There is undoubtedly a need for learners to learn to read to be able to read to learn. As teachers, we can teach our learners the skills of reading, but they only become good readers when they want to read. The way to solve this dilemma lies in giving learners the opportunity to read for enjoyment.
Research shows that the key to literacy learning and the development of a culture of reading lies in the practice of voluntary reading. Improved levels of literacy and a general improvement in language competency are but some of the advantages of reading for enjoyment. Children love stories. It is more often we, the teachers, who do not appreciate the educational benefits of story-telling and of reading simply for pleasure.
The Foundations for Learning campaign of Minister of Education Naledi Pandor suggests that every school should set aside time for reading every day. This is a time when a teacher can slow down the pace in a classroom, when she can spend some quality time with learners who need help with their reading, or even spend a few minutes setting an excellent example by reading a few pages from her own book.
How does a teacher create the space for her class to enjoy half-an-hour of reading for enjoyment? It is actually very easy if you have the right ingredients. You need a collection of books from which the children can choose. Some teachers have classroom libraries sent to the school by the department of education, others have benefited from donations, or books have been bought by the school. A teacher may select some books from the school library, ask the community library to give a block loan or ask the local supermarket or radio station to call for donations of books suitable for the children in the class. Donated books are not always suitable, so the teacher would have to pick out only the suitable ones.
Teachers need to choose books that focus on familiar experiences and those that extend the child’s knowledge and vocabulary. They must ensure that the collection is inclusive of gender, abilities/disabilities, cultural and income diversity and that it is representative of the diversity of the larger community and of society generally.
Not only will the library need different levels of readers, it will also need a range of different topics to entice the children to read the books. Emerging literacy learners enjoy simple themes and familiar concepts, repetitive patterns or cumulative patterns, rhythmic language, a simple storyline and predictable elements with a good match between the text and illustrations.
Having secured a small supply of books, the next step is to give learners some guidance about choosing a book so that they take responsibility for making their own selection. They shouldn’t end up with a book that doesn’t interest them or is too difficult.
Teachers should read the books themselves and put coloured stickers in the front cover so that a learner will know whether the book is easy to read (for a learner in that grade) or difficult – but they shouldn’t restrict weaker readers to easy books, or vice versa. The children will soon realise that it is more fun to read a book at their reading level. Teachers may also write a note in pencil indicating what the book is about, such as soccer, an adventure, dancing and so on. This will help learners to make their own, good, selections.
Thirty minutes a day should be used for reading and children should be allowed to take books home to finish the story or to read to their parents or grandparents.
Enjoying a book goes hand-in-hand with sharing the book. Children must be encouraged to talk about the books that they have read. Once a week or so, learners should be allowed to share the stories that they have read during reading time. Talking gives the learner a chance to go over the story again and to get a better, deeper understanding of the text. Children become involved with the characters and relate to them – an important and fun part of reading. Best of all, they can share funny parts of the story, which often become even funnier to children in the telling.
Learners should be given guidance about talking about a book, rather than simply re-telling the story. Some guidelines are to:
- Find the best/worst character and explain why this is so;
- Identify the puzzling parts of the story;
- Let them ask their own questions about the story;
- Find the best/worst part of the story and explain why;
- Present favourite quotes and reveal why each was chosen;
- Present two quotes – one that stood out and one that genuinely puzzled the child; and
- Note something appealing about their favourite character in the story.
Giving children more control and ownership of the reading process will make them want to read more and there will be more enjoyment in reading. If we can achieve that, educating the child will become a pleasure.
Jenny Rault-Smith is the national department of education’s chief director of curriculum and assessment for the general education and training phase. This article is in support of the department’s Foundations for Learning Campaign, aimed at boosting learners’ literacy and numeracy skills.