Improving the way kids are taught to read
&quot;The reasons are numerous, but one that Seidenberg cites over and over again is this: The way kids are taught to read in school is disconnected from the latest research, namely how language and speech actually develop in a child&#x27;s brain.&quot;<p>This is almost certainly wrong and even logically absurd. I am sure there are more optimal ways to learn to read but any kind with a fair IQ who aren&#x27;t dyslexic can learn to read.<p>My son isn&#x27;t a genius, but he have been practicing reading since he was 5 and today at 8 he reads Harry Potter.<p>The trick (as with almost any other field)? Practice, practice, practice. That&#x27;s it. There is no magic sauce there.<p>One thing that we found that actually increased his lust for reading (he definitely would rather play soccer, Minecraft or Rayman) is to give him a Kindle which has a kids app with achievements and daily reading goals.<p>It&#x27;s sad that so few kids read at their grade level but it&#x27;s not because of sub-optimal teaching methods that much is for sure.