So many of us listen to audiobooks on a regular basis. We are all busy trying to fit everything into our full lives, and we use audiobooks as another tool to support our never-ending multitasking. We listen while we’re driving or exercising, and even when we’re walking our dogs. We do it so we can accomplish more! For adults it is a common convenience.
What about our students? Are audiobooks something more than just a convenience? Yes— So much more! Audiobooks can benefit all students, not just the struggling readers.
Reading is all about acquiring knowledge. To your brain, there really isn’t much difference between traditional reading (eye reading) and listening to an audiobook (ear reading). Eye reading just happens to be more work, but it doesn’t matter how you get the information to your brain, as long as it gets there.
Ear reading allows all students to:
- read above their reading level
- increase reading accuracy
- experience new genres
- gain more vocabulary
- hear a model of fluent reading
- improve comprehension skills
- increase critical thinking skills
- focus on imagining the story coming to life
- increase motivation for reading
- gain confidence
Our struggling readers have additional benefits when ear reading. Because these students concentrate so hard to decode each word with traditional reading, they often lose comprehension. Audiobooks allow them to actually get the message the author is trying to convey. These students also gain access to grade level texts and texts at their own spoken comprehension level. As a result, they gain knowledge at the same rate as their peers. Students who combine ear and eye reading at the same time (a multi-sensory approach) can improve comprehension and decoding simultaneously. Audiobooks also allow students to choose books on topics of interest, which may foster a desire to continue to read for pleasure.
EBOOK FRIENDLY has collected five infographics depicting statistics on the benefits of audiobooks. The infographics detail how audiobooks promote literacy, raise reading scores, combat summer regression, and even audiobook myth busters. Check out the infographics here at https://ebookfriendly.com/best-audiobooks-infographics/.
Written by: Elizabeth Hipwell, M.Ed.
Certified Barton Reading & Spelling Tutor
