LEARNING TO READ

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29909, 24 August 1962, Page 16

LEARNING TO READ

Child Believed Ready At Two

(N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) SYDNEY, August 21

Experiments in the United States had shown that children could be taught to read at two years of age, a New Zealand education expert said today. Professor R. Winterburn, professor of education at Auckland University, told the Australian and New Zealand Association for the advancement of science congress that one of the growing points in modern education was the concept of mental “readiness” and school practice based upon it. It had been assumed that a mental age of 6j years was a necessary factor in mental readiness in learning to read, he said.

But often reading instruction was delayed unduly by some teachers. He said that there should not be premature conclusions as a result of the American work. But such work throwing new light on ideas of “readiness,” could help to break down some of the current distinctions between kindergarten. primary and secondary schooling.

Professor Winterbourn said that it was important that educational research should be encouraged in New Zealand and Australia. “We have had to rely too much on overseas research findings which at times do not seem to give an adequate picture of our children because of the subtle cultural differences between countries,” he said.