Listening = Reading?

In "It Takes a Reader To Grow a Reader: When Adults Don't Read, Kids Lose," by Jennifer LaGarde and Todd Nesloney, the authors claim that "It’s time for educators to make their own reading lives a priority so that they can, in turn, help students grow their own." Listed under their tips to "help all educators unlock the reader inside them that’s just waiting to get out" is the following tip, which I found very interesting and worth of discussion.

Tip: Understand that listening to an audio book is also reading: 

  • Listening to a book is not cheating. Plus, it helps you utilize all the time you spend in the car or on the treadmill. 
  • Many public libraries have digital audiobooks available for checkout, or…
  • Skip that latte a couple of times a week and splurge on an audible account instead! 

What do you think? Should we encourage new readers to listen to books on tape if they don't really like to decode? Leecy

Comments

Thanks for sharing this blog and posing this question, Leecy. I haven't seen any studies on this, but it seems like listening to books and --for that matter-- to podcasts is growing. I am  addicted to quite a number of podcasts myself, which I listen to while exercising .as well as while cleaning, cooking etc. Members of my family are hooked on audio books. My brother acknowledged that if he didn't listen to books he would rarely "read." I think listening is a great way to learn!

Here's a question. Both my sister and my son indicated that they are not able to listen to anything but music while exercising or doing other activities because their mind wanders. Everyone is different! I'm curious what members' have to say about listening and reading.

Cheers, Susan Finn Miller

Moderator, Teaching & Learning CoP

 

Paul and Susan, thanks for sharing additional thoughts to this idea.  I am an avid listener to books on tape and always have my iPod loaded adequately when on long trips. Makes for much faster journeys. And like you, Paul, I have used sound extensively to teach ESL, from songs, to Jazz Chants, and beating on desks and tables.

What I found intriguing about the article is that it claims that listening to passages is a form of reading. My definition of reading requires text interpretation, including braille. Can someone provide some reasoning to support that claim? How is listening to books another form of reading? Do I become a better reader by listening to books? I can see that I increase my knowledge and vocabulary by listening, which then helps me comprehend more difficult books IF I already know how to read. Hmmmm... Leecy

Hi Leecy and others,

Some define the ultimate purpose of reading as "getting meaning from text" a definition that opens the possibility that reading is getting meaning from text without needing to decode printed text. For many years, those who have specific reading disabilities have been able to read quickly and well by "auding" text (a term first used in the 1950's by researcher Don Brown) whereas they can only read slowly or not at all when required to decode it. This raises the element of social justice in the definition of reading, that people who cannot decode text should have the opportunity to get meaning from text through auding.

A recent phenomenon in auding involves those who can decode text well but have found that with practice, and the ability to control the rate at which text is read out loud to them, that they can read faster by auding text than in traditional ways of reading.

I believe it is important to acknowledge auding as a legitimate form of reading, although it is different from traditional forms of reading that require decoding.

One implication is that children and adults who have been diagnosed as having severe reading disabilities should be taught to use software that reads text out loud at speeds that, with practice, enable them to read quickly and comprehend well.

David J. Rosen

djrosen123@gmail.com

 

 

Now that makes explains a lot to me, David. Thank you! The idea of broadening the definition of reading to be more inclusive really appeals to me. You've opened my mind quite a bit! I'm going to keep in mind that reading is a process through which we gain meaning from text. The way we gain meaning will vary depending on our abilities and preferences. We can revisit the four elements of reading, one of which includes phonics and phonemic awareness instruction!

Can we open up the definition of writing in similar ways? I remember having a blind student in one of my writing courses long ago. He had an assistant attend classes with him and who would help him turn in writing assignments. I must confess that I felt that it was inappropriate to enroll a blind student in a writing class that was not based on braille. Now I'm going back to that situation and rethinking it. I also thought it was inappropriate to have a deaf student enroll in my Pronunciation course with a similar assistant. Hmmmm... Anyone else want to jump in here?  Leecy

Writing has always depended on technology: clay tablets and blunt reeds (cuneiform script); quills, ink and papyrus; fountain pens (later, ball point pens) and paper; typewriters; dictation machines; computers, and now portable digital devices such as electronic tablets and smartphones. In the last decade or so the technology has expanded to include speech-to-text software. Many people now "write" by speaking, and the software produces the written text. At least one member of the Integrating Technology group uses this technology to write his posts here. Speech-to-text as a type of writing is a good parallel to auding as a type of reading.

I would love to hear from those here who frequently or regularly use speech-to-text software to post messages and comments here. What software do you use? How do you like it? Have you seen significant improvements in the software's accuracy in transcribing your speech into writing? What advice do you have for others who may be interested in trying this?

David J. Rosen

LINCS CoP Integrating Technology group moderator

djrosen123@gmail.com

Leecy and group - I have found that ESL students like to listen to a text while they read it the first time. Then, later, they will have an easier time reading out loud.

The lyrics to songs are great, and on YouTube many songs have the lyrics superimposed.

It is also important to provide reading material that is at or slightly above the students' levels, and with a bilingual vocabulary to study at the end of the Graded Reader.

Lessons and practice on pronunciation are also necessary to help people read by themselves, silently, as well as out loud.

Over the years I have written a number of Graded Readers for my students, and now they are in a PDF format on my free website and available on a thumbdrive. One of them is my version of The Gingerbread Man, which my mother read to me when I was 3 or 4. She read it so many times that I learned the words and could read before I went to school.

