Language at the Speed of Sight: How We Read, Why So Many Can’t, and What Can Be Done About It

Cognitive neuroscientist Seidenberg digs deep into the science of reading to reveal the ways human beings learn how to read and process language. After describing how humans adapted to form writing, speech, and languages, Seidenberg explores current research into dyslexia and other literacy problems, especially as they pertain to the challenges facing the American education system. Progress in reading is inexorably tied to achievement gaps and differences in socioeconomic status, but Seidenberg circles back to the biological connections among spoken language, dyslexia, and general reading ability. Poverty alone cannot account for the U.S.’s “mediocre showing” in multinational assessments, he says. His major criticism of national reading progress lies in the “culture of education” or the way teachers are trained to approach teaching. Seidenberg turns against the trend of natural “discovery” learning, where he says nothing is really taught, and argues that direct instruction by tested methods is the best way to ensure students consistently learn to read. Seidenberg’s analysis is backed up by numerous studies and tables of data. His approach is pragmatic, myth-destroying, and rooted in science—and his writing makes for powerful reading. (Jan.)