Deputy Headmaster's Message
Dear Parents and Guardians,
This week, the Prep School held their reading workshops and it was great to see so many parents take the time to attend. Reading is very important to us for many reasons, but one of the main reasons is that the majority of the students at DBS are speakers of English as an additional language. This means that they are working very hard and doing very well in their subjects… in a non-native language, which is amazing!
Reading is an important element in this equation, as students who consistently take the time to read in English will find that it improves all of their other language skills (listening, speaking and writing). A few years ago, I was fortunate to attend an event in which Professor Krashen, a world renowned linguist and researcher in the field of second language acquisition, gave a talk on the importance of reading for second language acquisition.
Professor Krashen told the audience that young learners pick up language quickly, but they do this better when the interaction is done so in a natural way, instead of a more formal way. Books allow children (and adults) to read informal conversations between the characters in a way that they may not always do so at school. Reading also allows for repetitive exposure to language patterns, sentence structures and vocabulary, which leads to better retention.
Reading, as Professor Krashen explained, was not only useful in picking up and reinforcing languages being studied, but also helped maintain languages learnt. One of the guests at the event was a ‘polyglot’ who could speak 24 languages. The guest was not able to interact with persons from each language to speak with on a regular basis, but he maintained his knowledge of all of these languages through reading.
By reading regularly, your child will not only improve their vocabulary and develop more complex sentence structures, they will also grow in confidence with their speaking and writing at school, engaging more in class discussions, coming up with more creative stories, and developing a better understanding of the content in all of their subjects.
Not only that, but they take part in pirate adventures, find themselves trying to escape from dinosaurs, be part of a team discovering new worlds in the distant future, or learning about the lives of people of other cultures in the world today. Reading will not only help your child at school, but it will also open the door to the most wonderful adventures and give them insights into the lives of people that they could never have imagined.
This weekend, take your child to a bookstore, my favourite being Kinokuniya, and encourage them to buy a book to read for pleasure. While you are there, buy one for yourself and show your child that reading can be enjoyed by all.
Thank you for reading and have a safe and restful weekend,
Simon Fowler
Deputy Headmaster
