During the 2020 quarantine, I have been asked many times my opinion about the benefits of reading in online classes. Many questions have been posed to me such as "How do we monitor our students?", "Does it really help?" or "Wouldnt teachers be better off worrying about the more important subjects?" Well, firstly we must remember that reading can take various forms for school students, these could include a "Reading out aloud" program where the teacher reads out aloud to pre-school or young primary level students, or autonomous reading where students read alone and complete activities.
There is no skill more important for students to practice than
reading, every subject can be taught through the use of books with the majority
of subjects requiring varying degrees of reading skills. For this reason alone,
it is obvious that when students become accustomed to reading, and it becomes a
part of their daily lives, that their ability to study will be heightened as
will the overall academic results that they achieve. Yes, there are many people
who deny the benefits of reading, but generally speaking, we find that the
majority of these people base their opinions on financial restraints, and
whilst this is a relevant fact in many educational systems in the world, it could never be a
respectable argument against the overall benefits of reading.
It is
impossible for anyone to deny that a child’s reading skills are important to
their success in school, work, and life in general. The majority of the world's
most successful leaders, educators and business people have all read enormous amounts
of books in their lives. In addition, when evaluating the most successful
education systems in the world, you will find that they are all heavily based
upon the use of books, (Electronic or physical), and reading. A child who grows
up with a love of reading, a love that they nurture and expand upon throughout
their lives undoubtedly, in the majority of cases, experiences greater success
in life.
Reading allows students to be transported from their own world to another.
Between the pages of a book, they can become immersed in authentic history or the lives of fictional
characters or situations, and learn about a culture entirely different from their own. They can
also learn new words and phrases, grammatical structures, experience a range of emotions, and acquire unlimited skills and knowledge.
Because of the learning potential, the effects of reading on child
development are vast and multiple studies have highlighted its benefits. As
such, teachers and parents are in a great position to ensure reading is a key
part of children’s daily routine. Below, I will give you some more information as to
why reading is so important as well as providing some tips that you can use both in and out
of the classroom.
What Are the Benefits of Reading for Children?
There
are multiple benefits that reading can have on a child’s development,
including:
Development of Cognitive Skills. Cognitive development
refers to how we perceive and think about our world in reference to our
intelligence, reasoning skills, language development, and the processing of information. By
reading to children, teachers and parents will provide them with a deep understanding of their
world and fill their brains with background knowledge that they may not otherwise obtain. They then use this new background knowledge to make sense of what they see, hear and read in their lives which helps with their cognitive development.
Gaining a deeper understanding. A book can take us anywhere in the world: to another city, to a different country, or even to another world. By reading a book, a child learns about people, places, and events that they couldn’t learn otherwise. This gives children a deeper understanding of the world around them and cultures that are different from their own. They will learn that the world is a far larger place than that which they experience every day and that other people have experiences that can be similar to theirs, or completely different.
Developing empathy. When students read a book, their imagination creates pictures in their minds that puts them directly into the story in front of them. This allows them to develop empathy as they experience the lives of other characters and they automatically learn how to identify with how they are feeling. Children can then use this understanding to empathize in the real world with other people. Additionally, children will gain a greater understanding of emotions, which can help them understand their own emotions and those of others. This helps dramatically with their social development, and in many cases, can help with serious social problems such as bullying.
What
is the Importance of Stories in a Childs's Education?
Reading with children
can help to create a love of reading for life. Multiple studies have found a
connection between reading for pleasure and higher academic achievement in
every subject, not just languages. This skill, if nourished throughout life, helps students especially when they begin their tertiary education where literally mountains of books and materials need to be read in order to attain the information that they need for their studies. Studying becomes more successful when students enjoy the process of researching through extensive reading.
The wide-ranging benefits of reading for children:
Higher levels of creativity and imagination. Reading a book relies on us using our imagination for picturing characters, visualizing their settings and environment, and predicting what is coming next. In reading programs, children must use their imagination to learn about other people, places, events, and times. In turn, this developed imagination leads to greater creativity as children use the ideas in their heads to inform their work.
Improved literary
skills. Reading aloud with
young children, even if they can’t fully understand what you are saying, gives
them the skills they need for when they begin to read by themselves. It shows
children that reading is something achieved by focusing from left to right and
that turning pages is essential for continuing. Reading to children, even in kindergarten classes, can help with their language acquisition, imagination and
mental stimulation.
