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Study Group 3: Learning to Read
Study Group Moderator: Gudmundur Kristmundson
Gudmundur is associate professor in language arts at Iceland University of Education In Reykjavik Iceland. He was a teacher and headteacher of children at compulsory school level for years as well as lecturing.
When children start scool they already have a rather long history connected with literacy. The school has to take notice of this and from day one in school this history runs in two lines, at home and school, which must have all kinds of connections between them. The school must also be aware of the need the individual and the society have for literacy in the future. When teaching children to read the teacher is therefore dealing with the childīs past, present and future.
Educational research in the field of reading and teaching to read indicates what aspects of teaching to read makes significant contribution to improvements in reading.
Many aspects can be identifed as being particularly important. Here, only a few will be mentioned:
- Connection of home and school and how it could benefit children's reading.
- Good teaching strategies and classroom organization for improving children's learning to read and both affects their ability to decode and their comprehension.
- Ways of making children gradually more independent readers who can use reading for learning.
- Assessment of reading.
- Meeting the literacy needs of every child.
