Reading for pleasure... A thing of the past?

In my opinion children have the pleasure sucked out of reading... a bold statement I know. Between the emphasis on tests, phonics, guided reading and the jam packed school day there is no time for pleasurable reading despite its crucial affect on the holistic development of children.

Clark and Rumbold (National Literacy Trust, 2006 cited in DfE, 2013:8) define reading for pleasure as the ‘reading we do of our own free will, anticipating the satisfaction’ that will result of the act, meaning children demonstrate the want and curiosity to independently discover the joy and fulfilment of reading.

In my opinion I believe that a love of reading is developed in child in the early years as Nell (1988, cited in Clark and Rumbold, 2006:6) believes ‘reading for pleasure is a form of play that allows us to experience other worlds and roles in our imagination’. He suggests a love of reading is necessary from the start of a child's academic journey as a variety of literature provides children with access to knowledge and experiences they would not usually have (NUT, 2011). Thus, a love of reading fosters independent learning, enhances a child's capabilities and increases their general knowledge (DfE, 2012).

During professional practice I witnessed a whole school approach to promoting a love of reading. The school exercised the 10 minute stop and read strategy. A bell would sound at a random moment throughout the week and the children then had to read for 10 minutes. This emphasised the value of reading as they stopped other activities to read. I believe the children enjoyed the experience as they were given the choice about what to read.

My target would be to try and develop a similar strategy with my own class as I value and recognise the benefits of developing a love of reading. This demonstrates my own personal teaching philosophy.

Bibliography-

CLARK, C and RUMBOLD, K, 2006. Reading for Pleasure, A research overview [online]. Availble from : http://pennykittle.net/uploads/images/PDFs/Reports/Reading_pleasure_2006.pdf [Accessed 6th March 2016].

NATIONAL UNION OF TEACHERS, 2011. Reading 4 Pleasure [online]. Available from: https://www.teachers.org.uk/files/active/1/Reading-4-Pleasure-7225.pdf [Accessed 10th March 2016].

DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION, 2012. Reading for pleasure [online]. Available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/284286/reading_for_pleasure.pdf [Accessed 6th March 2016].

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