A little bit of science and reading

This article, (Brain Power by Benedict Carey in the New York Times, December 20th, 2009), argues that there is progress in establishing some scientific underpinning to teaching of young children based on an increased understanding of children's neurological development. While the bulk of the article focuses on numeracy, there are a couple of allusions to literacy.

Towards the end, they reference the fact that "scientists found that the brain’s ability to link letter combinations with sounds may not be fully developed until age 11 — much later than many have assumed." This would fit with the otherwise seemingly anomalous circumstance that reading instruction in Finland does not begin until children are seven or so (much later than in most countries) and yet their children consistently rate among the highest performers in terms of reading scores.