While reading at all ages has always been seen as important for child growth and development in literacy, now the benefits of asking students questions during reading are becoming even clearer.
A new educational study released this week reveals that if a teacher stops to check for comprehension in children during read aloud time, kids have a much higher chance to learn the material and become better readers themselves.
Using read aloud time to improve student literacy skills
Reading to children at a young age and at least once a day has long-term positive influences on student learning. A study recently made public late this week by the University of Virginia’s School of Education reinforces this idea in literacy.
The current report began its initial stages over 15 years ago, and was intended to focus on finding what exactly leads students to best improve their reading skills over time. The results were more than interesting — while reading to children was seen as an important part of the educational process, asking questions is the real key to academic success.
Asking students during the reading process itself is what researchers noted best led to student comprehension and better literacy skills over a period of several years. In addition to bettering vocabulary and increasing student focus while reading children's stories, asking questions while reading promotes kids being actually engaged in the story book.
Results of the educational reading study
According to the University of Virginia’s academic findings, when parents or teachers read a book to children, 90% of kids more often to focus on the pictures alone, not the text itself. However, asking questions and having students find where on the page the answer could be located led to students actually learning while reading.
Now, researchers point to the idea that moving away from the traditional view of simply having students listen to reading rather than engage in the text will lend itself to better ability in literacy.
A select group of kids have been watched for over two years in the study. They are currently in 1st grade, and the process of having them practice their own reading skills has shown much improvement already.
According to the Journal of Child Development, even small changes in having students become the focal point—rather than on observer—can lead to success in reading. It states, “Children who focused their attention on print … had better literacy outcomes than those who did not.”
