Stop Look and Listen: Really Learning to Read

Jane Heath teaches psychology at Ryerson University.

Osler presents a clear and convincing argument against the use of
“whole language” approaches to reading instruction, and a
provocative analysis of the process by which children become literate.
As well, she outlines her own discovery-based and teacher-directed
remedial reading program: discovery-based in that it empowers the child
(through an active learning process emphasizing looking, listening, and
thinking) to master the sound and spelling patterns necessary for
confidence in decoding words; teacher-directed in that the teacher is
accountable for setting goals, structuring activities, and keeping the
child on track.

As well as a description of the theory underlying her program, Osler
gives a lucid description of the mechanics of this approach to teaching
children to read. While basically phonetic in nature, the program is
interesting for its emphasis on the stages children naturally pass
through in their mastery of phonetic relationships, its stress on the
child’s role as an active learner, and its use of classification tasks
as a key teaching tool. Classification tasks are seen as eliciting close
attention as well as active search for and testing of rules,
relationships, and strategies. Hence they enable the child to gain a
sense of mastery and control very early in the learning process. These
are principles strongly rooted in Piagetian theory, as is the author’s
emphasis on the teacher’s role in inducing disequilibrium through
presentation of stage-appropriate tasks that lead the child to question
and restructure his or her current understanding.

This book is noteworthy for its clear and innovative application of
cognitive-developmental principles to an issue of great interest to
educators and parents. While some of the author’s ideas are
controversial (e.g., her rejection of the “whole language” approach
and her assessment of dyslexia as being in most cases a result of
inexperience and/or ineffective teaching), they are well buttressed with
argument. Stop Look and Listen is highly recommended for anyone
interested in the pedagogy of reading.