As part of my class I explain to people that reading is the fastest and easiest way to increase their vocabulary and to learn English "in context".  Most people like to read, and I have had many adult students who felt a great sense of accomplishment when they could read in English.

 

 

Paul, you said, "The lyrics to songs are great." I totally agree, especially for second language learners although I've used them for punctuation activities among native speakers as well. I mentioned  Jazz Chants earlier in this thread and in other comments in this CoP. The were started years back by Carolyn Graham. My students used to loved it when I took 5-7m to practice a new jazz chant with them, especially since they could watch me make a fool of myself in modeling some of the chants! Following are a few links:

Carolyn has published many chants, but anyone can develop them to practice sentence patterns and special vocabulary even among native speakers! If you have written a chant, share it with us! Leecy

Leecy, good points!  We cannot underestimate the importance of reading in learning English as a Second Language in an all-round way - including reading out loud and...Jazz chants and....Rock and Roll!!. 

When I was 15, I studied German – in small classes of 5 or 6, and with lots of books.

During the first year we learned the “basics” so that we could speak, read and write – the basics. Then we would read literature, using a very good bilingual dictionary. In my third year I read Kafka, one of the most famous writers in German literature. I remember going to the Audio Lab and listening to record of an opera -and I understood it!!!

I promote “studying” the lyrics to songs because they are easily available and also enjoyable. My students in my class asked me to print up the lyrics to some popular “Oldies” and we have finished studying about 10, which they can listen to on YouTube. Then they recite the lyrics out loud and some sing them.

So I would say songs and Graded Readers are essential for a successful ESL program, plus pronunciation exercises - and Jazz chants!!

As for utilizing the time you spend in the car - I think it's ok to listen to an audio book if you are not the driver. People usually cannot be focused on two things at the same if both require at least some level of concentration.

Listening (active listening) is like reading - you need free space in your brain to absorb information)

I'd encourage my students to use audio books when they can focus on what they hear while doing something else.

Gregory, thanks for your response and admonition!    While several here have noted the value of listening to books on tape and other recordings, I still wonder if we might discuss the statement made in the initial blog "Tip: Understand that listening to an audio book is also reading."    Do you also believe that listening to a book is equivalent to reading a book? I struggle to grasp how that could be when there is no decoding on tape. Letters and sounds are not matched. I hope someone might help me understand if that is, in fact, true in any way.    Thanks! Leecy

While several here have noted the value of listening to books on tape and other recordings, I still wonder if we might discuss the statement made in the initial blog reference

Love the question... got me thinking.   I suppose it's not reading in the same way that if I say "I drove to work this morning..." and I drove my bicycle... you may be assuming I have skills that I don't have.   (I can drive, by the way and I took the bus this morning 'cause it was 3 degrees and icy...)   

"Ear reading" to me is a good way of communicating that no, text was not used to convey the speech sounds; the speech sounds themselves were used.   Listening to an audio book does convey the verbal message of that book.   The term "read" is often used for other things than making sound/symbol associations:   I can read your face; I can read a situation; I can "read more into " a change or something somebody says.   

I don't think it makes sense to say we don't need to teach text reading because there are other ways to read, but I would concur that listening to an audio book is reading.   What could a person who's read the text do that I couldn't? 

Thanks for those comments, Susan. Here in Colorado's Four Corners region, we have experienced beautiful fall-looking days with practically no snow. I don't envy the 3 degrees (Ouch!), but I would certainly welcome some moisture. We are gearing up to fight fires, preparing for the worst!

As an aside, one of the occupational areas that a local Adult Ed program here is starting to negotiate with tech schools is the preparation of fire fighters in the region, offering specific certification through tech schools via live video and also working with students who lack the academic skills to become fire fighters. Enter context-based learning!

Back to your post, you ask a great question that I will repost in hopes of continuing this great dialogue!  "What could a person who's read the text do that I [who have only heard it] couldn't?"

Thanks much, Leecy

Leecy,

thank you for your comment. My apologies, I have moved away from the topic a bit.

From what I understand, that part of the article is not about equating reading with listening. Todd wants to convey the message that educators have to be "professional" readers to teach more effectively. They need to know what books their students like and what books they may like. This way, educators will be able to initiate interesting discussions at classes and motivate students to learn when they have free time.

Todd encourages educators to delve deeper into literature in many different ways. And one of them is listening to audio books. Some people may consider that cheating, although it is not. Besides, it gives you the same result.

I mean, it seems to me that "listening to an audio book is also reading” is primarily addressed to educators. They have to consume as many books as they can (be it through reading, listening or even watching movies) to help students with developing love for a language through literature.

Thanks for rejoining us with additional comments on this issue. I have become much more open to accepting listening to books as a form of "reading." Susan asked the question, "What could a person who's read the text do that I [who have only heard it] couldn't?" Is the answer, nothing? I hope we can develop that dialogue!:)

David shared good points about reading being an interpretation of text, which I thought provided a broader interpretation than instructors usually provide. Also, in reflecting on your post, it came to me that part of reading instruction promotes vocabulary development, which listening also supports. The picture frame gets bigger and bigger! Leecy

 

Gregory, I just had to revisit this thread and your comment after seeing the following ad on TV. The ad is from Audible, a books-on-tape site that I use frequently.

Watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxM95MS_HZ0 , an Audible ad.

The ad says, "Successful people have one thing in common, they READ. (Business Insider). The ad continues, " How do they find the time? With Audible..." I guess the idea that listening to books is also reading is catching on. How about that, everyone? Other comments? Leecy