Reading pathways are not hardwired into our brains like speech therefore we must provide information to the brain to create these pathways
There are four pathways or networks used for reading;
language
vision
executive function
attention network
These 4 networks must be developed individually, then the brain must connect these networks together to create the functional reading network
The first network is the the language network is the first to be developed and contains 4 sections;
listening
speaking
reading
writing
Think of each of these sections like a bucket, once it’s full of enough information, it will start to overflow into the next bucket. Listening overflows into speaking bucket, then reading, then writing
The words spoken in front of a child form their listening network, so it’s important to remember they are already listening to our interaction with them as well as others. And these words are creating the foundation for their future learning and behaviour.
It’s incredibly important to continue to read aloud to children at a level higher than their own reading level, even after they can read themselves, so you can continue to build their vocabulary network with more complex words not typically heard in everyday conversation or social media.
