Dr Lilian Katz, a professor of education at the University of Illinois, USA who addressed an international conference on foundation-stage learning at the University of Oxford, spoke out against plans to teach reading at pre-school and said there is a danger that children could be put off reading for life.
She said: “The evidence we have so far is that if you start formal teaching of reading very early the children do well in tests but when you follow them up to the age of 11 or 12 they don’t do better than those who have had a more informal approach. The evidence also suggests starting formal instruction early is more damaging for boys than girls. Boys are expected to be active and assertive but during formal instruction they are being passive not active. In most cultures, girls learn to put up with passivity earlier and better than boys.”
She suggests a more informal approach tuned in to children’s “natural nosiness” is much better and cites the example of children going to visit a local bakery and then writing down what they have seen and experienced. In Scandinavian countries formal teaching begins much later, usually when children are six or seven.
Dr Katz – who lectures around the world on early years education – also emphasises that English is a very difficult language to learn. And she noted that “vocabulary must be learnt in context”.
These expert views underpin the growing awareness that experiential learning and emotional development should be emphasised in early years, while academic studies and cognitive intelligence may be developed later. This approach is more effective and uses resources more efficiently.
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