A movement for making kids fall in love with reading

As someone who passionately believes in books and reading, it has been a great joy to visit schools over the last fifteen years taking workshops on reading for teachers and working with school teachers. The teachers were used as a catalyst to use some of the reading strategies in the classroom. In more than one case, school principals did remark drily to me that teachers would do well to develop the reading habit themselves!. In all the programmes I stressed the importance of the vital importance of the school library as a crucial resource to help in the reading effort and many of my programmes were focused on the library.

During a visit to the King’s School in Tirunelveli district, I was pleasantly surprised to discover the Charles Bake library which was one of the finest resourced school library I had ever seen. On closer inquiry, I learned that the library was the inspiration of one of the school’s early founders, a Presbyterian by the name Collins. The principal said he would appreciate tips on how the children could best use its resources and be, in fact, able to remember the books they had read. I realised that the ability to remember and recall what one has read is a problem that affects not only children but adults as well. A good book leaves an impression on us and we resolve on recommending it to friends. But a week passes by and we are unable to recall the title or the author’s name and have only a hazy idea of the story content. Children too have a short attention span as their days are packed with so much activity.

I put together a small reader’s report form, distinct from a book review. It was to consist of four simple paragraphs. The first, a sort summary of the book. The second, stating the author’s main idea, the setting and action and its genre. The third, a para on one of the principal characters one has liked or even disliked and the last para giving one’s opinion on the book. These reports were to be completed after reading and handed over to the class teacher separately. These reports were then discussed in class.

Some friends questioned that reading would lose its spontaneity if a task had to be completed at the end. But we are talking in the context of a school where “instructional” learning takesplace. In the event, it was found the reports helped the teachers identify that the book was adequate for the reading level of the child and the child was able to recall the book without much effort later. A much-loved book was often recommended to friends and despairing parents were pleasantly surprised to find books being discussed at home.

During a recent visit to the National Library in Singapore, we were pleasantly surprised to see “Read for Books 2017”, a book charity drive by the NLB, sponsored by Deutsche Bank and supported by Scholastic Education. For every 10 people who read for 15 minutes a book would be donated to the charity. Given Singapore’s fondness for technology, the National Library Board had even developed a mobile app to read on the move, scan and borrow, connect and share your literary adventures with family and friends and also register for programmes and literary events. The library had a well-equipped e-learn centre to make one a SURE (source,understand, research and evaluate) learner. The centre had four separate modules devoted to understanding and using newspapers for research and three modules for children to analyse visual text.

What really left a lasting impact was a short story Miscalculation by Maalan to start children off on their reading journey. This story is from the Read Singapore’s anthology  “Under One Sky”. For all of us who believe that school education should develop an analytical and critical perspective in our children, the story is instructive.

The story is about Janani a young, four-year-old bright schoolgirl who waited anxiously for the arrival of her grandfather. In her test paper, Janani had answered “ 7x2 = 14” and had scored a zero in “red ink”. But how could the answer be wrong?

But grandfather would answer her question as he had done so many times. He had always taught her to think “out of the box and you will find the answer”. He had shown her how things would appear differently if looked at from a different angle. And grandfather would always answer her numerous questions so patiently and so completely.

Now, seeing the test paper grandfather too was stumped. He looked at the question paper. “There are seven days in a week. How many days are there in two  weeks?”  Janani’s answer  “7x2 = 14”. Wrong!  The next day, grandfather accompanied Janani to school. Meeting the maths teacher, he is informed that Janani’s answer is wrong for the teacher had worked out the exact problem in class. “There are 7 days in a week. So in two weeks, there will be 2x7 = 14,” concluded teacher triumphantly. Grandfather’s question about why 7x2 =14 was wrong was met with the bland statement that Janani would have to answer exactly how she was taught in class. He takes up the issue with the principal only to be told that Janani has proved to be inattentive in class;  the rest of the class had answered exactly as they had been taught. He even approaches the Education Officer and after an interminable wait, the august official concedes Janani’s answer may be partially correct. He, however, would not put this down in writing for he believed in Gandhiji that along with the ends, the means must also be correct.

Grandfather contemplates going to the minister but consults Janani’s parents. To her father’s query, Janani replies “one week has one Sunday, one Monday and so on … altogether seven days. In two weeks there are two Sundays, two Mondays … so seven days, each day two times. So, that’s why 7x2==14.  Father feels that if Janani becomes unconventional and questions everything, it will become awkward for everyone. He upbraids Janani for trying to be “smart” and tells her to do the sum exactly as the teacher says and grandfather’s eyes glisten with tears.

The writer is a senior publishing industry professional who has worked with OUP and is now a senior consultant with Ratna Sagar Books