How the Brain Learns to Read: Insights from Cognitive Neuroscience

Reading is one of the most complex skills our brains develop. Far from being an innate ability, reading requires the brain to repurpose neural circuits originally evolved for other functions. Through cognitive neuroscience, especially the research of Professor Stanislas Dehaene, we now understand how the brain learns to read and how educators can use this knowledge to improve literacy outcomes.

The Neural Recycling Hypothesis: How Reading Co-opts Visual Circuits

Visual Word Form Area (VWFA) Activation

The human brain has no specific region dedicated to reading from birth. Instead, learning to read involves the recruitment of the Visual Word Form Area (VWFA) in the left occipitotemporal cortex. This region, originally used for object and face recognition, becomes specialized for recognizing printed letters and words.

This process, known as neural recycling, explains why reading acquisition requires intensive instruction and practice: the brain must rewire an existing visual processing area to map visual symbols (graphemes) to speech sounds (phonemes).

Phonological Awareness and Grapheme-Phoneme Mapping

Why Phonemic Decoding Is Crucial

Scientific studies consistently show that phonological awareness the ability to recognize and manipulate the sounds of spoken language is a critical predictor of reading success. Effective reading instruction must teach children how letters represent sounds and how those sounds form words.

This grapheme-to-phoneme mapping enables the decoding process, which is essential for reading unfamiliar words and building vocabulary. Dehaene’s research emphasizes systematic phonics as the most effective method for building this foundational skill.

The Reading Circuit: Integrating Multiple Brain Regions

Reading engages a complex network of brain regions:

• Occipitotemporal Cortex (VWFA): Recognizes written letters and words.

• Temporal Lobe (Superior Temporal Gyrus): Processes speech sounds.

• Inferior Frontal Gyrus (Broca’s Area): Involved in articulating speech and syntactic processing.

• Angular and Supramarginal Gyri: Integrate visual and auditory information.

Dyslexia: A Neurological Basis for Reading Challenges

Dyslexia affects approximately 5-10% of the population and stems from atypical development in the left hemisphere’s reading circuit. Neuroimaging studies show that dyslexic individuals often exhibit underactivation in the VWFA and related phonological areas.

Intervention programs that target phonemic awareness and provide multisensory instruction have shown to be effective. Early diagnosis and intervention are critical to mitigate long-term academic difficulties.

The Role of Attention and Working Memory

Reading also relies heavily on executive functions, including attention and working memory. Children must:

• Hold phonological information temporarily in working memory.

• Focus attention to distinguish between similar graphemes.

• Suppress irrelevant information to maintain comprehension.

Deficits in these areas can hinder reading fluency and comprehension, even when decoding skills are intact.

Educational Implications: Designing Evidence-Based Literacy Instruction

Systematic Phonics and Explicit Instruction

Dehaene advocates for explicit and systematic phonics instruction in early literacy education. Programs should be structured to gradually introduce grapheme-phoneme correspondences, with repeated practice in decoding and blending.

Avoiding Whole Word and Multicueing Approaches

Research warns against whole-word recognition or multicueing strategies, which encourage guessing based on context or pictures. These methods bypass the essential decoding skills and can hinder the development of fluent reading pathways in the brain.

Reading Fluency and Automaticity

Once decoding becomes automatic, the brain can dedicate more cognitive resources to comprehension and higher-order thinking. Fluency is built through:

• Repetition and Practice: Strengthening neural connections.

• Oral Reading: Reinforcing phonological feedback loops.

• Feedback and Scaffolding: Ensuring accurate decoding before speed is emphasized.

The Kintess School’s Neuroscience-Informed Approach to Reading

At Kintess School, we align our literacy instruction with cutting-edge cognitive neuroscience. Our reading curriculum is rooted in:

• Explicit phonics instruction based on Dehaene’s principles.

• Structured literacy methods that emphasize decoding, fluency, and comprehension.

• Regular progress monitoring to adapt interventions early.

• Multisensory techniques for all learners, including those with dyslexia.

We cultivate a literacy environment where brain-based strategies ensure every student has the cognitive tools needed to become a confident, fluent reader.

Aligning Education with Cognitive Science

Understanding how the brain learns to read transforms the way we teach literacy. By integrating neuroscience with classroom practice, we can create reading programs that are effective, inclusive, and grounded in how the brain actually works. The science is clear: when we teach reading in a way that aligns with neural architecture, all students benefit.