Long Term Benefits of ReadingThere are many long-term benefits to developing the habit and the skills of reading. Below are those I feel are the most valuable.
Strong reading skills will enable students to experience greater success in middle school, high school and university. The ability to understand and interpret various forms of written text is essential for academic achievement. Students will encounter a larger number of fiction and nonfiction texts as they progress through the grades, each posing special challenges. Students’ success or failure in meeting these challenges will have far-reaching consequences through their school years and beyond. In any field of study, a large percentage of the learning is done through reading. While many talented teachers are able to provide students with learning experiences though lectures, presentations and discussions, or through interactive learning activities, the overall quantity of information in high school and university courses requires that students be able to read, understand and process large amounts of text. Teachers at this level do not always have the time to teach students the skill of effective reading and note-taking, so it is vital that students develop these skills in middle school. FSA tests in grades seven and ten, and final exams in high school and university often ask students to read both fiction and nonfiction, compare texts, and respond to them in writing. Teaching students to navigate and comprehend such texts throughout the year will help them succeed on these critical tests. Teaching students to navigate and read nonfiction texts gives them access to a large body of important and useful information – information that they are not exposed to in everyday conversations but need in order to succeed in school. Educational consultant, Charlene Harris describes it using the following metaphor: You can think of this informational base as a "ball of clay." As the child grows, he or she is adding to their ball of clay. The unfortunate fact is that most high school and college students have not taken in enough information bits in their early years to give them a large enough ball of clay or informational base to do the work required of them in high school and college. Most college professors assume they are teaching to students with large informational balls of clay. Children should be given a steady diet of non-fiction reading material to help them build up their informational base. Through language abilities, students understand and engage the academic content areas, therefore success in all fields of study is grounded in students acquiring solid knowledge and skills in reading. Strong reading skills will enable students to more successfully compete for jobs in the global marketplace and succeed in the workplace of the future. Increased techonology and an emphasis on the global marketplace are causing many changes in today’s job market. More and more North American companies are outsourcing many of their jobs overseas. In tomorrow’s job market, young people will not only be competing against their North American peers, but also against those of countries like India and China who are producing an increasingly well educated work force. Many of our students are graduating from high school lacking the basic literacy skills needed to succeed in this new reality. Good reading skills can mean the difference between being an average worker and being an excellent worker. Today's workplace requires just about everyone to use reading comprehension skills to get their jobs done. New workers are expected to effectively communicate with each other and be proficient in the use of various forms of printed materials. Having strong reading skills will provide young people with a much wider selection of career options and the ability to earn a higher income over their lifetimes. Reading provides us with numerous opportunities to enrich our lives and the solutions to many everyday problems. Reading opens up a world of opportunities. It provides us with the key to the collected wisdom and knowledge of the human race. It expands and deepens our interests. It gives us the tools we need to solve our short- and long-term problems and to manifest our dreams and desires. Whether it's following a new recipe, installing a new software program, doing one’s own taxes or mixing up a batch of lawn fertilizer, good reading comprehension can mean the difference between success and disaster in a vast number of everyday undertakings. Reading also allows one to successfully take advantage of the many services and opportunities in the community, such as learning about local issues in the newspaper, finding about programs at the local rec centre and completing job applications. Local libraries and bookstores put the accumulated knowledge of the ages at our fingertips. Any interest you have from professional wrestling to flower arranging has been written about by the experts on that topic. Any problem you want to solve – from overcoming shyness, to losing weight, to global warming, to how to get out of debt – has probably dozens of books written about it. The internet too is an invaluable tool that we use everyday of our lives to stay informed. However, what we are able to take from these invaluable resources is dependent on how well we are able to understand what we read. Being able to read is not always enough. We need to become effective readers. We need to be able to effectively locate the information we seek, to differentiate between what’s most important and everything else, to understand the complexities and nuances being communicated by the authors, and to summarize and remember what we read. Expository, or nonfiction, writing is often read in small bits—as the reader searches for relevant information. Text aids built into exposition make this possible—tables of contents, indexes, headings and the like. If a person does not have the strategy of reading only what is necessary in information texts, they may have to work their way through much information that is irrelevant and, ultimately, distracting for the task at hand. Being adequately informed in today’s world is essential to succeeding in all areas of life. If today's students are to survive, and thrive, in the “information age,” it is imperative that they develop greater familiarity with and understanding of expository text. Reading widely and regularly enables students to become deep-thinking, informed individuals who have a greater awareness of themselves, others and the world they inhabit. Literature is written in various genres which have customary themes and patterns of representation, and have accumulated wisdom and insight over time as many thoughtful people have contributed to their evolution. Consequently, literature offers a perspective on enduring questions and a glimpse into human motives and conflicts unmatched in other forms of entertainment. Literature portrays moral experiences in a compelling, concrete, immediately felt way, yet allows also for reflection as we are both 'experiencing' the world evoked and are separated from it. This complex exploration of the texture and meaning of human experience leads us to rich insights concerning our lives and the nature of human existence. As we use language and imagination more fully and consciously, we actually can think about and imagine the world more accurately and deeply. There are numerous categories of non-fiction that also expand our awareness of human experience. They include biographies, history, psychology, personal development, family and relationship guides, and social and cultural studies and are found in numerous forms including books, newpapers, magazines and the internet. Reading such works can help us to better understand the dynamic changes that occur within our society, within our relationships and even within our own psyches. As a result, we are better able to effectively respond to these changes, to put challenging circumstances in context and to predict events in an increasingly uncertain future. Exposing students to quality literature and non-fiction enables them to develop a sense of self which is more able to respond to the possibilities the world has for them and more able to deal with the limitations that society and chance place on them. Students who develop effective reading skills are more likely to become informed, responsible citizens who are able to think, communicate and participate in society more effectively and profoundly. The continued health of any society is dependent on the awareness, the wisdom and the responsiveness of its citizens. The majority of the problems our world currently faces – global warming and the environment, economic downturns, political instability and war, poverty and disease – are directly or indirectly the result of the ignorance and apathy of the general public. As educators, part of our duty is to help assure that the next generation of leaders, activists and thinkers has the skills needed to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century. We can use literature to understand the past and diverse cultures, to analyze causes and effects, and to evaluate social change and social values. Through this exploration, students can become more conscious of their own cultural environment, more alert to its concealed meanings, and consequently, more flexible in their conception of it. To make effective decisions that will have positive consequences in the long-term, one must be able and willing to gather comprehensive and meaningful information and theories on the forces shaping our world. This simply cannot be done by watching television which tends to give increasingly superficial and often biased views. Reading nonfiction books, magazine and newpapers allows a person to gain multiple viewpoints and complex analysis of local and global issues from authorities on the subject. This is why it is often said that “leaders are readers.” |