In our fast-moving, media-saturated world, reading with our
children and talking with them about what matters is more important than ever
before. Strong conversation skills are needed for reading fluency,
comprehension, and ability to relate the ideas in a story to yourself and the
wider world are the building blocks of imagination, empathy, critical thinking,
and creativity—all crucial qualities for success today.
Many of the skills children need to get ready to learn to read are
first learned in conversation. Children learn language through face-to-face
conversation, not on a device. Vocabulary is the linchpin to literacy and a
child who enters school with a robust vocabulary is at a distinct advantage
over the child who is word, conversation improvised..
Conversation skills are how we expand our
thoughts and deepen our relationship to each other. We are living in a time
where the ways we communicate and connect are quickly changing. At greatest
risk are children who are in the early stages of developing their emotional and
social skills. I worry that Mattel’s Hello Barbie, who speaks and listens,
and comes with thousands of prerecorded statements is one more gadget that
hurts the rich face to face conversations children need to learn language,
impacting their ability to learn to read and become strong readers.
Nothing can replace or replicate the benefits
of reading and talking to children. Conversations are where children learn to
ask their own questions and find their own answers, it is where they learn to
think.
Reclaiming Conversation, by Sherry Turkle
reminds us of the importance of conversation, its fragility at present and the
consequences of its loss, and how it can be preserved and reinvigorated.
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