Reading Myths: Part 1
As I gather and build resources for our parent toolkit, I’ll share relevant components on this blog from time to time. Everything I share on this website is a living document, so please offer feedback, ask questions, and make suggestions!
This week, I’m sharing four commonly-held myths about reading versus the actual realities. Unfortunately, many people—from teachers to pediatricians to school leaders to professors of education—believe and spread these myths. You might hear them at your child’s annual physical appointment or at parent-teacher conferences or if you happen to have taken an education class in college or graduate school. They’re everywhere.
Myth 1: “Learning to read is a natural process.”
If only it were that simple (or natural)! Learning to speak is a natural process. Learning to read is not. In fact, humans only invented reading (and writing) about 6,000 years ago, so we haven’t even been doing it for very long. Universal literacy is an even newer phenomenon. Since reading is not a natural process, students need to be taught how to read. The most effective way to do this is to teach students how to identify letters and groups of letters and connect them to sounds.
Myth 2: “Your child will learn to read when they’re ready. Don’t worry. They’ll catch up.”
You should worry! When your child is struggling, the best time to intervene is as soon you realize he’s struggling. Don’t wait! It’s way easier to help a kindergartener struggling with reading catch up than it is to help a struggling fourth grader reader. Simply, less material and less complex material to catch up on!
Myth 3: “Your child isn’t reading because of his kinesthetic learning style…”
Your child may be struggling for several different reasons but because of learning style. Learning styles are not real. Really! They’re just not real. That’s not why your child is struggling to read.
Myth 4: “You just need to read to your child more at home. That will fix their reading struggles.”
Reading to your child does not teach them how to read, though. Most children learn to read through direct, explicit instruction in letter-sound correspondence.
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What are the consequences of these myths? Delayed intervention, disempowered students and teachers, and lots of misplaced blame! Let me explain.
First, the idea that learning to read is a natural process and that struggling students will catch up is particularly pernicious because it results in students not getting the extra help right away…when that extra support could make the greatest difference. This way of thinking also disempowers the teacher by implying there’s no change or intervention he or she can offer a struggling student. All they can do is wait for nature to take its course. And it’s unfair to students, whose reading struggles might be blamed on their supposed immaturity or lack of focus.
The learning styles myth is particularly disempowering for students because it blames their struggle on mismatched learning and teaching styles. There’s nothing the student can do differently until this mismatch is realigned. It is also a red herring for teachers, who may focus precious time and energy on addressing individual learning styles when they could be deploying evidenced-based interventions or providing small group or one on one support.
Finally, the last myth—that parents can fix the issue by reading more at home—directly blames parents for their child’s struggles. That’s just unfair. It also disempowers teachers by focusing on parental intervention.
So what’s next? The next time you hear your child’s doctor or teacher or another parent allude to one of these ideas, what are you going to do? Try speaking up! Try asking questions! Practice challenging these common and hurtful myths. You won’t convince everyone, but you might start some interesting conversations that result in more students getting the support they need and deserve.
