I am an experienced math teacher in schools, for children between 8 and 18 years old. Now I go to my local high school and help with some math lessons, and it is a very enriching experience.
So what does this have to do with learning to read? Those of you who work in this important area of a child’s life will know more about this than I do, but I have been thinking a lot about it recently, as I have been working with a 10-year-old reading-age child. less than 5 years. Why did Tommy not know how to read when he was a child? What went wrong with your development? Could you turn the clock back 5 or 6 years for this child? Can I use the method that works for a 4- or 5-year-old?
In my opinion, the most important activity that prepares children to become readers is reading to them while they can see the book. They see these strange shapes on the page and quickly realize that they are words that come together to make a story. This provides the best preparation for learning: motivation. I should add here, of course, that a child will continue to enjoy the attention they enjoy when an adult reads to them, so don’t be surprised if they learn slowly!
Unfortunately, Tommy must have missed this process for reasons I don’t know about. The effect on him has been devastating. I can imagine that as a kid, seeing that others in his class could read while he couldn’t, led him to believe that he wasn’t very smart. If he wasn’t very smart, then he must have thought he wasn’t worth much as a person.
I ran into him in math lessons when I was 9 years old. As I watched him work, it was obvious that his reasoning ability was considerable. And this boy could barely read!
By then, Tommy was 10 years old. I am committed to helping you with your reading, and I am pleased to say that we, Tommy and I, have been successful. Now 12, she doesn’t read for pleasure, but can handle most of her own needs when it comes to words.
So why did we do it? Although his teachers had tried to help him in the past, he was a kid in a class of many. I succeeded because I was able to work individually with him.
There was another important ingredient: trust. I volunteered to help him as an unpaid volunteer because I couldn’t stand by and see how much intelligence was wasted on someone so young. I believed in his ability and told him so. As his self-esteem improved, so did he as a person.
The reading material he used was aimed at children his age. He didn’t have to read the adventures of Pinky the Poodle, or whatever!
So what works?
Tommy is obviously smart, although it’s always best to start with the assumption that a child is smart.
Encouragement works, but only if you are honest. If you tell a child that he is doing fantastically well when he is not, he will see right through you and you will lose his confidence. Remember, it is smart.
Patience and determination on the part of the adult are essential. You must provide both when your pupil begins to waver.
Don’t rush things. Baffle your student with a Latin motto “feast slowly:” hurry up slowly. “
Forget whether you should use phonetics or memorize whatever. Who cares? What counts is the personal touch and your care for your student.
Improve a child’s reading and you will change that child’s life.
When are you going to start?