Unschoolers learn to read in a variety of ways. Some learn early and some learn relatively late. There are no statistics on age and reading ability among unschoolers, although the image of unschoolers as late readers may come from the numbers of children who did or would have had trouble in school who turn to homeschooling. On the other hand, unschoolers tend to question the necessity of adhering to conventional learning schedules, so perhaps children in school would learn to read at a wider variety of ages if they had the freedom to do so.
Although critics have pointed to the varying reading skills among unschooling children, according to a recent literacy study by the National Center for Education Statistics, "an estimated 32 million adults [ages 16 and older] in the USA – about one in seven – are saddled with such low literacy skills that it would be tough for them to read anything more challenging than a children's picture book or to understand a medication's side effects listed on a pill bottle." The study implies that low reading ability is a widespread problem.
Unschoolers Learn to Read in a Variety of Ways
Unschoolers typically use a wider variety of methods than conventionally schooled children to learn to read. The process may begin simply by living in a literate society. Children notice letters and words. They discover that the letters and words in story books make the story. They may follow along while a parent or older sibling reads and memorize words or decipher letter sound combinations.
Some unschoolers derive their motivation for learning to read from their desire to decipher written materials other than books, i.e., comics, closed-captioning on TV, video games, computer menus, and websites. Several learn-to-read websites are designed for this purpose.
Reading Early Doesn't Equal Literacy
Literacy is more than reading. Reading is actually a passive literacy. It requires the child to recognize the words, but not necessarily to understand them. Writing and speaking are active literacies, requiring creative and critical thinking skills.
Dr. David Elkind, an early childhood educator, argues against teaching abstract academic skills such as reading to young children. Early readers, especially, are susceptible to developing reading without good comprehension ability and pressuring very young children to read may make reading unappealing to them.
Conventionally taught children use whichever reading materials their school or curriculum provides. Unschoolers are more likely to try different approaches and find the one that suits each individual child at the time when the child feels motivated to learn.
References:
Toppo, Greg. "Literacy Study: 1 in 7 U.S. Adults are Unable to Read this Story." USA Today, Jan 2009.
Sara McGrath - Sara is a veteran homeschool mom of three, Usborne consultant, and the author of Unschooling: A Lifestyle of Learning.
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