child led learning ??? [ un-learning]

[AntPants]

Does anyone know if this is right - "you don't need to teach a child how to read or write because when they're older if they are really interested in a subject they will pick up a book about it and be able to read" ??!!
I am asking this because my friend is home edding her child and is not going to teach her how to read or write.
Has anyone got any experience of this?

Hmm... I think some children definitely 'teach themselves' to read, or at least make it very clear when they are ready for some input from you/teacher.

But I'm not convinced that all children would do so. It's certainly an interesting concept. How old is said child?

I think one of the major benefits of HE is being able to wait until a child is ready for a particular subject. Many boys in this country are completely put off writing by the time they are 6 or 7 because they had to start far too young (for them)

In Sweden etc they don't start school til 7!
the child in question is 3. It just makes me sad to think that this could end up very badly for her and she could end up in a bad way.
My mum taught us to read by the age of 3 and we could write pretty well by 4.I feel that really helped me to do well in all areas of my education without which I certainly wouldn't be living the lifestyle I am now.

Children tend to learn more effectively when allowed to go at their own pace.

"It is for parents to decide how they deliver home education. They are not required to follow the National Curriculum nor to keep to school hours. Parents are required by law, however, to ensure their child receives an efficient full-time education suitable to their age, ability and aptitude and to any special educational needs the child may have."

"The Local Authority will need to be satisfied that a child is receiving suitable education at home, and may ask to visit the family home to talk to the parent and child, and to look at examples of work. The LA will need to be satisfied that the parent is willing and able to provide a suitable education."

parentscentre

I'm a etacher and this is one of the theories that has been bandied around- not regarding the rading but about other things.

You do however need to ensure they have the skills (reading) to be able to gather the info.

Then you guide them with the info and show them variosu ways of learning. That is the very simplistic way of lookig at it.

Don't agree with her about the learning to rad though- the child needs help with that

I don't think reading and writing is the kind of skill that most children can pick up without some adult input - however human language is also a kind of "artificial" skill (children wouldn't learn to speak their mother tongue without spending time in an environment where others are speaking it), and children do pick that up without formal tuition of any kind.

We are intending to home ed our ds and I haven't yet made any plans to formally teach him to read and write. From speaking to other home edders it seems that if left to their own devices, most children pick it up around the age of 9 through a combination of guesswork, logic and asking for help. I don't think I personally have the nerve to leave ds illiterate for that long, but can respect those who do choose this path. I would personally think that a child who was unhappy with not being able to read would harangue their parents for assistance. Ds hasn't yet shown any interest in learning and when I have shown him a few letters he shows no forte for picking them up. I am going to leave it to him for a while longer and see how things develop.

Not being able to read aged 7 or so is only a problem if you are in the mainstream school system which relies on a child being able to follow the lesson from their own book, and I think is responsible for the over-emphasis on early reading and writing skills, at the expense of many other activities a child would IMO benefit from more. A child learning at home with facilitation from a parent has no need to learn to read until they decide for themselves that they need this skill.

I just hope that it all turns out right for her. She is a very special little girl and I really want the best for her.
Thanks for all your posts

It sounds as if her parents are really thinking hard about what they believe to be the best way of learning

to me that suggests they are very conscientious parents, I don't think many people go into HE lightly

I was in school from before my 4th Birthday

I did not learn to read until I was 7 (plus)

I basically picked up a book & read

My mum was mortified as where the teachers as they had spent months/years trying to teach me

Some HE families take this approach based on Chomsky's theory of an innate ability to learn language.

This is a well supported and evidenced theory which we see at play in children every day but how far this will get them as they progress academically is another matter. We are drawn to words because it is our primary method of communication and so it is likely that children taught in this way will be able to communicate but it may not equip them with advanced literacy skills.

My view is that a child centered approach should be supported by a good availability of and access to expert support - the expert potentially being a parent, teacher or educational resource such as a book or selected internet sites, etc.

Innateness will take her so far but may leave her frustrated. Similarly, a traditional approach may not quite foster the love and enthusiasm for language that cannot be taught.

It can, however, be shown.

You could read up on AS Neill and the work he did at Summerhill--it's fascinating.

ds1 (age 4) is very bright, has an excellent vocab/understanding of words etc for his age, very good imagination, play and social skills, can order well and has shown photographic memory skills, very good at picking up new ideas etc IF HE WANTS TO.

I often say i have one very industrious child and one not (DS1 is in the second cat). he has had the alphabet on walls around the house, is surrounded by books he loves books (they both do and have numerous read to them daily) and he has been able to sound out words (for instance J-E-L-L-Y whilst we were in a shop at age 2. he also sees the street name on which we live on other things and says that is the street we live on. He knows his name and his brothers name He absolutely refuses to learn to read however. he wrote his name before age 3 and has refused to write it since

i have chosen not to fight this because i believe he will show interest and just be able to pick it up when he is ready (I have 2 sets of books which i have told him i will not read to him, they are special ones that when he wants to learn to read we will sit down together and read them) and i am not concerened about it at all. my mother is though and doesn't agree with me.

I have ensured i am stimulating his thirst for knowlege and ensuring he develops his fine motor skills through play. they hardly get any TV.

it is also a reason that i haven't put him in nursery and am HEd him (plus DH has IQ of over 150 and hated school, was completely turned off education because the teachers didn't know how to engage him - i don't want this to happen to DS's).

not saying i will for ever but am at the moment.

I agree with roisin that not all children would necessarily learn how to read all by themselves. Leaving aside differences over whether they'd crack it without help, there are considerable differences between children over motivation. I suspect one of my three would have taught himself to read, but the other two mightn't even be toilet trained by now if I hadn't forced the pace a little .

Franny, I think a child who is unhappy because of being unable to read might not necessarily connect the unhappiness with the inability to read. I taught all of mine to read between the ages of three and four, and noticed rather more generally settled and contented behaviour afterwards; I believe they were happier for knowing, but I doubt they would have told me that they wanted to learn.

AntPants, while I broadly agree with you, I'd not go beyond saying what I thought if your friend actually asked me. She may well change her opinions in the light of experience, or if the authorities intervene.