The Never Ending Story: Encouraging Learners to Read

As I am preparing for my webinar on Saturday with Scholastic Philippines, their wonderful staff sent some questions. I will give my answers on some of them in my session. One question must be answered now, through the blog because it is a question I often get and the answers are here in SLIA.

Here is the question: Aside from required reading, how do we encourage learners to read more?

Reading more and fostering a genuine love for books and reading begin at home. The school provides formal instruction on langauge and literacy skills development. The community nurtures and nourishes the reading culture that families and schools have begun.

Recommending this book, Bumasa at Lumaya Volume 2, in support of my answer. This book discusses reading, children's literature and the systems and mechanisms that grow language and literacy skills development.

So. How do we foster this love for books and reading at home? Click on the following links:

1. Reading is a family matter. It begins at home and parents create the environment for which children build on the confidence to read.

2. Reading is a developmental process (Jean Chall, 1986) thus, a book or a reading material/text can be provided for children following this principle.

3. Parents can and MUST model the reading habit.

Pondering on the question, I ask this back: Why is reading being required in the first place? Remember to allow the child to choose the books, the texts and the materials he/she likes to read. Ask why this is his/her choice of reading material. Believe in the child to be able to think and to express his/her ideas, feelings and curiosities.