Science of Reading
This year at OLGC, along with the incorporation of the Science of Learning, we are also introducing the Science of Reading.
Throughout all media platforms (radio, TV & paper) in the past weeks, the message is loud and clear that the old approach of teaching reading and literacy is just not working, and we are very excited that OLGC staff are beginning the journey of implementing the Structured Literacy Approach - Explicit, systematic, and sequential teaching of literacy P-6.
The Science of Reading provides the strongest evidence about how young children learn to read. Understanding the cognitive science behind how students learn to read and the research on effective instruction makes it easier for educators to align policy and classroom teaching with evidence.
Learning to read is one of the most transformative skills a child can master, unlocking pathways to all kinds of other knowledge. Being able to read and comprehend is also very important for success in maths and science.
What is the Science of Reading?
The easiest way to understand the science of reading, is to see it as a body of research examining what leads to skilled reading, and how to assess and effectively teach reading to early learners. The study is constantly being added to by a host of experts from multiple disciplines including:
- literacy
- cognitive neuroscience
- education
- linguistics
- neuroscience
- psychology
- implementation science.
The goal of this collective focus is to develop evidence‑based best practices for teaching and learning foundational literacy skills. The combination of contributors to the science of reading means they've been able to understand the many processes and skills needed for children become highly capable readers, from how the brain acquires the knowledge to the final goal of reading comprehension.
Some kids pick up reading easier than others, but one of the main aims of the science of reading is to prevent reading difficulties in at‑risk early learners and help those who are already falling behind in older grades.
According to the science of reading, for students to succeed, they need explicit instruction with a systematic way of teaching, focusing on the following main components of reading:
- Phonics
- Phonemic Awareness
- Fluency
- Vocabulary
- Reading comprehension
From a neuroscience perspective, the science of reading helps us understand the cognitive processes early readers need for skilled reading. These include attention, auditory and visual processing, working memory, and more.
Five key points of the science of reading
Reading does not come naturally, it is an acquired skill
Words are first learned in spoken language, from what has evolved to be a natural process. This is not the case with learning to read.
Reading is a skill that needs to be taught.
In the past, a popular thought was that kids could also pick up the skill of reading on their own if they had access to books or were read to in their home and there's no denying that early shared reading is important.
The science of reading researchers believe early shared reading experiences are essential to the enjoyment of reading however this is not the most effective way of teaching children to read, particularly children who struggle.
Instruction Needs to be Explicit and Systematic
Instructing early learners on all the fundamental parts of learning to read, in a highly structured, carefully sequenced manner is an essential part of the teaching of the science of reading. Phonics instruction plays a major role, but researchers insist it should not be taught in isolation.
Another instruction recommendation is that kids need plenty of time to practise new skills they've been taught, before moving on. Unfortunately, this is not always possible in a classroom full of unique children with varying abilities. The science of reading research finds this is a major stumbling block, preventing children who struggle to learn to read from reaching a proficient level.
Teachers need to explain letter‑sound relationships in a clearly defined sequence, with simpler, more straightforward skills being introduced before more complex ones, and concepts gradually building upon one another. The science of reading researchers and advocates believe that this kind of systematic approach develops crucial reading and learning skills. It also helps with cognitive skills like working memory and auditory processing, too.
By teaching in an order that makes sense, is often repeated, and built upon, young learners with developing brains and limited working memory are not overwhelmed.
Learning to read proficiently is critical to a student’s entire education and predictive of future education, health and employment outcomes. The 5 specific reading sub-skills of phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension should be taught explicitly and systematically so all children become capable readers. Explicit teaching of these important skills is not yet consistently happening in Australian schools. It is important teachers and school leaders are supported to implement this evidence-based approach if all young Australians are to achieve the success in reading they deserve.
