Kids improve reading skills with videos

By ANGELA GREGORY

KAWAKAWA - Northland kids are confounding popular wisdom by demonstrating that watching videos makes them better readers.

New research shows that the use of videos with books can double the rate at which children learn to read.

A programme which incorporates videos as a learning aid was tested last year on 200 children from 14 of the most economically disadvantaged schools in Northland.

Education Minister Trevor Mallard yesterday presented the results of the study at Kawakawa Primary School.

The $30,000 research project, funded by the Tindall Foundation, used the Magic Box programme produced by educational publisher Wendy Pye.

Emeritus professor of education Warwick Elley, who conducted the research, admitted that he had once written off television-based learning as a waste of time.

"About 10 years ago I was saying videos and television had no role in the teaching of reading ... Clearly I was wrong."

Professor Elley said he now had to admit videos such as the Magic Box had an important role to play.

He found that all the students involved in the research had improved their reading.

"It worked in every school, for both Maori and Pakeha."

Over a 12-week period 5-year-olds watched a 20-minute video, read the related book to a friend, then took the book home to read with their families.

By the trial's end, the children had doubled their expected rate of progress in word recognition, sentence comprehension, and accuracy in reading a previously unseen story. Alphabet knowledge also improved.

Professor Elley said the programme's main contribution was to students from poor families. Some came from bookless homes and knew little about the "pleasure and power" of reading.

"If children enjoy books they don't have to be pushed."

Professor Elley said the combination of videos with books helped to create interest in reading, breaking through learning barriers at vital early stages.

The videos had all the gimmicks and advantages of television. They could highlight words and move them around the screen, and incorporate music.

"The book is the same as the video, so the children are more likely to read the book, get a boost in their confidence and prove to their parents they can read."

Professor Elley said the biggest gains came where parents were involved. The programme had also been used successfully in Christchurch and South Auckland.

"It is not a cure-all, but makes a very important contribution."

Keen television watcher Alex Fraser, aged 5, said watching videos was a "cool" way to learn reading. She liked being able to read the books that went with the videos, and had shown off her skills to her parents and grandmother.

Kawakawa Primary principal Peter Witana said he was pleased with the results and would carry on with the programme, but it might prove too expensive for the schools that would benefit most.

Wendy Pye said she did not believe the $1300 package was expensive, given the results achieved. Her company's product was selling well in American schools and developing countries.

Mr Mallard said the Government would consider subsidising the system for poorer schools.

The chairwoman of Parliament's education and science select committee, Liz Gordon, said in Wellington yesterday that terms of reference had been agreed for its inquiry into the teaching of reading.

The committee would report to the House after it had heard public submissions, which would close on May 22.