I
recently completed the UTas reading groups survey which made me think about
what it was, other than the book itself, that created that feeling of enjoyment
when I read.
Sharing
books with babies involves lots of physical contact with cuddles, activities
like pointing and touching, and conversation about the pictures. All this is mutually enjoyable for the small
person and the reader. At the monthly
Reading in the Market Place at Prospect, I find myself sitting on a hard floor
surrounded by a handful of little people.
Watching their faces as they hear the story and see the pictures is
amazing. How seriously they take the
story, how solemnly they concentrate and then giggle or laugh at the
pictures. How eager they are to answer
or ask questions or add information about what they see and hear. However there
is one little girl who regularly attends these sessions but she has never shown
any facial expression or volunteered responses.
But last time when finally it was just her and me on the mat she finally
pointed to a picture, named a few objects and gave a smile. I feel sure that she enjoys the experience
and I know I certainly do.
As we
become independent readers, a reading guide no longer necessary, how do we
compensate for that interactive element so important to baby readers? There are several ways perhaps.
Where
and when we read becomes important. The
reader finds a comfortable place to ‘curl up with a good book’; in a bean bag, on a lounge in the sun in
summer, in front of a roaring fire in winter, snuggled in bed after a day of
work or school. Whatever the physical
situation, the environment enhances the enjoyment of the intellectual activity
of reading.
As
independent readers at school, the system sometimes creates quite the opposite
effect. There are different types of
group reading in schools. At primary level
teachers regularly read stories to the whole class allowing the children to
find a comfortable position on the mat, lying on the floor with a cushion, head
down on the desk.... The situation created is similar to that of reading to
young children and many primary children really love to be read to. The secret
here is to find a book that will appeal to a group of twenty five or more
individuals. Not easy but many primary
teachers manage to preserve that feeling of added enjoyment by creating a
comfortable physical environment.
At
secondary level the opportunity to create that convivial atmosphere is more
difficult. For a start sitting at a desk or table is a far cry from the
comfortable reading environments a reader usually chooses at home and asking
teenagers to ‘sit on the mat’ would be a disaster. And who hasn’t experienced reading a book
around the classroom, each student reading a few paragraphs in turn? For the fast reader this is excruciating, for
the hesitant reader, reading aloud is torture, for the one that reads ahead,
like me, how embarrassing when your turn comes and you have lost the place! But how else can a teacher be sure that every
student reads the book? One could
question the validity of having set texts that everyone has to read but that is
still the way the curriculum is designed in secondary and senior secondary schools. So for many students the reading in the
English curriculum becomes a turn off rather than an encouragement or a value
added experience. Some enterprising
teachers have overcome these problems but some old habits die hard and some
can’t be avoided.
So after
school, how do mature readers seek to wring all that is possible from
their reading? Well perhaps some of the
really dedicated readers join book groups. Picture a convivial group sitting
round a coffee table in comfortable chairs sipping coffee or perhaps a
wine. What better environment than that
for adding to your reading experience. The opportunity to not only read a book,
but then discuss it with fellow readers, is a fulfilling experience akin to
watching the faces on those small children at the market place or cuddling your
grandchild on your lap while reading a beautiful picture book. When readers don’t agree about a book, the
different perspectives that members bring to the discussion helps to broaden
one’s appreciation and understanding of the book. I have come to many a discussions not liking
a book and left with a much more positive attitude and appreciation. When readers do agree, the enjoyment of
sharing relished events, characters, or insights makes the reading more valuable
and agreement reinforces the validity of one’s own ideas and opinions.
If adult
readers gain significantly from discussion of books would younger readers find
the same post- reading satisfaction?
Would informal book groups in schools at all levels provide added value
for those students who love reading?
Would just reading the book, enjoying the contents and sharing the
thoughts stimulated, without the onus of doing work on the book, encourage more
young people to enjoy and voluntarily partake in reading? I’d love to hear from young readers and
teachers about this.
Carol Fuller
