Hangzhou Zhejiang Education Guide 2019-2020
The best of international education in Hangzhou and beyond.
The best of international education in Hangzhou and beyond.
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SCHOOL FEATURE
child to read and cultivating a
love for it is critical as children
tend to avoid doing things
that feel like a chore. Reading
is not ‘one-size-fits-all’, and
understanding that your child’s
interest will vary depending
on personality, gender and
hobbies is the main component
involved in igniting their
personal desire to read. Talking
about your child’s interests and
understanding their passions
will help determine what
types of books they will enjoy,
whether that be fantasy series,
comic books, science books, or
children’s magazines to name
a few options. Visiting a local
library and owning a library
card is probably the best way to
explore these various avenues.
Ultimately, reading begins with
parents. Encouraging reading
is a long-term responsibility,
from the time they are babies,
to the time they are young
adults. Ludan, a local Hangzhou
nurse writes about her own
son, “Self-disciplined reading
is [a] precious habit, which will
benefit [your] whole lifetime,
but needs to be cultivated
gradually from [a] very young
age. It is even difficult for adults,
not to mention little kids. So
I usually supervise him, or do
the reading with him”. Children
model after parents so if they
see you reading, or spend time
reading with you, then it forms
into habit. Bethan Amena, a
librarian at Wellington College
Hangzhou, said, “I was inspired
to read by my family, who I saw
reading every day”.
In a technological world, it
cannot be denied that computer
literacy is an important skill.
However, the question here is
whether children are spending
more time developing these
abilities instead of literary ones.
You see this more frequently,
such as YouTube videos of
infants able to navigate a
cell phone, or toddlers glued
to video games and tablet
computers. One of the more
surprising things about teaching
English to young children is that
using technology is often more
intuitive to them than speaking,
listening, and reading. Of course,
this could be a sign technology
can be used as a catalyst
promoting deeper learning;
it also makes learning fun,
which is probably why we use
technology so much as English
teachers. However, it could also
be an indication that at some
deeper level, reading, and a
genuine love of books, is being
forgotten.
Nowadays, technology is a
universal language and one
of the first skills developed in
childhood. It’s impossible to fully
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