A casual observation of pupils shows that pupils between 10 and 19 years of age have greater desire to read more and more books. Unfortunately, most of the materials available to them have been drawn from stories of crime, violence, cheap magazine articles, and lurid illustrations. Such materials are printed attractively. Due to these reasons, materials for children’s reading are very limited. How can this be remedied is the most pressing problem of the parents.
To cultivate reading habits among our pupils is not only for personal enjoyment and for enrichment of knowledge but also to enable them to fulfill their role as an intelligent citizen of a country. The present children’s books and children’s libraries satisfy this desire to some extent. However, this is not enough. The interests of children, their abilities, and aptitudes should be taken into consideration while publishing books for children.
Books are the important means of obtaining information. Once the ability to read with ease has been acquired, it continues throughout the life. Therefore, reading is an unfailing source of pleasure and recreation. The more they read more the knowledge they acquire. As Dr.West puts it, “we have to cultivate in our pupils the faculty of tearing the heart of books of getting quickly at the facts of thought-as some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed and some are to be chewed and digested. ( Bi-lingualism, Dr.West, page 164 ).
One of the aims of education is to teach the pupils who are to be the citizens of tomorrow to use their leisure time profitably. It is up to the teachers as well as the parents who are entrusted with the task of educating the future citizens. Generally, Sociological books are liked by all the age groups. Short stories and mythology appeal most to the younger age group. Detectives, historical and political novels to the middle age group, biography seems to be preferred by pupils of the older age groups.
It is a fact that whatever the children learn, it stats from home, with the family. Hence, at the early stage, parents should sit and read along with the children. This makes the children read little by little. For instance, they should be made to read or start reading from words. Then, read out the story for them and slowly end up in making the children read the stories for themselves.
Children should be encouraged and appreciated if they complete reading a book. This would go a long way in inculcating reading habits in children.
Using the media and technology in right way could definitely help to develop reading habit among children. Reading can be encouraged not only through books but also through visual aids, audio books, book DVDs etc. This not only improves the reading habits but also helps them to do better than other children in IQ tests or competitive examinations.
Reading can be anything, including newspapers, magazines, novels, short stories, autobiographies, biographies, historical books, social sciences etc. It is always better to start with storybooks, which help them to pick up fast. The book that a child chooses should be at his or her level. Book that is too high in standard for children should be avoided because the children may not understand the matter and it will be a waste of time.
Make reading a regular habit by practicing it every day for a particular period, say for 30 or 45 minutes. Slowly increase the speed as well as the time of reading according to the capacity of the children. Do not pressurize the child; it is always better to keep a particular time for reading. Never give up reading or cancel even for a day because practice makes a person perfect.
Never choose a book with too much difficult vocabulary.
Today children are glued either to the TV or to the computer. However, books can also teach a lot to them. Books improves the vocabulary, command over the language, increases creativity, visit many places by reading stories, which makes them remember than merely reading about the places etc.
Reading habit helps children learn new things of his own and thereby increasing the child’s speed in learning.
Reading is something that not only helps the children in educational way, but it also helps them to develop their personality. Even today around 20-40% of school children cannot read fast enough, well enough or comfortable enough.
Teachers also have a greater role to play in developing reading habits in children. Teachers should encourage students read books other than prescribed textbooks. Extensive reading of books, newspapers, and magazines will enable the students acquire more knowledge and help them keep themselves abreast of developments all over the world. Teachers should not stop with imparting knowledge prescribed in the syllabus but also encourage or motivate students to go in for extensive reading. Knowledge is power and one cannot steal from others. In order to improve the language and learn the matter one has to read for himself.
Every school must have one hour or two hours in a week as library period. During this period, students should be taken to the library and allowed to read books of their choice. Library should be a well-equipped one to serve this purpose.
Students should be allowed to take home books from the library and they should be asked to submit the summary of what they have read, given the specific period of time-say after ten days or fifteen days. This habit would not only help them to improve their vocabulary but also help them to remind them of what they have learned and also to develop the habit of reading.
Students should be asked to write the summary of news from the newspaper everyday and submit it at the weekend. This makes them a regular reader of the newspaper, which is very essential to be up to date and to be aware of what is happening around the world. This would improve their general knowledge.
The teacher should identify the individual differences in students especially with reference to their reading habits, IQ strength, and accumulated reading ability of the students. The habit of reading helps the children in the following ways.
- It gives them social recognition
- It enables them to discover new things
- It enables them to answer their exam questions better for better scores
- It gives them the educational success.
In educationally advanced countries, there is a crusade for “better books for young readers”. Books are beautifully illustrated and suited to the children of various ages, which are made attractive and inexpensive too, so that they may be within the means of practically every parent. Besides publishing the books, every effort should be made to keep the public, the parent, the teacher, and the children in touch with the latest publications. Every library, public, municipal, or private has invariably a children’s section where all up-to-date children’s books are available.
Book weeks and book exhibitions should be organized by libraries. Booksellers must provide sufficient opportunities to educate the parents by spreading valuable information concerning all activities connected with children’s reading. It is unfortunate that some children after having picked up a little reading and writing ability leave that habit because of lack of suitable materials, finance etc. The need for properly guided, attractive, illustrated books is widely felt. Besides, the material has to be adapted to their level of understanding with respect to not only the language but also the subject matter. Dr .Huber, through his careful statistical analyses lists three factors that influence children’s choice and enjoyment of leisure through
- The type of materials
- Quality of the materials and
- The difficulty of the materials.
Indeed, it is a pleasurable job when one can wander into the realms of books and meet great souls who speak to them through the silent printed pages. Hence, there is need for effective library service in schools. The use of library depends on the selection of books. In fact, library is the custodian of knowledge and reservoir of potential information. It is the duty of every teacher to keep an eye on the pupils reading at different levels or ages to choose suitable books for them. Teacher should guide the pupils when they are at books and discover their tastes and ideals by leading them to appreciate the right type of materials because proper adjustment of reading materials to a pupil’s capacity is of profound importance. Moreover developing the habit of reading at school would help the parents who are not educated.
The Secondary Education Commission suggest that the constitution of a small committee of teachers in every school, who have a genuine love for books, can study book reviews, consult catalogue and visit book shops if possible in a view to foster the reading habits in children should be formed.
Conclusion
Thus, the importance of extensive reading is recognized as a “pleasure-giving, intellectual recreation,” by all the educationists. Unless the pupils are properly motivated, unless they have easy access to books and literature which suits their interests and tastes the extensive readings becomes meaningless and boring.
The state, the home, and the school are the three institutions which influence the children. These three can be utilized as instruments to promote extensive reading among children.
The state can help by establishing libraries by encouraging those who are gifted in writing children’s books, by encouraging researches, arranging book exhibitions and book weeks, formation of mobile libraries and centralized libraries.
The ways in which home can help is to encourage children to become members of public library, by subscribing to the news papers and periodicals.
Effective libraries service in the school is to make libraries the most effective place in the school. The success of the library depends on the proper selection of books, journals and periodicals, publicity of books through school authorities, guidance by the teachers, and formation of centralized libraries.