn’t always necessary for continuing their education. Unfortunately, the way most public and private schools function, it isn’t feasible to have all children learn to read at their own pace. For schools in today’s society, I believe the best way to continue would be to slightly modify the approach for reading instruction depending on the preferred learning method of each child. Additionally, pressure from parents to have the children reading as early as possible should be reduced.
Whenever possible, adults should aim to reduce the stress projected on young children to rush through the process of learning to read, especially for homeschoolers. Although the current system for public and private schools use to instruct reading ability isn’t a failure, it could use some adjustments. To insist children must read early to achieve an unnecessary standard is to potentially change the course of their education by unintentionally turning them against reading. While reading might not come naturally at a young age, it’s important to remember that children are individuals with unique ways of
In the article Children Teach Themselves to Read, Peter Gray offers a perspective on how and when your children should be taught to read. Or, rather, why your children shouldn’t be taught to read. Unfortunately, many schools are still convinced that children should be inundated with methods like phonics so every child in one grade can be on the same level. The underlying problem with this is that children are individuals; different methods of learning work for different children. Furthermore, even if children learn well with the same method, they may be ready at drastically different times to advance to the next educational level.
Two of my siblings and I were taught to read by my mother. While my sister …show more content…
This issue is critical for a topic like reading, as throughout elementary school and beyond reading is one of the most important modes of communication in western society. To essentially force the adoption of a relatively complicated skill could have consequences that affect the rest of the child’s education (Gray, n. pag).
For those receiving alternative education, independent reading isn’t always necessary for continuing their education. Unfortunately, the way most public and private schools function, it isn’t feasible to have all children learn to read at their own pace. For schools in today’s society, I believe the best way to continue would be to slightly modify the approach for reading instruction depending on the preferred learning method of each child. Additionally, pressure from parents to have the children reading as early as possible should be reduced.
Whenever possible, adults should aim to reduce the stress projected on young children to rush through the process of learning to read, especially for homeschoolers. Although the current system for public and private schools use to instruct reading ability isn’t a failure, it could use some adjustments. To insist children must read early to achieve an unnecessary standard is to potentially change the course of their education by unintentionally turning them against reading. While reading might not come naturally at a young age, it’s important to remember that children are individuals with unique ways of