Archive for July, 2009
Growing up, my family wasn’t exactly what you would call affluent. We bought the majority of our wardrobes secondhand, and many of my toys had once belonged to my older brother. I remember attending a garage sale one summer morning and asking for money to buy the biggest book sitting on a table. It turned out to be a single-volume Random House encyclopedia that was only a few years old. I used it as a reference to quench my constant curiosity about the world.
I went on to receive a doctoral degree, and my family lives a comfortable life. I still understand the value of a kids encyclopedia – my children use a cutting-edge software version that features almost all the latest updates. It contains much more detailed information than a typical Wikipedia entry, and I don’t have to worry about my children stumbling upon inappropriate material on the Internet.
Speed reading makes for a neat party trick, but it has little practical value. Ultimately, retention and understanding count most. Children should be encouraged to take their time while reading, drawing critical meaning from the content. Most college-level aptitude tests gauge reading comprehension, so it’s never too early to give a child some basic lessons.
Educational software programs often focus on teaching kids to apply the information they read. For instance, in The Oregon Trail, a popular game that came standard on the Apple II in the 1980s, users read about the importance of hunting and buying supplies to ward off disease. They are expected to retain that information once the journey begins. Today, educational software is much more advanced, but it still emphasizes the importance of reading comprehension.