Learning To Read Hidden In Educational Games
Learning to read; the essential foundation of all learning doesn’t come easy to all of us. But the onset of broadband technology has provided a fantastic new reading support opportunity that helps children to learn to read. MightyBook stories, in the classroom and bedtime stories at home take on a wonderful extra dimension.
When I was a lad a few years ago, I won’t mention the year as I don’t want you to be able to work out that I’m 59 (doh!) I went to one of the first comprehensive schools in the UK. This leviathan, based in the exquisite surroundings of Holland Park in London caused considerable angst. Local residents were aghast at construction in their very nice backyard; parents were in awe that their children could be taught in what was considered to be a learning factory. Children were phased by it’s vast size. Educationalists oscillated between the boundaries of visionary and crazy. London County Council the education authority ( as it was then) stood firm, the Head teacher stood firm, the children quivered.
At 11 years old, fresh from a small and very personal primary school about 5 miles away, I crept through the gates into the bewildering new world that was Holland Park. Home to 3000 souls, four huge multi story teaching blocks, four gymnasiums, a swimming pool and a vast central auditorium that could hold the entire school. Class size ballooned to 48 pupils comprised of five ability steams from A to E with two classes per stream per year and a different teacher for every subject. The concept needed considerable adjustment to both pupils and staff. The battalion of teachers required, many lasting a term, some not, meant teaching continuity was fragmented. Our music teacher shot himself playing Russian Roulette, thankfully off the premises. His death did little to improve the averages.
Welcome to my baptism in secondary schooling and my excuse for being an initial struggling reader and academic pariah. Anyway it’s better then owing up to any possibility that it could just be me.
English was my downfall and so was Judith. Reading skills, which had been nurtured in Bentworth Primary were dashed though a combination of a growing imagination, fragmented teaching and sitting next to a pretty girl called Judith, who was a speed reader. “Lord of the Flies” epitomised the dilemma, reading chapters of the book shared between us soon showed my inadequacies. My reading speed was OK, so I thought until measured against Judith’s exceptional ability. As she reached the bottom of the right hand page there was a pause, a look, a smile, a nod and the page was turned. I was generally three quarters down the left hand page. Initially I thought I should own up but a mixture of the alpha male and admission of failure caused growing trauma. I tried subterfuge by reversing the sequence. Hoping to instil some assertiveness I gave her the “let’s turn the page nod” when I thought she was half way down page 2. This backfired; I hit a nerve and her underlying competitiveness caused her to speed up further. Damn. Besides which the loss of the endearing smile and the look, that melting look, was not worth the risk. I dropped back to reading the left hand page only, pausing slightly as the melting smile emerged before agreeing - as if I had that last sentence to read just so I could get a repeat smile and the page was turned.
I have no idea what “Lord of the Flies” was about. I invented potential sub plots to fill in the missing right pages that would have William Golding aghast.
This inventiveness was both my salvation and downfall. It amused and bemused teachers. School reports reflecting the truth showed increasing alarm by teachers; “his attention seemed focused enough but not necessary on the subject in hand”. Jack and Jill had indeed gone up the hill, but were carrying a pail with a false bottom and actually with the CIA. See it’s even got you frowning.
My world may have been a different place if modern technology had kicked in earlier. The thrill from reading a book at my pace, complete with sound track, effects and animation would have been a fantastic boon. And now it exists. MightyBook from Keen2learn has a growing library of books, game and puzzles on line that makes reading fun for 2- 10 year olds. Building the speed in those early years can help children bridge the chasm that can occur when they move up to secondary school, and meet Judith.
Alistair Owens operates the educational web site www.keen2learn.co.uk and writes extensively on the new role open to parents to support their children at school.
