di: Repsonse on Neuroplasticity

[Charles Arthur]

In my view, this is an important discussion for DI practitioners. I’ve had the opportunity to read up on this topic some.  Here are some of my thoughts. 

From Jim’s comments,  I don’t think that it’s just the general enlargement of the brain as a result of general learning activities.  As I understand it,  it’s a particular area that also relegates speech that is increased in activity as a result of specific instruction in reading.  Thus, reading’s close relationship to speech.  

My best source for this has been Sally Shaywitz, her book and J. articles.  

She and a team reported that the level of sensitivity to speech sounds, phonemes, is distributed along a bell shaped curve, similar to many other human abilities with their own bell-shaped curve.  The point is: that area is not damaged. It is simply weak. The level of sensitivity of those on the lower end has ill affects on learning to read, specifically decoding. This fairly easy to document.  Low PA contributes to difficulties in learning decoding skills.  

About ten years ago, studies  from fMRI assessments, started to appear that showed improvements in pre and post activity of this area after instruction in reading, ie phonics.  They had long demonstrated how, without good instruction, the brain’s activities adjusts to other areas of the brain to compensate for the weakness, in attempting to learn to read.   To me this has fantastic implications for  DI teaching of reading.  It can greatly support the high degree of explicit/systematic teaching in RM-K .  It gives incredible importance to it and support for it.

I remember this topic coming up on our old list serve discussions about ten years ago.  I have a print-out of one, and I think I have a collection of follow up from Kerry Hempenstall when I can find them. The print-out came from Karin Litzcke, 2008.   She summarized an article, Remedial Instruction Rewires Dyslexic Brains.  As mentioned, this has been documented elsewhere.  I have some short references in my computer for anyone who would request it on my email.

Here are a few larger references.  Not exhausting. 

Sally Shaywitz;  Overcoming Dyslexia,  2005

Sally Shaywitz, Paying attention to reading: the neurobiology of reading and dyslexia.  2008

Maryanne Wolf.  Proust and the Squid: the story and science of the reading brain. 

Diehl, Frost, Mencl, and Pugh,  Neuroimaging and the Phonological deficit Hypothesis. 2011.  In,  Explaining Individual Differences in Reading: Theory and evidence.  Ed. by.  Susan Brady, David Braze and Carol  Fowler. Haskins Laboratory,  U. Conn. 

 

A source that I haven’t read much but looks good.   

Stanislas Dehaene,  Reading in the Brain: the new science of how to read. 2009.

And.  The Massive impact of Literacy on the Brain and its Consequences for Education.  Human Neuroplasticity and Education. 2011

Charles Arthur
Founder: Arthur Academy Charter Schools 
Early Child Literacy Consultant
arthurreadingworkshop.com
971-544-7341
The most effective reading programs  carefully structure instruction around mastery of small learning increments that leads to student proficiency of advanced applications and higher student self-esteem.


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