More AERO Conference Reflections: Literacy

One of the workshops I went to at the AERO Conference was about literacy in self-directed learning settings, and how and when to intervene when you suspect a child may have dyslexia. The person leading the workshop was a reading specialist who works at Village Free School in Portland. Some of the things she said would probably set traditional school reading specialists' hair on end! But it was extremely interesting and helpful to me.

The first thing she discussed was the fact that, in traditional schools, children are expected to begin reading in kindergarten. If they have not at least gotten a strong start at reading by the time they finish kindergarten, they are often considered to be "at risk." That often means that they will have participate in multiple special reading programs during and after school. They may work 1:1 with a reading specialist, go to a small group for reading instruction, and go to a tutoring group after school... all because they aren't learning to read at the expected pace. 

Is it vital that children learn to read at a very young age? Many people believe that. After all, we always hear that a young child's brain is like a sponge, and we know that early childhood is often the best time for children to learn a second language. However, when looking at all of human evolution, reading is a pretty new process. While most children are hardwired to learn how to crawl, walk, and meet other milestones, reading is not that kind of skill. Learning to read is more similar to learning how to use a cellphone than learning how to walk. It is something our society created, not something that we are biologically programmed for. 

So why all the emphasis on learning to read in kindergarten and first grade? There are several reasons. 

• Traditional classroom teachers often work with children in small groups, and the children who are not in the group have to be able to work independently at something. If they can read, they can independently do worksheets and read instructions. 
• Children need to be able to read in order to participate in standardized tests. 
• Standardized curriculums emphasize the need for children at certain ages to read at certain levels. 

All this pressure is put on children to learn to read. Children are naturally intrinsically motivated to learn. But when they are pressured to learn to read, they lose that intrinsic motivation. It is no longer about learning to read because reading is exciting or interested, but because they want to earn the approval of the teacher or their parents, or they want to earn a prize from the classroom treasure box. 

In the best cases, children do learn to read for one reason or another. They may even enjoy reading. Often, that isn't the case. A child who does not quickly pick up on reading may start to feel ashamed about not being at the same level as her peers. She  may have no interest in reading, or see no purpose in it. Often, standardized reading curriculum materials are very dry, and children, especially those with attention challenges, get bored quickly. If they do have a learning disability, they may grow to associate reading with anxiety and embarassment. A child who hates reading, even if they do learn how, is at a disadvantage. He is denied all sorts of information, experiences, and ideas. 

In a self-directed learning situation, such as homeschooling or a school like Someday School, children begin learning how to read when they are ready for it. If they are interested in reading and excited about it, they will often learn very quickly. The role of an adult is to read aloud to the child, and to model reading themselves. They should also initiate conversations about reading, and what doors it can open. 

In the case that a child does have dyslexia, special reading programs such as Orton-Gillingham can have a place in self-directed learning. What makes it different from in a traditional school is that the child has to be a willing and invested participant. Self-directed learning does not mean the child always has to teach himself. It just means the child has to be the one to make the decision to learn. 

A child with dyslexia should be helped to own it, instead of being ashamed of it. Adults should help them realize that their brain works differently, and that they can learn how to make it work at its best. One interesting fact we learned is that 35% of enterpreneurs have dyslexia.

Something else to keep in mind is that reading is the act of absorbing information from a text... somehow. There are three types of reading. The first one is eye reading, which is what you are most likely doing right now to absorb the information on this text. The second one is ear reading, which you may be doing if you have a text-to-speech app, and which you may do if you ever listen to books on Audible. The third is finger reading, or Braille, which I doubt you are doing because I don't think technology has made it possible for computer screens to translate text to braille. Each one of these methods is equally valid. Being able to eye read is particularly helpful in our society because so much information is exclusively available for eye readers. Billboards, street signs, the labels of products in the grocery store, and instruction sheets on products are all designed for eye readers. However, if someone is able to absorb information through ear or finger reading, it should never be considered cheating or taking a short cut. 

To sum it up, at Someday School we will do everything we can to show children the benefits and joys of reading, and we will support them in learning to read when they are ready... but we will never force them to learn to read.