Research Findings That Impact Reading and Learning Success

John Helland

  1. A wealth of stimulation (especially auditory and visual) must be present from birth to age five for a child to become a successful learner.
  2. When stimulation/experiences are limited, the ability to process information will be limited. A child with auditory processing difficulties will not be hearing everything that other children hear. They may only hear parts of words or sentences. A child with a visual processing problem will not efficiently see and remember all the print given them because they are physically unable to do so.
  3. The brain is constantly trying to connect new information with past learning. If earlier learning experiences have been limited due to a non-stimulating environment or physiological problems, those missed experiences will need to be provided in other ways.
  4. The more connections that can be made between a student's past experiences and new information being taught, the better the chance that the student will retain new information.
  5. It is possible to strengthen processing ability with highly structured training. Training results in a rewiring of neurological paths in each of the sensory areas addressed.
  6. Children who learn to read slowly, may continue to do so even when physiological causes have been removed because it has become a learned behavior. It is necessary to build in a reading fluency/speed component for students with this kind of need.
  7. Over 90% of all reading done in life is informational (non-fiction). Students need to have increased opportunity to learn how to read this kind of information effectively in order for them to achieve the greatest success.
  8. Reading and writing abilities grow as they are experienced at a level where success through practice is insured. It is of extreme importance that all students experience what it is like to be a fluent reader and a successful writer so that they understand the goals they are working toward. (For example, the first step in putting together a jigsaw puzzle is to set up the box cover so that the final product is always in view. In the same way, students need to experience the final product of successful reading and writing regularly in their educational experiences.)
  9. Strategies for problem solving in reading and writing need to be learned and practiced repeatedly early on so that they become automatic and used for life. This is best done through guided instruction where the teacher is the coach.
  10. Teachers can become effective observers and problem solvers of unique learning needs in their students. That is why it is so important to keep abreast of new research findings that impact on reading and learning success.