Printed books still best for learning to read

Madeline Strauss, of Michigan State University reports on a study into the comparative value of digital methods versus ‘old fashioned’ simple ways of learning to read among pre-schoolers. It seems that writing letters and spotting words in print in everyday life in a home environment is more effective.

The home literacy environment represents an important but small period when children in preschool learn literacy skills outside the classroom. It often represents activities such as writing names, pointing out print on signs, practicing letter sounds, shared book reading, discussing stories and literacy games such as flashcards or alphabet videos.

In contrast, a digital literacy programme involves children spending time with digital reading games on Apps or other form of technology.

The study involved more than 1,000 children between the ages of 3 and 6, with over 200 of these having speech and/or language impairments.

There were several key findings. Print-focused activities consistently predicted stronger early literacy skills in all children studied. Children who spent more time on literacy games scored lower on reading assessments across both groups. So heavier use of games was associated with worse literacy outcomes, regardless of a child’s developmental background.

For the variable of shared book reading, it was only a significant predictor for children without speech and/or language impairments. So while the structure of the home literacy environment is similar for all children, there should be special attention when it comes to shared reading for those with disabilities.

The research challenges the assumption that more exposure to learning tools automatically means better results. Instead, it highlights the need for intentional, hands-on approaches. This doesn’t mean digital learning tools should be avoided; rather, they should be used more for supplemental learning rather than as a primary tool.

Bottom of Form

What parents should know about games

There are a few possible reasons why some games may not be helping. For example, certain games prioritize entertainment over education, employing flashy visuals and sounds that distract from the development of key skills.

For other games, even if high-quality, they lack personal, hands-on instruction, such as practicing writing or identifying real-world print—skills that are especially critical for children with speech and/or language challenges.

Teaching children early reading skills does not require expensive tools or programs. Everyday interactions with print learning opportunities are the most important. There are specific tips and actions that parents can take to encourage learning:

Spot letters together by finding letters on street signs, food packaging or menus.
Encourage writing and have your child write their name, draw letters or label pictures.
Make reading interactive by pointing to words, talking about letter sounds and asking questions while reading books.
Parents should be mindful of introducing games when children might be struggling. Thoughtfully integrate digital learning tools for supplemental learning.
Print-focused routines are especially important for children with learning impairments.

The study, published in the Journal of Research in Reading, was led by professors Lori Skibbe and Ryan Bowles in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at the College of Social Science, as well as Nick Waters, a former postdoctoral researcher.

Provided by the University of Michigan

Image provided by Freepik

← Previous Next →

Martin Doherty, writing for The Conversation, says that at the age of about four, children reach important milestones in brain development.

One of these is a huge improvement in understanding others’ thoughts and feelings. This is the start of empathy. Another is in spatial thinking—understanding how objects are positioned and related. This is the beginning of the ability to read maps.

Martin and his colleague, Catherine Sayer, conducted a study with 175 two to five-year-olds to explore how children are able to use scale models to figure out where something is in the real world. At about four, children are able to use a scale model of a room to work out where something is. We thought that this might result from children’s understanding of how one thing can represent something else. But we actually found that four-year-olds’ ability to use scale models came from their spatial abilities.

At the same age, children start to understand that someone’s behaviour is due to what that person believes, not necessarily what is really the case. This has interesting consequences.

If you’ve played hide-and-seek with young children, you may have noticed that they aren’t always very good at it. They love the ritual of looking in all the wrong places first, but beforehand they may tell you where they are going to hide, hide in the same place every time, or not be especially hidden.

After their fourth birthday, they get much better at hide and seek. They understand that the seeker looks in the wrong places because they don’t know where the hider is.

At about three to four children also start to tell lies. They realize they can make someone believe something that isn’t true.

Understanding symbols

Martin’s earlier research with fellow psychologist Josef Perner suggests that four-year-olds don’t just start to understand how others’ minds work. Figuring this out is part of the development of an understanding of “representation”—that symbols, like thoughts, words, or pictures, can be used to stand for something else.

Children start to think about how words relate to objects. This means, for instance, knowing that “animal” can refer to something you already have a name for, such as “rabbit”. This might help children learn the new word.

Their ability to use a understand the components of pictures also improves around this age. Very young children use a lot of trial and error to complete a jigsaw, picking up random pieces to see if they fit. By the time they are about four years old, they start to use the picture as a guide, trying to connect lines and match bits of colour, while checking the guide picture on the box lid.

Developmental experiments

Another ability children develop at around four is using scale models. A classic set of developmental experiments involved a model of a regular household room. The real room had typical furniture—sofa, table, cupboard and so on—and the model had miniature versions laid out in the same way.

Children were shown where something was hidden in the model and told to find an object hidden in “the same place” in the room. Children of around four can find the object using the identical layouts. If shown a sticker under a particular chair in the model room, for example, they can go straight to the “same” chair in the other room. This is the fundamental understanding required to read maps.

Adults see scale models and maps as representations. Maps represent a town or a country. A scale model of, say, the Eiffel Tower represents the real thing. At first, Martin suspected children’s ability to use scale models is more evidence of understanding representation at this age.

He was wrong. Instead, the researchers found that this ability is based on a development in children’s spatial abilities that also occurs at about four. This is the ability to think about spaces and where objects are within them. Spatial abilities help with maths skills, and good spatial ability is linked to an interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Their experiment was simple. They compared the model room task with a test of understanding how representation works. The two abilities develop around the same age, but they found they were not related. Children who could do one task couldn’t necessarily do the other.

They also had a test of purely spatial ability. Children who passed the model room task also passed the spatial task. So it looks like the model room task relied on children‘s spatial thinking.

They don’t yet know why two important but apparently unrelated abilities arise at the same time. Perhaps it’s related to changes in the growing brain at this interesting age.

Provided by The Conversation.

Image supplied by Freepik.