Reading is the process of going through a series of symbols which are written in order to comprehend and get the meaning from them (Vicki, 2006). While reading, an individual uses eyes to receive symbols that are written, like letters and symbols, and use the brain to comprehend and receive the communication. Reading can be silent or loud depending on the intention of the reader. All these forms of reading have various skills that increase the effectiveness in the process. Reading is a very essential aspect in the learning process.
In the society today, people have very many instances in which they are supposed to gather information from various sources. The sources of information include books, journals, smartphones and various electronic resources (Duffy, 1997). Reading skills are very important in the process of extracting the relevant information. Some of these sources have bulky and voluminous. The learner must adopt the best reading skills in order to acquire the most relevant information.
Readers who are determined to develop and enhance their skills to a high level are known as lifelong readers. These readers need to have fluency and vocabulary to comprehend the written materials. These skills are required in order to make an accurate interpretation of the information on these materials. Fast and accurate decoding skills are also very necessary to get the exact information required from the wide variety of materials used. They enhance critical thinking in order to connect the materials they read to the real life situations. The skills acquired are also used in developing and advancing their reading skills (Vicki, 2006).
Reading is very important as it plays a crucial role in developing the mind. This is because the mind is a muscle, and it needs frequent exercise. Developing a good understanding of the written word makes the mind to grow. Teaching children how to read enables them to develop language skills. These skills are very crucial in the communication process. It helps an individual to listen and learn. This assists the individual to understand crucial details in the process of communication (Leipzig, 2001).
Reading does not imply a process that is straightforward of lifting words from a source. It is a process that is complex whereby the reader tries to make sense out of the words and sentences acquired in the reading process. Ideas, memories and necessary knowledge are also extracted in the process of reading. Although reading may seem to be a process that is passive, solitary and very simple, it is a process that is very active and requires a lot of dynamism in acquiring views and ideologies (Leipzig, 2001).
Reading enhances creativity (Vicki, 2006). This is because it develops the imagination process in an individual. The imagination widens the scope of thinking and gives him a variety of ideas to relate to his processes. The adventures extracted from reading materials are endless and very wide. This enables the reader to open up his mind and comprehend things that are behind the words. The images created in the mind as a result of reading form the basis for imaginations and creative thinking.
Reading is a sequential learning process. The skills that are acquired enhance and assist in the development of the skills that were acquired in previous reading sessions. This is because the individual always acquires and masters new knowledge through relating it with what already exists in the mind. It also assists an individual to break barriers of some difficulty things that were read before (Duffy, 1997). This is through getting an inner understanding from alternative sources that may have explained the concepts and ideologies in a different way that may be easier to understand.
Reading is very essential in the success of a child. The barriers that face children with reading difficulties outweigh the desire that the children have to read and understand. This is a situation that requires close attention in child development and reading. To overcome these challenges, the children need to acquire good reading tactics through proper guidance from specialists. This is very important in the development of the child as it will assist in acquiring information on all aspects of life. Loud reading can also increase the understanding and voice recognition process of an individual. This process increases exposure of the child to language and communication (Duffy, 1997).
Reading is a process that is used in the acquisition of knowledge in every aspect of life. Reading enables people to get instructions on how to do some things. Most manuals give their guidelines through word that must be read to get the steps of using the equipment or machine. This also applies to medication whereby dosage instructions are acquired through reading the guidelines provided by the medic. Information from road signs and directions is also acquired through reading (Vicki, 2006).
Conclusion
In conclusion, reading is a very basic level of recognizing words. From simple recognition of these letters and words to deep comprehension of the knowledge and understanding behind these words describes the reading process (Vicki, 2006). Understanding the words and phrases in the reading process make the main point of reading as it initiates the understanding of the actual constitution of the words. This assists in reduction of ignorance levels in the reader. The concepts that individuals hold about reading are very important. This is because they shape the approaches that are adopted in reading different materials that have the required information. This makes reading a very crucial aspect of the learning process.
- Duffy, Bauman. Engaged reading for pleasure and learning: A report from the National Reading Research Center. Athens, GA: National Reading Research Center. 1997.
- Leipzig, Henry. What is reading? January 2001. Extracted from http://www.readingrockets.org/article/352. On February 20, 2013.
- Vicki, Hoss. Importance of reading skills. Everyday life. Pp 10-1. June 2006.
