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Will Audio Books Help to Solve The Literacy Related Problems of Education? |
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The arrival of multimedia initially pushed the use of audio books as an
educational tool into the background. Seen against the backdrop of a generation
of young television addicts, it is hardly surprising that the already
beleaguered literacy-related abilities of children were subject to yet another
setback when audio books disappeared from the scene.
Several educators
soon started adding two and two together, and came to the conclusion that in
order to address the myriad of challenges associated with the decline in
literacy, the underlying problem of listening skills needed to be addressed. As
a result, audio books have yet again stepped to the fore and have regained
recognition as valuable contributors in educational terms.
Many
educators are downloading audio books from the web to address this issue. All
the latest titles ranging from Narnia to Harry Potter are available as audio
book downloads today. Because of the popularity of these stories, children need
not be coerced into listening to these audio books. They look forward to story
time – regardless of whether it is a part of the curriculum or whether it is the
reward for a day’s work well done!
What is the educational value of
audio books to children?
The very first value that comes to mind is
listening skills. The first contact an unborn babe makes with the outside world
while she is still in her mother’s womb is through hearing. After her birth, she
uses hearing to acquire the skill to verbally communicate with others. This
language skill she develops over the first few years in her life is her first
step towards literacy.
The second contribution made by audio books,
revolves around language ability. Children are bombarded with visual stimuli.
Television, movies and the majority of educational toys available today, are all
visual. In the absence of aural stimuli, such as those offered by audio books,
listening skills become under-developed, impacting both language and literacy.
Audio books impose the need on the child to listen to the spoken word
(language). In addition to improving the child’s grammar, it also improves
vocabulary and elocution all of which underpin literacy. Audio books allow
children the opportunity to create images in their mind’s eye. By stimulating a
child’s ability to imagine, her ability for lateral thinking is also greatly
enhanced.
The third benefit of audio books as an educational tool falls
within the ambit of reading and comprehension. These are critical learning
skills. Reading centers and laboratories report that as many as 80% of all
students tested not only read at speeds 2 years or more below the levels
required for their specific age groups, but also show a comprehension /
retention of 65% and less. There are many different methods employed to assist
enrolled students with recovering the ‘lost years’. Of note is the fact that
some of these centers make use of audio books in conjunction with the readers
they provide.
The students follow the written text in time with the
audio books being played back to them. A visual / aural link is forged between
the written word and the spoken word. Once this divide is crossed, tangible
progress is made both in terms of reading speeds and comprehension. In addition
to the hour or two spent at these centers per week, twenty minutes’ supplemental
reading is required per day. Instead of issuing a student on the read-along
program with a CD, many centers offer the student access to the appropriate
audio book online.
How can parents help?
The answer is simple:
Get them listening to audio books – sooner rather than later. Opportunities for
listening to audio books abound. For smaller children, parents can play audio
books in the car. For teens, consider allowing audio book downloads to their
iPods and other Media Players. Compared against the printed medium, audio books
procured in this way are relatively cheap. The range of titles available means
that there is something for anybody. Even for the most ‘difficult’ of teens!
Although buying audio books may not be the biggest investment a parent
can make in money terms, investing in audio books may well turn out to be the
biggest in terms of value.
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