In Pursuit of Active Reading and Creative Writing
The Melancholy of the Abandoned Book? Reading is far more than just mouthing the words on the page. While there is a lot to be said for silence and solitude in reading, there's also a clear benefit from group discussion and collaborative exercises. For me reading is part of a continuum of activities which have been designed to be creative and engaging for the participants. For adults, as well as children, reading ideally involves creative and critical reflection. Reading harnesses a variety of brain functions, so we should cater for multiple learning styles in our approach to the activity. There is far more that can be done than the traditional closed-answer comprehension exercises. These are some of the activities that work well with readers and encourage them to be more actively engaged in storybooks: Explain what you liked or disliked about the book’s illustrations. Why not create your own illustrations, or devise a collage of cut-out images? What colours best r