Saturday, August 12, 2017

Confusion



I have repeatedly said that kids shut down when they are confused.
I came across the following videos when browsing the ‘Childrenof the Code’ website.


“I am sounding them just as I have been taught but, I don’t know, they just don’t seem to work……
It’s so confusing.”


My comment: Did the researchers ask this kid in the video as to how the sounds were taught to him? Of course, if he had been taught the sounds of ‘ball’ as buh/air/luh/luh/ he will ‘not know how it works. He is bound to be confused’.

This is how most schools in Malaysia, the US and Australia teach the students and that is why many kids simply shut-down. 

Here is another video that I came across when browsing the 'Children of the Code' website.


“Words are not pronounced the way they sound.”
“I get confused. I sit there and get frustrated. It is no fun, I don’t like reading.”


My comment: The kids who come to me for tuition had faced exactly the same problems - they were frustrated because they could not read like their classmates could. 

I am able to say that I can teach a shut-down kid to learn to read within 4 months of 3 one hour lessons per week because I know why they cannot read. Refer to my post here

For convenience I copy the relevant section here:

Jim (the father) had told me the day I met him and again today that Jill cannot read and does not like to read. I know exactly her problem and now say that she will be able to read within 4 months of one hour session, 3 times a week.

My claim sounds as if it is boastful but what would I gain from being boastful. This statement is just to emphasise that many smart kids are being taught in a way unsuitable to them. If these kids are taught properly we will be able to reduce the illiteracy rate drastically.

I wrote about my experiences teaching such kids to Dr. Reid Lyon and Dr. David Boulton hoping that they would have an open discussion with me with the aim of reducing illiteracy. Unfortunately, it did not materialise.

Read my post here to see how Phonics should not be taught. When phonics is taught in this manner the kids prone to shutting down will definitely shut-down.

No comments: