Teachers in World Schools such as the Bilingual School know from experience that students who have developed a ‘reading habit’ have stronger competencies in English writing than those who might be classified as ‘reluctant readers’. We have discussed the reasons for this fact in previous articles explaining the 3 huge benefits of reading.
Some adolescents have not yet developed a reading habit. They are ‘reluctant readers’. They have been busily discovering many new interests and preferences. They are transitioning from being children into being teenagers, a process brought on by hormonal changes.
Nonetheless, in the case of learners in bilingual schools, in addition to becoming more confident as writers of their first language, be it Thai, Chinese, or Japanese, for example, they are expected to acquire writing skills in a second language such as English. Fortunately, teachers in the Chiang Mai World School have in their teaching ‘tool kits’ some strategies to lure teenagers into becoming readers. The expression, ‘you never know if you don’t try’ is most appropriate.
Here are four strategies that secondary school teachers have found effective: