Issuesaroundchildrenlearningtoreadarerarelyoutofthenews...

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Issues around children learning to read are rarely out of the news，which is hardly surprising —becoming a successful reader is of vitol importance in improving a child’s life chances. Nor is it surprising that reading creates a virtuous circle： the more you read the better you become. But what may come as a surprise is that reading to dogs is gaining popularity as a way of addressing concerns about children’s reading.

    Underachievement (學業不良）in groups of children in the UK is recognized in international studies—and successive governments have sought to address the issues in a range of ways. Reading to dogs，so far，has not been among them，but it's  time to look at the strategy more seriously.

     Many children naturally enjoy reading and need little encouragement， but if they are struggling， their confidence can quickly decrease—and with it， their motivation. This brings about the destructive cycle， and therefore reading ability fails to improve.

    So how can dogs help?

    A therapeutic (療法的）presence

     Reading to dogs    is  just    that—encouraging   children    to  read alongside  a   dog. The practice    originated  in  the  US in 1999.

    The presence of dogs    has a calming   effect  on  many  people—hencetheir    use in  Pets    as Therapy schemes (PAT) primary schools  are becoming    increasingly    pressurized environments    and children    (like   adults)generally do not respond well to such pressure. A dog creates an environment that immediately feels more relaxing and welcoming. Reading can be an independent activity，but can also be a pleasurable， shared social event. Children who are struggling to read benefit from the simple pleasure of reading to a loyal，loving listener.

     Children who are struggling to read， for whatever reason， need to build confidence and rediscover a motivation for reading. A dog is a reassuring， friendly audience who will not mind if mistakes are made. Children can read to the dog， uninterrupted； comments will not be made. Errors can be addressed in other contexts at other times. For more experienced or capable readers， they can experiment with intonation and “voices”，knowing that    the dog will    respond positively—and building fluency    further develops    comprehension in readers.

     For children who are struggling，reconnecting with the pleasure of reading is very important As Marylyn Jage-Adams，a literacy (讀寫)scholar，noted in a seminel review of beginner reading in the US: “If we want children to learn   to  read    well，we must   find    a   way to  attract them    to read lots.   ”

     Reading to a dog can create a helpful balance，supporting literacy activities which may seem less appealing to a chiK. Children having difficulty with reading， for example， need focused support to develop their understanding of    the alphabetic  code    (字母程式碼） this    needs   to be   balanced    with    activities  which   support  independent reading and social enjoyment or the child can become less motivated.

Creating a virtuous circle

    Breaking a negative cycle will inevitably lead to the creation of a virtuous circle—and sharing a good book with a dog enables children to apply their reading skills in a positive and enjoyable way.

    Research evidence in this area is rather limited， despite the growing popularity of the scheme. A 2016 systematic review of 48 studies— “Children Reading B Dogs ： A Systematic Review of the Lite-rature” by Hall，Gee and Mills—demonstrated some evidence for improvement in reading，but the evidence was not strong. There clearly is more work tt do，but interest in reading to dogs appears to have grown through the evidence of case studies. The example，often given in the media，is that of Tony Nevett and his pet dog Danny. Tony and  Danny’s involvement in a number of schools has been transformative, not only in terms of reading but also in promoting general well-being and positive behavior among children with a diverse range of needs.

     So, reading to dogs could offer many benefits. As with any approach, it is not a   cure-all    but    set within  a  language-rich literacy environment, there appears to be little   to lose and much to gain.

       Title： How Dogs Could Make Children Better 71.        .

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