I never thought that there was so much to learning how to read. I always thought that it was just learning how to pronounce some words and learn their meaning. Well, I was way off on this thought. After finishing up the first chapter in my book, “Proust and the Squid, The Story and Science Behind Reading “, I now know that learning how to read is much more than what one normally thinks. Learning how to read and becoming literate has to deal with what language you are trying to learn and what kind of learning environment you live in. These factors can contribute to different understanding of words and also how much a person understand when they are fist trying to learn how to read a certain language. In this chapter they first start talking about reading, or being literate. Maryanne Wolf, the author, “says that being literate is something that must be learned because it is not pre-programmed” (Wolf, pg. 4). So the question was, if it is not pre-programmed, how do we learn to read or become literate? Well, it has to do with many influencing factors. One facto that influences this, as I mentioned before, is what kind of language you are trying to learn how to read. It is different from Chinese to English and from Portuguese to Spanish. It all has to do with the different pathways our brain uses to interpret different forms of language. As stated in the book, Proust and the Squid, The Story and Science Behind Reading, “ When Chinese readers first try to read in English, their brains attempt to use Chinese-based neuronal pathways. The act of learning to read Chinese characters has literally shaped the Chinese reading brain. Similarly, much of how we think and what we think about is based on insights and associations generated from what we read” (Wolf, pg. 5). This is why learning a new language is easier when we are younger, our brains are not fully developed and we still have easy access to the neuronal pathways of other languages.
The second factor that influences literacy and how people become literate is what kind of learning environment you live in. Reading is something that can be taught to a child at a young age, only if it is presented to them. As Steve Pinker said, “Children are wired for sound, but print is an optional accessory that must be painstakingly bolted on.” For children to gain access to this, they must be exposed to the information that needs “bolting on”. When children being kindergarten, there is usually a huge variety between levels of reading. There was a study done that showed, “a gap of 32 million words that already separate some children in linguistically impoverished homes from their more stimulated peers” (Wolf pg. 20). This is a huge gap that needs to be filled for the good of the children’s education. This is a great example that shows a way that some students become more literate than others. As this has shown, it usually starts of with the type of learning environment you have at home. Both of these factors show us how one becomes literate and describes what literacy is and what it can do when learned early on in childhood. Thanks for reading! Now tell me what you think!
Your book sounds quite interesting. I never thought of reading from a scientific point of view. The example of the Chinese mind and the pathways that are developed to learn reading, compared to the pathways to learn English. This is interesting stuff, I look forward to reading your blog.
ReplyDeleteI agree, I didn't realize how much actually goes into becoming literate: reading orally and understanding the meaning of those words. It is interesting how we, as a society, forget this. I wonder if our collective thinking on this idea were to change, how it would effect our education system. I think educators are beginning to adjust to the fact that we all come from different socio-economic backgrounds and how that plays into their different needs as students. But what if we took into consideration the background the students come from in order to consider how they might become literate? Students shouldn't be left on their own when they are to deciphering meaning. If you know even a tiny bit of their Primary Discourse, you could help them make connections and in turn, make sense of the material and become literate.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting that you have a quote from Steve Pinker. One of his books, The Language Instinct, is a very influential read. It changed the way in which I view how we acquire language. But you make an excellent point about print. Not all cultures, not all communities, not all families value reading equally. This is something as reading instructors we must keep in mind. Thanks for sharing.
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