120 hr. TEFL Course Module 3- Reading (Pt.5 Auditory and Visual Discrimination)

Module 3: Reading

3.2 Auditory and visual discrimination

Both auditory and visual discrimination refer to our ability to perceive and distinguish between different elements. The best way to understand these two concepts is by looking at each one individually.

3.2.1    Auditory discrimination

Auditory discrimination refers to our brain’s ability to organize and categorize sounds, thereby allowing us to make meaning of what we hear. While auditory refers to sounds and reading is typically done silently, the ability to distinguish between different sounds (phonemes) can affect our ability to sound out and identify vocabulary. The inability to effectively access one’s auditory discrimination can impair someone’s reading tremendously, especially when students are asked to read out loud.  If someone has trouble with auditory discrimination, they will have trouble:

• Understanding phonemes and how they are different. This is especially true with phonemes that are similar, as we can see in the words “forty” and “fourteen.” The subtle changes in the structure of these words may be difficult for someone who has poor auditory discrimination to perceive.

• Learning to read. As we have already discussed, many of the early reading strategies rely heavily on a student’s ability to understand and distinguish between different sounds. This can add an extra hurdle for a new English language learner.

• Sometimes, struggles with auditory discrimination can affect students’ ability to focus on what they are reading because they have difficulty blocking out background noise.

 Just because someone suffers from an auditory discrimination disorder, however, does not mean they cannot learn a new language. Such a disorder simply provides a surmountable obstacle on the path to success.