| Recently it came to my notice that Physical Therapist | | | | tiny children have within them the capacity to learn |
| Dr. Glenn Dorman has celebrated his ninetieth | | | | virtually anything while they are tiny. They believe |
| birthday. His book, "How to Teach Your Baby to | | | | that what children learn without any conscious effort |
| Read," co-athored with Janet Dorman over forty | | | | at two, three or four years of age can only be |
| years ago, started a whole new approach to | | | | learned with great effort, or may not be learned at |
| teaching reading to the very young. | | | | all, in later life. |
| It all began while Glenn Dorman was teaching brain | | | | Personally I don't dispute that very young children |
| damaged preschool children to read at Philadelphia's | | | | can be taught to read. But like so many other ideas |
| Institutes for Achievement of Human Potential. | | | | today one must ask whether long term it increases |
| Dolman claims that a baby will learn the written word | | | | the chances of producing well-rounded individuals who |
| as easily as spoken language and can even learn to | | | | can cope with life.I know one Jamaican surgeon who |
| read before he or she learns to speak. .That is on | | | | taught herself to read and aged two and a half was |
| the basis that the written word is presented | | | | reading the newspaper. She was clearly an |
| repeatedly and in large letters. His book sets out | | | | exceptionally gifted child. |
| step-by-step teaching sessions, beginning when the | | | | Babies are beautifully pre-programmed to do things at |
| child is two years old. There are several daily periods | | | | the time which is right for them. A baby learns to |
| of less than five minutes each. In a sample of a | | | | hold its' head up, sit up, stand up, crawl, walk when it |
| session the parent touches the baby's toes, | | | | feels ready. I really wonder if a nine month old should |
| pronounces the word "toes", holds up a large sign | | | | have its cerebral energy directed towards learning to |
| with the word on it. It is important that each session | | | | read. Some programs even recommend starting |
| is a "game" that both participants find it "joyous" and | | | | reading at this age. |
| it must always end before the baby becomes bored. | | | | Starting teaching three or four year olds is a |
| Dorman's approach was and still is controversial. No | | | | different matter. Some thirty odd years ago I began |
| one has any problem with parents reading to their | | | | using the Dorman's book to teach my then three |
| babies from birth. However, claims by experts that | | | | year old eldest son to read. He was clearly intelligent |
| most reading problems could be eliminated if reading | | | | and he loved books and had an extensive library of |
| was taught from an earlier age are not really proven. | | | | his own. In spite of his interest things did not go well. |
| In Finland the literacy rate is 99.9% but pupils don't | | | | I was very patient, not pushy, but I became |
| start learning to read until they are seven years old. | | | | convinced that I was a hopeless teacher. I soon |
| Four of the top ten countries don't begin formal | | | | stopped the program because I did not want to run |
| reading instruction until age seven. | | | | the risk that my son felt he was an academic failure |
| Certain physical and mental abilities need to be | | | | before he even started attending nursery. This son |
| developed before a child can learn to read. The child | | | | was a very late reader, as was I, and for the same |
| must be able to hear the differences in the phonic | | | | reason. |
| sounds correctly, they must be able to accurately | | | | In his second year at university my son was |
| move their eyes across the page. They must be able | | | | diagnosed as being severely dyslexic in some areas. |
| to sit still and concentrate and of course they must | | | | This was at a time when dyslexia was not known to |
| be able to understand what is being read. These are | | | | many school teachers let alone the general public. |
| all skills that improve with age. | | | | Neither I nor my son had any special help to deal |
| Educators and child psychologists are generally | | | | with our reading problems. My late father, who was a |
| skeptical about the value of children learning to read | | | | medical doctor, was convinced that I was intelligent |
| at a very early age. They do not doubt that some | | | | and never gave up on me despite my teachers' |
| parents can teach some three and four year olds to | | | | attitudes towards my abilities. I continue to thank him |
| read. They feel that the motivation for many parents | | | | for that Both myself and my son reached a point |
| is that "it represents status". Some critics even fear | | | | where everything suddenly fell into place by itself and |
| that early instruction can be harmful. Dr Paul J. | | | | we could read with no further problems. My son and |
| Kinsella, director of the Developmental Reading Clinic | | | | I despite learning to read late went on to university. |
| at Lake Forest is of the opinion that that a young | | | | He is now an excellent secondary school teacher. |
| child's hearing and sight are so disorganized that | | | | Looking back I realize that I had not been able to |
| parental pressure to read may only confuse children | | | | practice one of the Dolman's most important |
| or cause emotional blocks that would permanently | | | | precepts i.e being "joyous." It was only as a Dance |
| impair their reading. Burton White of Harvard's School | | | | and Movement Therapist working with children with |
| of Education even goes so far as to call | | | | special needs that I learned to be joyous in my |
| home-teaching "part of the overemphasis on cerebral | | | | teaching. Being genuinely joyous completely changes |
| development." | | | | the pupil teacher dynamic. The feeling of joy is |
| However, no reliable studies of the long-term effects | | | | powerful, infectious, creative, self-empowering and |
| of parental pre-school teaching exist. There is, | | | | nurturing. In this troubled world we should try to live |
| however, a general consensus that impatient parents, | | | | our entire lives on this energy. Joy and wonder can |
| who tense up should not embark on early reading | | | | still be found in the midst of disaster and conflict if |
| programs with their child. | | | | we know where to look. |
| Supporters of the Gentle Revolution propose that | | | | |