ENGAGING YOUNG LEARNERS INTO READING IN A DIGITAL WORLD

Kimberly S. Malang

In this digital world, various online platforms offer an immense source of all kinds of information. For young learners, they should be encouraged in reading. Reading is impactful because it is linked to many activities at school in across all subjects. Young learners are related to childhood or students who are twelve years old; they differ from the older ones especially on their learning styles. This means that they still need support and assistance from their teachers or mentors because they are not analytical and still developing.

An educator should always think of the best coursework to cater the needs of his diverse students. There are few of the many methods to consider in teaching reading. First, the Phonics Method wherein the goal of this method is to have the learners get the sound-spelling relationships. This is said to be crucial in a stage of reading. Next is the Whole-Word Approach which refers to reading at the word level. In this method, learners learn by memorizing words through repeated exposure. Lastly, the Language Experience Method of teaching reading is based on own vocabulary and personal experiences of the learners for them to relate and learn easily.

Teachers may take a visit to the educational websites they need to consider to choose from: ReadWriteThink, Choosito, CommonLit, Scholastic, Storyline Online, Starfall, ReadWorks, Reading Eggs. On the other hand, these are also digital libraries for kids: The International Children's Digital Library, Epic, Magic Blox.

Teaching reading for the young learners may be a complicated task on part of the teachers. Take advantage of the resources found online. It is important for them to be guided and monitored during the process to ensure positive effects. The success of the process is the success of the teacher. It may not be an easy task for educators but it’s all worth it.

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The author is Teacher I at Pampanga High School