Why Reading Like a Lizard Produces Geniuses

Why Reading Like a Lizard Produces Geniuses

Forget politics, President Obama and Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education,

and the Republican Party agree that Reading is the  primary skill for any successful career.

We live in the Knowledge Economy, and its tools are technical. Can you imagine

functioning one working day without your computer and the Internet?

Can physics, biology and chemistry produce and innovate without advanced reading skills?

Inquiring Minds Need to Know

There are three systems to reading – decoding the letters and sounds in our language.

1. Phonics – deciphering the collaboration between the letters of our alphabet and the sounds they link to. Stop-And-Remember:

Phonics controls 62% of comprehension when kids & adults read.

1. Holistic Word Recognition – means we have a neural network (file)

for the SHAPE of words. We gain comprehension by comparing the

shape of the words we read with a standard in our brain.

Holistic Words constitute 16% of how we obtain meaning from reading.

1. Whole-Language Recognition – we decode the meaning of the words

by its CONTEXT in the sentence. Context means circumstances or facts preceding or following the specific word or phrase.

Whole-Language supplies 22% of our comprehension from reading.

Secret Discovered

Linguists – scientists specializing in the principles and grammar of English – have believed that 1-2-3 (Phonics-Holistic-Whole) were redundant, each rehashed what

the other system delivered.

The above is wrong. 1-2-3 are ADDITIVE, each one alters and improves the reading

Google: Professor Dennis Pelli, NYU, published August 1, 2007, PloS One

So What

For the past 100 years schools have been specializing in teaching new readers

to read Aloud exclusively using Phonics. They should have been focusing on Silent Reading using Holistic (remembering the SHAPE of words). The third piece of the puzzle is Whole-Language - where the reader pays attention to the context of the words in sentences and paragraphs.

Phonics is 62% of the reading process, but Holistic and Whole-Language is

what separates the Snailing reader (slow and distracted), from Speed Readers

who are innovative and can lead teams to success.

Reading is not a horse race with a single winner. To gain total comprehension by decoding words, we require the use of 1-2-3 (Phonics-Holistic-Whole). This new

1. research will help train kids to read better and faster, and offers a new approach to  the reading deficit Dyslexia.

Your Three (3) Brains

Dr. Paul D. MacLean was the first scientist to write about the Triune Brain. He

saw it as not one-brain in structure and function, but three separate, active, generic brains, each with its exclusive gifts and talents.

1. Reptilian Complex – the oldest brain we inherited from our ancient

ancestors the lizards and alligators. Important? The brainstem and autonomic nervous system of the Reptilian Complex looks to our survival

1. 1. Limbic System – comes from Latin meaning border or belt. It operates

long-term memory (hippocampus), emotions (amygdala), and our behaviors.

1. Neo-cortex (new brain) and responsible for reason, language, decision-

Each of the three has a sort of Veto power, and often integrate their instructions before a final decision is made. We do not act like a computerized robot when deciding to buy or not-buy, move forward or retire from the field.

Each of 1-2-3 speaks loudly when survival (Reptilian) is at stake, emotions (Limbic) are involved, or when executive decisions (Neo-cortex) are required.

Reading Words & Our Lizard Brain

New research by Professor Simon Liversedge, University of Southampton, U.K.

9. 2007 revealed for the first time how our eyes read specific words.

It was universally assumed by neuroscientists that both our eyes focused as one,

when analyzing words while reading. Wrongo – the left eye sees specific letters

of the word, while our right eye decodes different letters of the same word –

usually about two-letters apart. Unlike a lizard that has eyes on the sides of

the head, we have our in the CENTER, but our eyes act like the lizard and see

two separate PICTURES.

After seeing, our eyes combine the two-images through a system called Optic

Fusion. Once done, we see a sharp, focused single image.

So What, Again

Our schools teach kids, and have for 100 years - to read using our Foveal (Central

Vision), sharp sight exclusively. Google: fovea contralis located in our retina.

What is wrong is that reading using foveal vision restricts us to reading one six-letter word at a time. More than that it gets blurry. We see 4-6 letters perfectly,

so we learn to NOT use our peripheral (side, outside of the center) vision.

Trained Peripheral Vision permits us to read up to 36 letters at a time, or about

six words. The training to perfect peripheral vision is baby-easy and becomes a

new habit after 21 days of practice. Snailers use foveal (Central) vision, while

speed reading concentrate on using Peripheral Vision.

Endwords

The secret of folks who habitually own triple the core knowledge of their peers,

is learning to integrate peripheral vision when reading. Why bother? These people

win promotions, and enjoy double or triple the learning and memory skills.

Would you have a competitive advantage reading and remembering three (3)

books, articles and reports in the time your peers in school and career can

hardly finish one? Please contact us for the free details.

copyright © 2009 H. Bernard Wechsler

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