Why is reading important for your brain?

We know that reading is important and it is a good habit for our students engage in.

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Readers Digest put out a short sharp article on this topic with links to articles to let you dive deeply into the cognitive benefits of reading regularly.

This report into the "shadow activity' following regular reading founded the basis of our "Drop Everything and Read" campaign. 10-15 minutes a day of reading a novel with a storyline, characters and conundrums provides the cognitive load needed to generate this "Shadow activity".

So where as a fortnightly wider reading time might be good at providing feedback to the teacher librarians and gathering student voice data on where students are with their reading, 10 minutes reading at the start of every English class (or every day) will provide a greater cognitive benefit.

For English teachers and Teacher Librarians it is about striking that balance in the classroom and putting together a program that meet the needs of the reading group.


Reference

Peyser, M. (2019). This Is Why Reading Is So Important for Your Brain. [online] Reader’s Digest. Available at: https://www.rd.com/health/wellness/why-reading-is-important/ [Accessed 18 Jul. 2019].