Their influence can be seen in the creation of popular childrens' books that, for vast numbers of children, start the process of confusing reading with simply recognizing the same familiar words as they are repeated over and over, surrounded by what somebody must think are interesting pictures. This pumps up their self-esteem, impresses their parents and promotes confidence in their teachers. As long as the books have lots of pictures and lots of familiar words, nobody ever has to know that the students really aren't learning to read beyond the most primitive level. It is a modern, fast, cheap and incredibly short- sighted alternative to teaching children how to read. There is no simple answer because every child is different.
Some children learn to read just by doing it.
Others seem to benefit from a more organized program of instruction. One thing is certain, however. All animals, including human beings, respond in predictable ways to behavior conditioning. That's how behavior conditioning works. The ancient process of teaching children that individual alphabet letters have sounds and that letters combine according to basic rules to make complex sounds and words has been condemned as too complicated, too difficult, too tedious and too boring for modern children.