Nancy Young

So

the instruction that they're going to need is going to consider where they are when they start school.

And for some children, we won't know where they are, and it's not like you want to box people into an area of the continuum.

But in all the years of my ladder of reading and writing being used by so many schools and parents, it helps parents understand that, oh, you know, learning to read,

maybe more difficult for my child or one of my children.

And so my child is going to need certain instruction to be able to learn to read.

And the more difficult it is, the more the instruction needs to be broken into steps and accompanied by a lot of practice.

But

If a child is not having difficulty learning to read, they are going to need different instruction.

And I think that's confusion right now.

Everybody thinks they need the same instruction and they don't.

And it's really important that we give the instruction based on what they need when they start school and also, as I said before, how quickly they're learning.

Because if we're not giving the instruction they need, they won't be progressing.

And then if they're not progressing, not only are they not learning what they could be in that time, there's something called opportunity cost or lost opportunities.

But the other thing is a child not getting what they need, who's getting instruction on what they already know, may become very unmotivated, may be depressed.

bored and look like they're not paying attention, but it's because they're just not getting what they need.

So it becomes linked to social and emotional health.

It could begin before formal schooling starts.

It could begin at the age of four if they're in some sort of preschool.

I can't remember what you call it in New Zealand.