Mirra hosted the Understanding Reading webinar on 15 and 26th of September 2021. This two-part webinar was for parents of children of different age groups and varied levels in reading. The objective was to empower parents to initiate and motivate reading in their children.
In the first part, participants were involved in activities to understand how we perceive and associate sounds, letters, and words. They also understood what is needed for reading and also defined reading in their own words. Pre-requisites for reading were listed and discussed in length, also how to build it step by step. Motivation and real experiences were mentioned as key aspects to begin at any level. Part 1 ended with discussions on how to make reading a habit and offered level-wise examples for creating and reading fiction and nonfiction books.
In the second part, the focus was on reading methods, comprehension skills and strategies, and technological assistance to reading. The whole word approach, tips on how to build vocabulary, and how to begin from experiential method to structured learning of reading were all discussed in detail. This was supported by a parent sharing her experience of facilitating reading with her child using some of the above methods. Participants were involved in activities to understand language effect, an important component in comprehension.
Lastly, technological assistance in reading was discussed and various resources were shared with parents so as to begin the reading journey for their children.
The main takeaway for parents was how to make reading meaningful and pleasurable for their children.