Reading for pleasure to support the engagement and motivation of learners

Reading for pleasure means any reading that is primarily for enjoyment. It encompasses a wide range of genres and publications, and includes both fiction and non-fiction. For example, gardening or cookery books can be read as instructional texts in order to carry out specific tasks, but can also be read purely for pleasure. Similarly, fiction is often considered to be read for pleasure – but may also be read for academic study.

Reading for pleasure is no longer restricted to the printed word but increasingly includes online reading, whether on a website, or via an e-reader such as a Kindle.

• Fiction: Novels, short stories, jokes, comics, poetry, lyrics, plays and scripts

• Non-fiction: Reference books, newsletters, letters, emails, biographies, memoirs, newspapers, magazines, websites

Why read for pleasure?

Like anything else, reading is a skill that becomes better with practice. Reading for pleasure is critical for ensuring that the practice needed to become fluent becomes part of the learners’ everyday life, and is not just seen as a classroom-based activity.

There are a range of benefits gained from reading for pleasure:

• it increases sense of achievement, confidence, self-esteem and self-awareness
• it widens horizons
• you can do it anywhere
• it develops relationships and promotes inclusion and empathy through sharing opinions and ideas
• it prevents boredom and promotes relaxation.

Building reading for pleasure into teaching and learning

You can encourage reading for pleasure as part of literacy classes by scheduling specific class-time for talking about reading for pleasure and using explicit strategies to develop reading.

A recent NRDC* study suggests teachers should try to:

• show they value regular attendance by encouraging learners to take responsibility for their own learning
• encourage learners to do homework and other related activities
• limit the time spent in the classroom working alone in favour of more active tuition in other groupings
• offer opportunities for pair work/budding.  

Your organisation can also encourage reading for pleasure by offering out-of-classroom activities.  For instance, you can:

• encourage learners to book-share and swap
• set up a reading group for interested learners
• regularly collect lists of learners’ recommendations
• provide generic frames for reviewing or recommending books
• encourage use of learner-chosen texts for specific reading activities.

*National Research and Development Centre for adult literacy and numeracy (http://www.nrdc.org.uk).

Source:

British Broadcasting Channel

http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/tutors/using-skillswise-as-a-tutor/reading-for-pleasure