Study uses brain wave technology to research how different teaching methods impact reading development

Stanford study uses brain waves to demonstrate how different teaching methods impact reading development.

This study compared brain activity following different teaching methods, one being letter-sound (phonics) instruction and the other being whole-word association instruction. Letter-sound instruction is a focus on the relationships between letters and sounds when learning a new word, rather than a focus of the entire word all at once. The study found that words learned during letter-sound instruction showed more activity in the left side of the brain which contains the language and visual regions. The words learned through whole-word association showed more activity in the right hemisphere. The study also found that when participants read words they had never seen before, using letter-sound patterns they had learned triggered the left hemisphere processing.

Overall, the study suggests promising evidence that effective letter-sound instruction leads to activation in the parts of the brain best wired for reading and language development.

READ MORE ABOUT THE STUDY HERE.