Reading

Readiness for reading and the relation to reading comprehension:

What exactly is readiness for reading?

Readiness for reading means having the the ability to cope with the task of reading in all its aspects:

- The child's ability to acquire the technical elements of language: those that are unique to a specific
language, e.g. letters, consonants and vowels, and those that are general, e.g. reading direction, reading succession, the alphabetical principle, and accumulating and combining data into meaning.

- The child's ability to develop thinking and understanding via motor and sensory experience, using
audio-visual activity and movement.

- The child's emotional abilities, which cultivate motivation and are very much influenced by environment
as well as the extent of his or her success.

What is the importance of readiness for reading?

Reading is critical for children’s success in school and in their social integration, and it has a long-term
impact on the child's ongoing development. Researchers today believe, that developing readiness to read
and nurturing literacy potential, are essential for the child who is about to acquire initial reading skills. A child
in first grade who is successful in reading, will also have the motivation to keep progressing, and the gap
between that child and those who encounter difficulties is likely to grow over the years. In light of this,
preparing children towards first grade reading is a very important task, which may prevent initial gaps
between first graders from forming.

How are reading and reading comprehension related?

There is a difference between reading ability and reading comprehension. Technical reading is not
necessarily an indicator for reading comprehension. In many cases, difficulties in reading comprehension
exist in spite of technical reading abilities.
A close connection exists between readiness for reading and development of reading skills on the one
hand, and achieving reading comprehension on the other. Gaps in reading readiness, which are detected
between pupils of the lower grades, not only do not vanish, but rather grow in time. Hence, experts
recommend to begin the nurturing of the child’s reading readiness at a very early stage, which will lead to
improved reading comprehension in the future.

Reading instruction methods and the state of reading:

What are the various approaches for reading instruction?

- The global-analytical approach sees the entire word as a symbol, which the child learns to capture
visually and identify. This approach doesn’t consume much time, but it is efficient only for a limited number
of words, and cannot answer the need to decipher new words.
- In the synthetic-phonetic approach, the child learns to decipher consonants and vowels. This approach
is tiresome, long and bears the risk of misunderstanding the text, since the child's attention is focused on
deciphering and not on the message within the text.
- The eclectic approach integrates between the said approaches. Since different children have different
perceptions, the form of integration must be personally suited for every child. The teacher has to have
expertise on a variety of methods, and to be able to identify and define the different concepts of his pupils,
in order to suit the methods individually.

All the approaches deal with the specific elements of language, such as consonants and vowels, while
dedicating little time and attention to the general elements (such as expanding auditory memory and
audio-visual integration). Contrary to this, T.M.N^TM focuses on developing these important general
language elements, and does it explicitly.

The state of reading in the world

International studies from recent years show that the state of reading in the wealthy countries is grave.
Improving the state of reading is one of the most efficient tools in preventing the increasing gaps in modern
society. Developing reading skills in early ages, even before first grade, is recommended as one of the
operative conclusions of these studies.

World's Reading state graph, 4th grades' (PIRLS 2006)

PIRLS's study about this subject

Common reading problems and their solotions:

Common reading problems

1) Individual maturity problems of the child before the reading age: A low maturity level derives from
insufficient experience, a deficiency which is usually not dealt with in the classroom.

2) Insufficient knowledge of general reading elements: The alphabetical principle; accumulating and
combining data into meaning, as well as other general elements which are shared by all alphabetical
languages. These are not taught in school explicitly but rather intuitively and incidentally.

3) Insufficient knowledge of the specific reading elements of the language learnt, i.e. spelling, consonants
and vowels. These problems are usually dealt with in the classroom.

How does the T.M.N^TM Method help solving these problems?

- Enhancing learning readiness: The T.M.N^TM method contributes to audio-visual integration in a direct
and simple manner, and promotes the development of auditory memory and storage, which are required
for closing the gap between spoken and written language.

- Emphasis on basic capability development: The T.M.N^TM method focuses directly and explicitly on
developing general reading elements which are shared by all alphabetical languages as well as the
music language, i.e. musical notation. These skills make up the basis of reading and reading
comprehension: The alphabetical principle, accumulation and storage of sounds in the working memory,
obtaining meaning (in music - tune recognition), direction, sequence, accuracy, fluency, etc.

- The first reading language learnt is the most difficult: The T.M.N^TM method enables the child to
cope, in the easiest way possible, with the challenges of first reading, which according to all experts is the
most difficult. By adapting the method, the mother tongue becomes the second reading language, making
it easier to read.

- Creating the need to comprehend reading: The T.M.N^TM method creates a positive habit of seeking
and reaching the meaning of the text read. Recognition of the tune or song being played is in fact a
manifestation of reading comprehension ("musical comprehension"), and the child is instantly rewarded for
it. A child who is used to seek for meaning in his or her first reading language, will search for it in the next
as well, and will not be settle for technical reading alone. This motivation to comprehend is an important
key for successful learning.

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