World Read Aloud Day

“Reading is the gateway skill that makes all other learning possible.”- Barack Obama. The power of reading is infectious. Once a student takes ownership of the keys to reading a total transformation begins. Unfortunately, there are millions of people globally who have yet to experience this human right. According to The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), only a third of 10-year-olds globally are estimated to be able to read and understand a simple written story. These statistics are extremely worrying and speaks to the dire state of affairs globally regarding reading skills. UNICEF adds that the rest around two-thirds (64%) are unable to cover this marker for minimum proficiency in reading comprehension. This is up from 52 percent pre-pandemic. UNICEF warns of the global education crisis and the need for urgent actions. World Read Aloud Day also raises awareness about the importance of access to books and education for children everywhere. According to United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, (UNESCO), there are more than 775 million adults who lack basic literacy skills. And, in low-income countries, one in five children does not have access to education. Literacy is a fundamental human right, and World Read Aloud Day reminds us that every child deserves the chance to learn to read and write. World Read Aloud Day (WRAD) is a global advocacy commemoration which aims to empower, support and encourage reading aloud and celebrate the power of literacy. Reading is critical to the development of language and communication. Reading is more than just word recognition. Reading involves comprehension, fluency and automaticity of the material being read. Alberta Education defines literacy as the ability, confidence and willingness to engage with language to acquire, construct and communicate meaning in all aspects of daily living. Research has indicated that children who are exposed to a larger vocabulary from picture books read aloud than from those children who merely have conversations with adults. World Read Aloud Day presents the perfect opportunity for teachers to connect with their students. The day also gives an opportunity for parents to bond with their children. Reading aloud helps to develop a child’s love of literature, increases their vocabulary and exposes them to a wider variety of books. It is also an essential part of building crucial literacy skills from preschool all the way to high school. In addition, reading to your students is a fun and effective way to connect with them. World Read Aloud Day is celebrated on the first Wednesday in February and takes place on February 1 this year. This is a day dedicated not just to reading, but to the art and practice of reading aloud. Jamaica, like many societies with a post colonial past has a rich and untapped oral history. Stories were passed down from generation to generation even before writing was invented. Oral forms of storytelling were the earliest way of preserving human knowledge, insight, and creativity. World Read Aloud Day helps us bring this tradition back to reading while promoting literacy. Participants are encouraged to select a book, find a friend, and read aloud. The day also encourages parents to read aloud to their children. It’s never too early for parents to start reading to their children. When parents read aloud to their kids, it helps foster language development and social-emotional learning. Additionally, reading aloud promotes happiness in children. When parents read to their children, it creates a spark in children to become joyful readers themselves. Additionally, both children and parents enjoy the special bond that gets created when parents read to their children. As the international community observes World Read Aloud Day we must show solidarity to the women of Afghanistan who have been barred from accessing an education by an all male government. The international community must continue to engage and pressure the Taliban regime in order for the government to reverse this order which prevents girls from age 12 from attending school. WRAD is closely associated with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #4 which addresses Universal Education. Sadly, some governments are not adhering to this human right. History of World Read Aloud Day Since its inception in 2010, World Read Aloud Day has celebrated the joys of reading aloud and sharing stories. The brainchild of author Pam Allyn and literacy advocate Paul Reed, the day is now celebrated in over 170 countries around the world. It’s a day to celebrate the power of words and to remind us that every child deserves access to books and the opportunity to learn to read. LitWorld is a non-profit organization working in the field of education, and literacy in particular. Their mission statement reads, “Strengthening kids and communities through the power of stories.” Reading aloud has been proven to benefit children and their caregivers by improving spelling, as listeners hear the proper enunciation of words. It also increases social bonding and empathy where listeners relate to the characters in the stories. This is what the day seeks to achieve. In 2010, they launched the first World Read Aloud Day to promote diverse voices and narratives around the world. Reading is Gender Neutral There is culture which dictates to boys that reading is anti-masculine and sadly, this sub-culture, which is reinforced by popular culture, has turned off many of our boys from education in general and reading in particular. This lack of motivation for reading must be addressed with a sense of urgency. Disturbingly, boys who display school smarts are often ridiculed as effeminate by peers and even adults in areas where academic excellence by males is typically devalued. In most instances the literacy specialist or reading teacher is female. Reading is gender neutral and as a result more fathers needs to read to their sons. It is unfortunate that we tend to view reading and literature as a female activity. This is problematic and needs to be reversed for the long term benefit of the society. A significant part of the boys’ crisis in our education system is that our boys do not read. Social and cultural factors have influenced and continue to do so the various ways in which masculinity is defined, not only in the Jamaican society but societies all over. Masculinity and what it means to be a man does impact on the education of our boys. Many boys view the school experience as feminine. Our boys’ life choices are severely circumscribed by the dominant notions of masculinity competing with “multiple masculinities” in the society. We need to create safe spaces for boys at our schools and foster that habit and inculcate a culture of reading. How will you observe this global literacy day? Celebrate World Read Aloud Day by grabbing a favorite text and reading out loud. Have students bring in their favorite book, magazine, script, newspaper, etc. Ask each student to choose an excerpt to read to the class. Additionally, hold a classroom discussion about the power of literacy. On this World Read Aloud Day spread the power of reading by doing one of the following activities in the space you find yourself. Educate: Have several read alouds in the classroom throughout the day and talk together about the importance of global literacy, marking this as a special day of reading! Advocate: Spread the word about World Read Aloud Day within the school by hosting a school-wide read aloud event. Teachers along with their students are encouraged to make posters in the classroom advertising and informing the school and community about the event. Participants can construct bookmarks with information about the day and tips for reading aloud to their peers. Innovate: Share World Read Aloud Day by creating podcasts, blogs, projects on various social media platforms. Thankfully, a significant number of schools have resumed face-to-face instruction since the closure caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and this will undoubtedly add that special dimension to this global literacy day. Ways to Observe World Read Aloud Day It is obvious that more funding and more private/public partnerships are needed to assist many schools in building their reading programmes. Notwithstanding this, how will you observe WRAD? Will your students read aloud to younger students in the school or neighouring schools? Will you invite a local author to your school? Will some of our dancehall artists visit their alma mater and read for the current students? What about visiting a children’s home or a home for the aged and read to the residents? What about the community or homework centre; perhaps there is a Literacy Club at your school? It is imperative that we all lend our voices to such an important global event. Happy World Read Aloud Day. In the words of Kate DiCamillo, reading should not be presented to children as a chore or duty. It should be offered to them as a precious gift. Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. waykam@yahoo.com @WayneCamo © #WorldReadAloudDay