[Publib] Audiobooks, are they helping kids learn to read?

[Donna Scanlon]

If anything, audiobooks have made books far more accessible to quite a few
people, adults and children. My husband has always had difficulty with
reading and retention; had he been born a decade later, a reading/learning
disability might have been diagnosed. Audiobooks allow him to read much more
widely, because reading a regular print book takes him forever. Oh yeah, he
can't spell either, but he's still a bright, hardworking, fully engaged
human being. I thought that spelling ability was hereditary, anyway, to a
point.

Similarly, kids turned off to reading because of learning disabilities can
now keep pace with their peers with both popular and school related books.
But it's not just kids with LD. My 7th grade daughter, who reads on an 11th
or 12th grade level, loves audiobooks as well, for variety, and for the
quality presented in the recordings. (She can't spell either.)

This brings me to another issue. Listening comprehension is usually higher
than reading comprehension, so young folks listening to a book above their
level not only are exposed to vocabulary but hear it used in context and
with intonation.

I don't think kids are lazy. If the kids who come into my library are any
indication, they're reading more than ever. This includes kids who read a
book for the first time because their teachers read to them--a "live"
audiobook, if you will.  Just the way children plowed through the Harry
Potter is a testament to the power of print.

On the other hand, who would want to deprive a child of Jim Dale's wonderful
recorded version of the HP books?

Finally, since one has to be engaged while listening to an audiobook, it's
difficult to be "lazy" while listening. 

My not-very-humble opinion
YMMV

Donna
-----Original Message-----
From: publib-bounces at webjunction.org [mailto:publib-bounces at webjunction.org]
On Behalf Of Michelle Mumau
Sent: Wednesday, September 27, 2006 11:57 AM
To: web4lib at webjunction.org; publib at webjunction.org.
Subject: [Publib] Audiobooks, are they helping kids learn to read?

I was just wondering what your thoughts are on audio books and
education? In my opinion audio books are NOT helping kids learn to read.
I believe that the current generation of children are lazier than ever
and audio books are just feeding into that mentality. I teach 7th grade
and it is amazing how many children can't read.... and their spelling is
atrocious. Can we blame it all on audio books, of course not, but I do
think it is a contributing factor. 
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