Improves concentration. Regular and consistent reading can help to improve a child’s ability to concentrate. In addition, it will help a child learn to sit and listen for long periods of time, which will benefit them in their general schooling.
Experiencing more extensive vocabulary. Hearing words spoken aloud can expose children to a range of new vocabulary and phrases that they may not have previously heard. By reading to a child on a regular basis, they’ll constantly learn new words and expressions. Reading is the perfect way for students to learn phrasal verbs and idioms and grammatical structure in a subliminal manner.
Strategies for reading aloud to students in online classes.
Listening to stories being read aloud is one of the most valuable and pleasurable experiences beginning readers and writers can have. Reading aloud should be part of every child's day.
Story time offers a chance to model good reading and thinking strategies and to expose young learners to a rich variety of literature. When this exposure is accompanied by supportive and engaging discussions, children are able to extend their worldview and develop important critical thinking skills.
The following are some helpful tips that will help you make the most of your read-aloud time.
- Plan enough time for each activity/class.
You'll want to give yourself and the children enough time to read aloud, to enjoy, and to discuss the story. Always try, if possible, to include an age-appropriate follow-up activity whether it be comprehension or even drawing or describing one of their favorite scenes from the story.
A new experience
Some children aren't used to being read to and will need to develop that interest and ability. Start with short, interesting stories with strong pictures. In some cases, allow active children to manipulate play dough or to draw while listening. Be responsive to facial expressions and body language.
Read with expression
Let your voice reflect the tone and emotion of the story or the personalities of the characters. Don't read too fast, vary your pace so that you can pause for emphasis. Allow time for children to think about what's happening or what might come next.
Encourage students to make predictions
Ask children what they think will happen next. Help them confirm or revise these predictions as the story unfolds. Try to honor many ideas and interpretations, not just the "correct" ones. Instead of accepting or rejecting comments or ideas as right or wrong, use comments such as "That's one possibility, let's see what the author has in mind." or "Well that's an interesting idea. How did you think of that?"
- Choose stories or texts that respond to children's interests and experiences
For very young children or emergent readers, choose books with vivid pictures, a strong storyline, engaging characters, and evocative language. Humorous and predictable books are particularly successful. For teens, choose books that have subjects that relate to their reality, and interests so that they become completely engaged with the book, eagerly turning each page as they endeavor to see what happens next to their favorite characters.
Save time at the end of the story to get reactions
Ask questions that don't have right or wrong answers and that can't be answered with a yes or no reply. For instance, ask what the child liked (or disliked) about the book and why. You may ask what he or she thought about the characters or how the problem was solved. Find out if the book made listeners think of any personal experiences or other books they've heard or read.
- Prepare yourself. Preview the book before you read it with your students so that you can anticipate questions or reactions.
Practice reading the book through so you can decide where to pause for emphasis and where to ask questions, predictions, or reactions.
- Introduce the book to your students.
Point out the cover illustration, title, and author. Invite the children to predict what the book is about, and talk about how the book might connect to their own experience or to other books they've heard or read. You can also give a brief explanation about why you chose to read the book. "This is the story of a boy who goes on an unusual trip. I chose it because you just came back from a trip." Or "This is the story about a special friendship between a mouse and a whale. I have read this many times. I wonder what you will think about it."
- Allow time for your students to respond whilst you are reading
Allow time for children to study the pictures as you read, make comments, and ask questions about the story. This is particularly important for the youngest of students who will attach your words directly to the pictures.
- Watch your audience
Whether your classes are online, or in the regular classroom, watch the children's expressions and body language and be sensitive to signs of boredom or confusion. You may need to change your reading plan, change the book, or do more preparation next time.
- Save time at the end of the story to get reactions
Ask questions that don't have right or wrong answers and that can't be answered with a yes or no reply. For instance, ask what the child liked (or disliked) about the book and why. You may ask what he or she thought about the characters or how the problem was solved. Find out if the book made listeners think of any personal experiences or other books they've heard or read.
- Point out parts of the story you noticed or especially liked
Show the children special language patterns or phrases or parts of the text that made you feel or visualize something. Ask children if there were other parts of the book that they noticed.
- Encourage discussion about the story
Throughout the story, ask the children questions about what's going on and encourage them to predict what will come next. Be sure, though, not to turn the discussion into a quiz!
- Have fun
Remember that reading should be fun, it should transport us to new, mysterious places, it should arouse imagination and feed creativity, especially for children.
I hope that you found this article interesting.
Good luck and good teaching.
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