At Darlington School it is essential that we encourage a love of reading from an early age.
Academic Director Paola Recio Zapata recently published researched conducted with Psychology Professor Jose Antonio Leon from the Autonomous University of Madrid in the Journal of Educational Psychology. Throughout her career co/ordinating the Spanish Departments within a British School she always noticed Spanish students enjoyed reading more in English than in Spanish even though it was their mother tongue.
The research was conducted with students between six and ten years old. Students in Year 1 understand Spanish better than English however those in Year 4 read much more fluidly and had a higher comprehension level in English. These results are the first step in the research however they are striking and reveal the true reality that we all know, something is wrong with the teaching of reading in Spain. PISA results from recent years confirm this fact.
Unfortunately, neither the methodology nor the materials used in most classrooms for teaching Spanish language so not encourage a joy of reading. The first step is to develop the interest.
These findings have encouraged Paola to continue with this line of research and to thoroughly check, as she believes that the implementation of instrumental materials and teaching methodology in the classroom will improve the fluency and reading comprehension of children of all ages. In order to do this, we at Dallington School have introduced British methodologies in order to teach Spanish. Materials will be attractive and will be used to engage students curiosity and motivation for reading.
Please find attached the link where you can read the full publication.
