Encouraging reading habit for kids

Susan J Natih, Jakarta

When Kino the pearl diver in John Steinbeck's novella The Pearl finds a pearl of enormous size and great beauty, he believes that he has found the key to unlocking an impossible dream; by selling the pearl, he will be able to pay for his child's education and thus to offer young Coyotito the most precious of all gifts, the ability to read and write.

Kino imagines that being able to read and write will give freedom not only to Coyotito but to his whole family and his people.

Kino is a fictional character from a novella set in Mexico and written in 1944-1945, however as a parent, his respect and value for the skills of reading and writing are shared by parents the world over and here in Indonesia, one of the most frequently voiced parental concerns is "When will my child be able to read?".

For Kino, the greatest parental challenge was how to be able to send his son to school. This is certainly a challenge faced by many parents here in Indonesia and it is one which must be addressed. For parents who are able to send their children to nurseries and playgroups there is also the challenge to find a program which seeks first and foremost to foster a child's love of reading and writing by having age appropriate expectations and activities.

Reports from Scandinavia suggest that the formal teaching of reading and writing is most appropriate for children between the ages of seven and eight. However, here in Indonesia, where many schools expect children to be able to read when they enter Primary 1, clearly thought must be given as to how children can be enabled to develop this skill at an early age and in a way that will support and encourage a life long love of reading. In this regard, teamwork between the school and family is essential.

Even though schools teach children how to read, parents still have a very significant role to play. Parents are a child's first and most important teachers who know their child best and who are ideally placed to help them with their reading. Parents who are involved with their child's education make a big difference as to how well the child will do and help with reading is in fact all around us.

Everywhere we go there are things to read -- whether we are shopping, sitting in bus or car in traffic jams or even waiting at the doctor's or dentist's surgery. There are so many enjoyable ways to improve reading without children even realizing that they are learning! When we point out the words all around us to our children, we are helping to make them aware of how important reading and literacy are.

When we are targeting two languages, for example English and Indonesian, we might make a game while we sit in bus or car in a lengthy Jakarta traffic jam, of spotting Indonesian words on signs and billboards and making a list of what we think they are in English. Meaningful and enjoyable learning can take place in classroom or playground.

A classroom where a teacher directs while students listen, is a lonely place and not a learning center. Similarly, at home, if we direct a child to "study" but do not share in what they are doing, we are building a barrier rather than creating an enjoyable learning environment. Ten minutes a day reading a chosen book together with Mum or Dad or talking about the pictures and encouraging the child to make up their own story can be a very positive learning experience for both child and parent.

Praise is one of the most important keys to developing a child's love of learning and it is a vital part of developing a child's confidence and enthusiasm about reading. If we tell a child that they are stupid or lazy when they don't get something right, we are in fact stopping the learning process. Each child in a classroom and indeed in a family is unique and that uniqueness is to be respected.

While some children learn to read quickly, others need a great deal of practice and constant encouragement. Some children need to go slowly when they read, because they may be good at recognizing the first letter of a word and then guessing what the word says.

A sense of inquiry is also vital for the younger primary child, for being able to guess what new words mean and how they sound, is part of learning to become a better reader.

Indonesian parents and children have an ever wider range of schools to choose from and with many schools now offering a blend of national and international programs where children are learning to read and write in more than one language, parental involvement in the learning process is vital.

Schools also need to help parents by suggesting ways in which they can help their child. Parents who do not speak English themselves may feel that there is little that they can do to assist their child's English language development, however , children who read to their parents are engaged in an activity that will certainly improve their reading skills, even if parents can not read English.

Indonesian society has always placed great importance on the family and indeed the extended family unit. As the cost of living demands that both parents work and that a child is mostly supervised at home by maid or nanny, great care must be taken to ensure that parents are still very much engaged in their child's learning and overall educational development. That ten minutes a day of reading together and sharing ideas about a story, is very precious.

In implementing the Competency Based Curriculum, Indonesia's Ministry of National Education is acknowledging the needs and rights of this nation's children to an education which is inquiry-based and which inspires young learners to be confident, independent problem solvers and critical thinkers.

There is much to be done to put such a curriculum into practice, with government support for teacher training and resource materials, high on the list of priorities.

One feels that it is this sense of shared responsibility that can bring about progress in this country's education system. Inspiring a child to love reading and indeed to love learning depends upon great teamwork, shared responsibilities and mutual respect between the school, the child and the parents; similarly, building a great education system surely depends on the commitment, sense of responsibility and mutual respect shared by a government and its people.

The writer (sjnatih@yahoo.com) is Executive Principal of the Central and Sevilla Schools. This article is written in a personal capacity.