Following the Rules in an Unruly Writing System: The Cognitive Science of Learning to Read English

The core task of reading is to look at letters and identify their sounds and meaning. In English, the spelling system is "quasiregular," meaning it includes many reliable patterns (some so reliable they could be called "rules") but also many inconsistent ones (the sound of "EA" in "heat" vs. "head"). The triangle model of reading (Seidenberg & McClelland, 1989) demonstrates that novice readers gradually learn the connections between the features of words, including their letters, the ways they make sounds, and the concepts that comprise their meaning. Learners' knowledge changes gradually based on experience pronouncing printed words. Eventually, the reader will say words with variable patterns (like how to say "EA") correctly but be unable to articulate rules associated with their pronunciation--because rules are not an inherent part of the learning process. Building robust knowledge of reading words aloud sometimes happens without any help. However, novice readers will often learn more in less time if the teacher explains the structure of the language in terms of sound-spelling rules (sometimes termed "patterns" to emphasize their variability). This type of instruction, phonics, has known value in supporting reading development. However, distinguishing between the underlying learning process (which doesn't involve rules) and associated teaching practices (which often do) has implications for practitioners. Students will benefit from a balance of implicit and explicit forms of instruction, including simple strategies for reading words, teaching high-utility rules, emphasizing practice over explanation, and using letters when doing phonemic awareness activities.