The most important Skill (A literate generation?)

Member Name: mljsutton

Product:	A literate generation?
Date:	18/11/00 (108 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Communiccation, an social interaction

Disadvantages: Too many to say

"Update"
As a teacher it is felt I should have better standards of writing reports. Well I have updated my opinion to include correct spelling. Sorry to all those who were put out by my mistakes :)

I do feel there is a lot of scare mongering in the government about literacy. Yes there are problem areas but on the whole 95% of children leaving school are able to read at a reasonable level. As a teacher I have first hand experience of this.

Even in special schools where there are no specific learning difficulties the reading levels are at an average level.

This does not mean we can let out guard down for a second. In today’s society the expected reading and literacy levels are much greater than even a decade ago. You only have to see the change in reporting in the tabloid press. 15 years ago the Sun was assessed at a reader age of 9 years old, but 2 years ago this level had increased to 14 years old. They are not the only ones to have revised this. Many publications now up the reader level of their text.

As a parent of two young children I know the difficulties involved in encouraging reading. We now have 100's (literally) of books around the house and in the car. They are constantly reminded of what is expected. My wife and I also read a great deal, for our own pleasure and at story time before bed. This is, I feel the best way, showing by example. Give the encouragement and reward them with books.

Some might argue that the cost of books is far to great, but if you search around you will find many bargains. Also, rather than buying sweets, get them a comic or book. It will last longer and be more beneficial to them.

Literacy is only a problem if you let it be one.

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