9．
Issues around children learning to read are rarely out of the news. which is hardly surprising—becoming a successful reader is of vital importance in improving a child’s life chances. Nor is it surprising that reading creates a virtuous circle: the more you read the better you become. But what may come as a surprise is that reading to dogs is gaining popularity as a way of addressing concerns about children’s reading.
Underachievement (学业不良) in groups of children in the UK is recognized in international studies—and successive governments have sought to address the issues in a range of ways. Reading to dogs, so far, has not been among them, but it’s time to look at the strategy more seriously.
Many children naturally enjoy reading and need little encouragement, but if they are struggling, their confidence can quickly decrease—and with it, their motivation. This brings about the destructive cycle, and therefore reading ability fails to improve.
So how can dogs help?
A therapeutic (疗法的) presence
Reading to dogs is just that—encouraging children to read alongside a dog. The practice originated in the US in 1999.
The presence of dogs has a calming effect on many people—hence their use in Pets as Therapy schemes (PAT). Many primary schools are becoming increasingly pressurized environments and children (like adults) generally do not respond well to such pressure. A dog creates an environment that immediately feels more relaxing and welcoming. Reading can be an independent activity, but can also be a pleasurable, shared social event. Children who are struggling to read benefit from the simple pleasure of reading to a loyal, loving listener.
Children who are struggling to read, for whatever reason, need to build confidence and rediscover a motivation for reading. A dog is a reassuring, friendly audience who will not mind if mistakes are made. Children can read to the dog, uninterrupted; comments will not be made Errors can be addressed in other contexts at other times. For more experienced or capable readers they can experiment with intonation and “voices”, knowing that the dog will respond positive—and building fluency further develops comprehension in readers.
For children who are struggling, reconnecting with the pleasure of reading is very important. As Marylyn Jager-Adams，a literacy (读写) scholar, noted in a seminal review of beginner reading in the US: “ If we want children to learn to read well, we must find a way to attract them to read lots.”
Reading to a dog can create a helpful balance, supporting literacy activities which may seem less appealing to a child. Children having difficulty with reading, for example，need focused support to develop their understanding of the alphabetic code (字母代码). But this needs to be balanced with activities which support independent reading and social enjoyment or the child become less motivated.
Creating a virtuous circle
Breaking a negative cycle will inevitably lead to the creation of a virtuous circle—and sharing a good book with a dog enables children to apply their reading skills in a positive and enjoyable way.
Research evidence in this area is rather limited, despite the growing popularity of the scheme. A 2016 systematic review of 48 studies—“Children Reading to Dogs: A Systematic Literature” by Hall, Gee and Mills—demonstrated some evidence for improvement in reading, but the evidence was not strong. There clearly is more work to do, but interest in reading to dogs appears to have grown through the evidence of case studies. The example, often given in the media, is that of Tony Nevett and his pet dog Danny. Tony and Danny’s involvement in a number of schools has been transformative, not only in terms of reading but also in promoting general well-being and positive behavior among children with a diverse range of needs.
So, reading to dogs could offer many benefits. As with any approach, it is not a cure-all within a language-rich literacy environment, there appears to be little to lose and much to gain.
Title: How Dogs Could Make Children Better (1)
Introduction
|
●
Reading
is so important that issues around children learning to read
remain hot. But (2) , reading to dogs becomes an increasingly
popular way to address concerns about it.
|
● Struggling to read will decrease children’s confidence and motivation
and gets in the (3) of their reading ability building.
|
● Governments in the
UK
haven’t employed the strategy of reading to dogs to help underachievers, which needs serious (4) in the near future.
|
Benefits of
reading to
dogs
|
A therapeutic presence
|
●
Reading
to a dog can help children (5) down, feel relaxed and
get pleasure, for dogs are loyal and loving listeners.
|
●
Reading
to a dog can help children build confidence, as children can read
without being interrupted or being (6) on.
|
●
Reading
to a dog can also create a helpful balance, making children
(7) to participate in literacy activities.
|
Creating a virtuous circle
|
● Sharing a good luck with a dog likely enables children to apply their
reading skills positively and enjoyably, though more work remains to be
done to (8) it.
|
● More case studies of reading to dogs indicate it might (9) both
promoting children’s reading interest and positive life.
|
Conclusion
|
With so little to lose and so much to gain, it (10) to read to dogs, although it is not a cure
|