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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

Zhejiang Education Guide 2019-2020 49

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