Teaching Children to Read: The Wisdom of Margaret Meek

I've written many posts on early reading, because in some ways, the very earliest reading is the most interesting. I never cease to be fascinated and amazed at how quickly toddlers move from chewing books, to looking with deep interest at pictures; vocalizing what they think about them, and then trying to read them to anyone who will listen. This is usually based on their version of the story, shaped by the events of life, contrived from images in the book and cultivated by their own growing love of story.

I was thumbing my way through my academic books today and stumbled upon Margaret Meek's classic book 'Learning to Read' published in 1982. I had the privilege of being able to call Margaret my friend. We caught up at conferences and my family were fortunate to have her stay with us in Wagga Wagga NSW, when she came speak to my students on campus. I also had the opportunity to stay with her in London and gain an insight into the things that shaped her own story. 

There is much wisdom in her well known book 'Learning to Read' that is still as relevant for parents and teachers today as it was 42 years ago. What are the key ingredients in helping children learning to read? In shorthand she would say a book, the attention of one adult (or older child) and shared enjoyment. Margaret wasn't a fan of 'readers', she always wanted to see 'real' books in their hands. So, her four key ingredients or assumptions were:

• First, reading is important and is more than retrieving information.
  
• Second, reading is learned by reading, not a series of exercises.
• Third, just what the young reader gets to read makes all the difference.
•  Fourth, collaboration between an adult, the child and a book is a key to this early reading.

As a parent sits with a book and a three or four-year-old to tell or read a story, she/he is collaborating and helping the child to understand the text.

 

Above: 'Too Many Acorns'

This love of books and 'play' with stories is an essential precursor for the lifetime act of reading, which eventually children learn to do alone. It is also one of the most precious times a parent or grandparent will have with children. 

Teachers can also engage the same way, not with them on your lap, but with them gathered around on a carpet looking with wonder at every page of a book and adding their own comments along the way. One class member says, "Oh, I can see the mouse hiding under the table". Another says, "Look at how many acorns Patrick has now. It's a very big pile!" (From 'Too Many Acorns', by Susannah Crispe). These are just some of the typical comments that young listeners might make as we read them stories.

Early reading is very much a collaboration between teacher, parent and child. It is one of the joys we can experience as we begin to teach our toddlers to read.

Not only will all children love stories, as Margaret Meek reminded us:

"Given encouragement, everyone is a storyteller. Any incident becomes a story in the telling of it, and the next simple step is to write it down." 

A love of reading develops as we read to our children and invite them into a rich world of storytelling, so that from the earliest age, they come to understand that books and their stories, open up new worlds to them, that stir their imaginations and lead them to become story tellers themselves.