The Hidden Story

Two different and opposite kinds of readers are developed at the very beginning stages of reading instruction as the result of different and opposite kinds of teaching. One kind of reader is taught to read by the 'sound' of print, and reads automatically and with great accuracy. The other kind of reader is taught to read by the 'meaning' of print, as Chinese characters are read, and not only reads inaccurately, but is actually encouraged to do so by so-called 'psycholinguistic guessing.' The Hidden Story explains why the teaching of 'psycholinguistic guessing' to beginning readers, although it manifestly results in a life-long disability, has been the 'experts'' instructional preference ever since 1870, although the term itself is a relatively recent invention.