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Non-Digital Books to Improve Comprehension & Retention

Tags

ELA: Reading All Ages Strategy

Skills

Working Memory Attention Verbal Reasoning Verbal Memory Abstract Reasoning Visual Memory

Non-Digital Books to Improve Comprehension & Retention

If your student struggles with reading comprehension or has difficulty sustaining focus while reading

Teach It!

  1. Objective: Reading paper-based books allows most students to understand and remember more effectively than reading on a computer or other digital device.
  2. Teacher Takeaways: a) Even if the school offers electronic texts, when possible, give students a paper-based version of textbooks. This will be particularly important for students with weaker attention, memory, or complex reasoning skills. b) Note, you might make an exception for students who are reading below grade level or have a reading disability. Those students can benefit from electronic texts that have built-in features to help them with fluency and access to looking up vocabulary.

Why It Works (the Science Of Learning)!

The research is conclusive that most students understand and remember more when they read paper-based textbooks over electronic versions. There is less of a dichotomy with fiction. While researchers are trying to better understand why this is the case, the current understanding is that the scrolling layout of textbooks does not lend itself to deep reading and reflection. The exception would be for students with specific learning disabilities where the benefits of technology in features such as voice over and option to adjust font size and contrast outweigh the concerns.