In addition, students do not have to sit still to listen to audiobooks as they do with written books, which may make it easier for some to pay attention to the content. Having students regularly listen to audiobooks with sustained focus can also help build phonemic and phonological awareness, or awareness of the sounds in their language. Young readers are able to listen to longer books than they are able to read themselves, and their ability to focus on the story can transfer over to their ability to focus on a written text. Listening is foundational for all kinds of learning, including reading, and active listening requires practice, just like any other skill. Sources: Reading Rockets, Libro.fm, New York Times, Literacy Trust, We Are Teachers Building listening skills and focus Some Benefits of Audiobooks for Early Readers Understanding the nuances and details in an audio text can be challenging, especially when consuming it while completing other tasks. On the other hand, because reading allows us to slow down, go back, and stop to think more easily than when listening, retention of difficult subject matter is typically stronger with written materials. For example, listening to reading with expressive prosody (pitch, tempo, and stress) can help us understand ambiguous sentences or unfamiliar vocabulary. Willingham also points out some differences between print and audio text that make them suited for different purposes. Audiobooks can take off that additional load so that, while a student works on their other literacy skills, they can practice the higher-level task of understanding what the text means. For those who have not yet mastered phonics or gained sufficient fluency-particularly for students with dyslexia, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), etc.-decoding is an additional cognitive load that can prevent them from using their language processing skills to comprehend the text. When decoding, or figuring out letter-sound relationships, is automatic, the mental processes involved in reading and listening are essentially the same, especially when it comes to narrative text. Willingham explains that reading and listening are actually extremely similar tasks. In this New Yo rk Times article, psychologist Daniel T. But education researchers tell us that using audiobooks is NOT cheating, and can be used in different ways to enhance or support students’ learning process. Audiobooks just feel too easy, too much like “cheating.” There are parents that worry that audiobooks may prevent their children from learning to read written text. It is clear that audiobooks are enjoyable and convenient for both kids and adults, but many people doubt that they can help early readers develop their literacy skills. It is easier than ever to discover, access, and consume audio content, and its portability and multitask-ability make audio an ideal medium for information and entertainment in a fast-paced lifestyle. Especially since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, audiobook and podcast listenership have been growing rapidly in the US and the UK. Now that I am a busy young adult, audio media like audiobooks and podcasts have become an essential part of my daily and weekly routines. Whether it was with my family, with my class, or on my own, these aural experiences with words and stories gifted me with a playground for the imagination unfettered by technical limitations. My most impactful early literacy experiences were not interactions with printed text, but listening to verbal narratives in the form of bedtime stories, library read-alouds, and radio dramas. Like many kids who had the privilege of being around books all the time, I was a bookworm before I could actually read. As audiobooks continue gaining popularity, some educators and parents of young readers may be tempted to dismiss them as “cheating” or “unrigorous.” But research suggests that audiobooks can aid in the development of some key literacy skills, especially in students who dislike reading, have trouble sitting still, or have ADHD, dyslexia, or other learning disabilities.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |