How our Brains Learn to Read
Did you know that our brains were not actually wired to read? Yep! It’s true! Reading is an acquired skill! Shout out to all you reading teachers…you are ROCKSTARS!
Before we can take a look at how the brain actually learns to read, we have to bust some myths. Let’s take a look at the ways a brain DOES NOT learn to read!
Whole Language (oops..Yes, I said it)- research shows that our brains do not actually memorize words as a whole unit.
Kids do not learn to read through multiple exposures to books.
Worksheets and LOTS of practice of disconnected skills.
Practicing test taking strategies (Yep, this might help them navigate the test, but it does NOT help their brains learn to read!)
Now let’s take a look at how the brain actually learns to read. Learning to read involves multiple parts of the brain and multiple processes. Multiple regions in the brain work together to make reading happen. Neuroscience has helped scientists and researches understand the brain and how it works while we are reading and learning to read. They are able to use brain imaging to gather information on what parts of the brain activate as we read. Having this knowledge is crucial for supporting our students.
Let’s break it down!
Phonological Processor- This is located in the frontal lobe and is in place at birth. The phonological processor is responsible for the sound piece (input and output of sounds and speech). So when we think about sound, we think about that phonological processor.. perceiving, remembering, and producing the speech sounds of our language.
Orthographic Processor- This is located in the lower back (occipital) lobe. It too in present at birth. The orthographic processor is responsible for the visual piece. It’s how we take pictures.
Phonological Assembly Region- is not intact at birth. This is the part that we need to nurture and support. The Phonological Assembly Region is the part that allows us to connect speech sounds with those visual images (letters). One way we can begin to build that through explicit and systematic phonics instruction.
What does brain imaging say about students who struggle?
Cunningham, A. & Rose, D. (This is your brain on reading) suggest that struggling readers often show different activity than strong readers. These pathways aren’t as developed and they have to work really hard to read. These students are often referred to as having dyslexia. They use different parts of their brain. In other words, they overcompensate for the areas that they struggle in.
So why is all of this important?
If we understand this about our students, than we can help them “rewire” their brains to activate the parts of the brain that will support them in learning to read and decode. We can help strengthen these pathways and help our students become strong readers.
How can we support this “rewire”?
According to Scarborough (2018), “Weakness in ANY strand can disrupt reading, and weakness in SEVERAL strands can disrupt reading more.” This means that we can’t just say “She struggles to read.” We have to ask ourselves- WHY does she struggle to read? We have to identify specific roadblocks and help reroute our students.
Do they have a solid understanding of letters and sounds?
What are their phonemic awareness skills like?
Are they able to comprehend what they read?
Can they comprehend what is read to them?
What do their phonics skills look like? Are they applying their phonics knowledge to both reading and writing?
How is their vocabulary? Have they received appropriate background knowledge?
These are all questions we MUST ask ourselves before we decide how to best support our students. Using data and really analyzing each point, will help to drive our instruction. We cannot waste time guessing, we have to know.
Struggling to know? Download my FREE Reading Intervention Roadblocks Guide. This guide will walk you step by step through discovering what your students are struggling with.
Need some assessments to get you started? Check out these!
