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Should I Let Children Learn to Read at Their Own Pace? © Beverley Paine A young homeschooling mother wrote and told me about her son who had just caught the reading bug. He was picking it quite easily and his confidence had grown to the point that he thinks he can read books that his mother considered too ambitious for him. At this point he would become frustrated, but refuse help with reading, or to have the book read to him. The mother was worried she would destroy the child's confidence if she pushed... There are no hard and fast rules (or shouldn't be!) If we work with the child's learning styles and needs learning to read will be a lot like learning to walk, talk or many of the other things our children eventually master. I learned never to underestimate what's going on a person's head. We can't begin to know what your son is doing when he's looking at a page. Even he won't know all the processes going on. If he feels compelled to have a go, let him, but let him know that often you tackle things that you're not quite ready for and sometimes you feel disappointed you can't do what you want to right now, but it's good to know that simply trying is part of the journey to eventual accomplishment. Think of some examples to help him understand and cope better with his frustration: for me, it is being impatient learning how to different computer programs. I want to use the program now, rather than wait until I know how to. Knowing how to use it takes time, usually doing tedious things I don't want, such as letting others help me with bits I don't understand. Accepting help graciously will get me to my goal faster. John Dewey, educator and researcher wrote: "Give the pupils something to do, not something to learn; and the doing is of such a nature as to demand thinking; learning naturally results." Your son has chosen this task or reading above his ability level as something to do - trust in Dewey's words. Learning will naturally result. I love the way children naturally test their emerging abilities. If left alone to experiment and test without pressure to perform to another's expectation or arbitrary schedule all will be right. The Practical Homeschooling Series booklet Learning to Love Reading is useful and reassuring inexpensive guide to the early learning to read years.
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education in Australia. State and Territory governments are responsible for regulating home education and have different requirements, however home educating families are able to develop curriculum and learning programs to suit the individual needs of their children.
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Pioneering members of the home education movement in Australia, Beverley and Robin Paine are passionate advocates of true educational choice for families. They began homeschooling their children in 1986 and three years later started the South Australian Home Based Learners network.
Beverley wrote Getting Started with Homeschooling in 1995-97 and since then continues to write books and booklets on home education. She balances spending time helping home educators with working in her garden and renovating her home, as well as continuing to build her collection of writing on a variety of homeschooling subjects. Beverley maintains an extensive collection of websites as well as several Yahoo groups supporting families teaching their children at home.
In 2007 Beverley joined the HEA and was a committee member for three years during which time she edited and produced the HEA Newsletter, Stepping Stones for Home Educators magazine, annual Resource Directory and other HEA publications.
If you'd like to keep in touch with what Beverley is up to her in her life, sign up for the Homeschool Australia Newsletter or visit her Homeschool Australia Facebook page.nor do they endorse or recommend products (other than their own) listed in contributed articles, pages, or advertisements.