November 2022 - Reading on-screen vs reading in print: what's the difference for learning?

Thanks for the recommendation @Irene Reid

This perhaps comes down to context. Reading around, whether online or in print. Discussing. Putting the information they are reading into context so they can understand where it fits into the things they already know. Comparing points of view, checking definitions if terms are new to them, and generally taking an holistic view rather than shallowly skimming.

What a great answer @Stephanie sounds like you have been using FOSIL... Discussions, context, what do you already know? checking definitions and comparing points of view... Certainly a lot from CONNECT here 😊

I totally agree with you Stephanie. Readers need to know why they are reading - what purpose is their reading fulfilling? And I also feel that we should be giving them equal opportunities in both print and digital to practise the skills of both deep reading and skimming depending upon what their task demands. I also feel that we should be having conversations with our learners about why we read, what we read, when we read and how we read so that learners realise their are different ways of reading dependent upon the task or the 'why' of reading.

I feel that we need to actively 'teach' our learners how to reading on digital platforms just as teachers taught children to read print.

We need to expose learners to "the how to" read deeply online and Sabrina and Elizabeth mentioned a great way this can be done. I have also used keywords and summarising an online source in as few sentences as possible as a technique for encouraging deeper reading online. I have also used a group sharing \ oral retelling of what they have read online to encourage deeper reading comprehension and understanding.

My concerns after delving into this topic through Wolf's book that I mentioned above are:

Do we as teachers comprehend the changes taking place in our own reading through our online lifestyles?

Do our students/learners actually understand the difference between deep reading and online reading?

Do they realise how vastly different the processes are?

Do they realise what skills each different type of reading uses?

Should we be making them aware of these differences and teaching them how to use both deep reading and online reading more effectively?

How do we do this?

Wolf looks at "deep reading's evocative processes": like imagery, empathy, background knowledge, as well as its analytical processes: like analogical reasoning, inference, critical analysis and its generative processes: like connections, conclusions, realisation, insight and understanding.

She concludes that the "deep reading brain is a beautifully elaborated circuit allowing a reader to exercise "concentrated attention and gain layers of meaning, form and feeling" that enhances their life...

Interestingly she also posits that print reading is not a natural human activity or process but one that is learned and this learning has wired our brains towards this immersion activity that transports the reader.

Could we scaffold and teach these skills? Does FOSIL facilitate this? I think it is a great vehicle for this teaching of deep reading.

Patricia Greenfield says "every medium has its strengths and weaknesses and develops some cognitive skills at the expense of others.

Although the Internet may develop impressive visual intelligence, the cost seems to be deep processing: mindful knowledge acquisition, inductive analysis, critical thinking, imagination and reflection".

Our challenge is how do we teach our students to read for meaning online, use online information effectively and think critically about what they see and read online.

Thanks for these interesting thoughts and ideas @Irene Reid this books certainly sounds like one for my reading list. I like the understanding that each medium has strengths and weaknesses. In recognising the weaknesses of reading in print we are also allowed to focus on the weaknesses of online. It is not either or it is both and both need skills to do it well.

I think it's easier to get distracted online because it's so easy to wander off down some sort of digital rabbit hole. Plus we may have other programs pinging us - email, social media etc - that are running in the background and are alerting us to activity.

Whilst multitasking is a good skill, I also think sometimes people think they are better at multitasking than they actually are and can end up doing two jobs poorly rather than one job well. I think if something is going to require attention and focus, we need to give it that attention. Maybe switch off the emails and social media (or at least all the pings) and just concentrate on one thing. I think there is now software that will temporarily lockdown that kind of thing to make it easier to concentrate.

I love this "sometimes people think they are better at multitasking than they actually are" I certainly need to switch everything off in order to concentrate and read something well online.

I agree! It is certainly important to give students the opportunity to practice both. This reminds me of a librarian telling me that students no longer know how to use an index of a book as they read everything online. Knowing how to do a keyword search does not mean you understand how to use an index. Both skills need to be taught and practiced often.

The balance needed between online reading and print reading reminds me of the Native American Cherokee story of the two wolves who live and battle inside each one of us...

One is aggressive, filled with hate and violence towards the world. The other is peaceful and full of love and light towards the world.

Which one will dominate your life?

The answer is, the one you feed!

I believe deep reading whether online or in print feeds our humanity and it is a reading legacy I as a Librarian would love to leave with students.

We as teachers and librarians "must build the habits of the mind and the skills of critical inquiry that spur learning no matter where the text comes from..." Wolf, 2018.

Thanks for this very thoughtful reply @Irene Reid

I would agree that a lot of students prefer online reading but very few are reading deeply. There are a lot of distractions which keep them from reading on. We have all been there when our brain is not engaged and we have read the words but nothing has gone in... Give them a purpose to read it and maybe that will help.

I think it's best in the sense of necessary. Online reading is here to stay, it seems unlikely that ebooks, blogs, and other forms of online information are going to go away. So we need to be prepared to access online information and to prepare our students to do so. It's pretty common in the working world to have online seminars and so on these days, after all.

On the other hand, I agree with Sabrina's point about the difficulties of reading for long periods of time online. It makes my eyes tired too. And it's much easier to skim and not process the information. There is still a time and place for print reading.

Well said Stephanie