Reluctant readers

What is a reluctant reader? Any experiencedclass teacher will know that each year their classes are a combination of avidbookworms, readers who can read but don’t particularly want to and those whowill avoid it every opportunity. 

Since reading is the single most importantaspect of school as it opens up the gate to the world of education, it is notonly frustrating but worrying when students don’t seem to be able to do it.

The reasons behind it can be varied. Iinstantly encourage teachers to identify any obvious factors such as tiredness,hunger or embarrassment that might be acting as a limiting factor and approachthose areas first. 

Assessment is the next area to address.Once assessments of reading ages and phonic awareness are completed, they providethe starting point from which to build and set targets from. They can alsohighlight any other specific learning needs such as dyslexia that may requireadditional assessments and learning strategies in the classroom.

In my experience not one child is the sameand likewise not one class is the same, but what is the same is that childrenwho feel they are behind their classmates can often feel alienated perpetuatingtheir negative relationship with reading.

The most skilled teachers I have workedwith create safe learning environments where the achievements of all are valuedand use subtle techniques to encourage reluctant readers to get involved,importantly though they have always returned to basic phonic teaching toidentify the gaps in learning that are often responsible for reading issues.

These teachers find topics that childrenare interested in and build reading activities around them. They submergechildren in reading rich environments that cater for all and make phonics orreading a daily activity, no matter what age the children. Not all reading isfound in books.

Comics, websites and apps all rely onreading skills for the user to get the most out of them and creative teachersknow this. 

The most important champion in the struggleto get reluctant readers reading, however, is the parents who influence thelives of their children daily. 

Sharing targets and successes with parentsand encouraging to them to recognise their accountability in this area is oftenwhat can make the difference and the most successful teachers acceleratelearning in this area by building meaningful relationships with parents thatshare this common goal.