Since the case of Miss Ky Duyen "never finished reading a book", education expert said this

Recently, Miss Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen shared: "The truth is that until now I have never finished reading a book, because I am a practical person who likes to learn and absorb knowledge through images and sounds."

Although Miss Ky Duyen later explained that she did not fully express her thoughts, saying that she had previously thought like that until she met the book that completely changed her way of thinking, the above content is still causing a stir in the online community. Some people criticized her, but others sympathized because not everyone can read a whole book nowadays. And this is also a reality that many people discuss because students today are less interested in books.

Ms. Nguyen Thuy Uyen Phuong, Country Director of the global children's movement Design for Change, author of the book Hello AI, and an educator passionate about promoting new educational methods in Vietnam. She has established and operated many innovative educational models and projects to raise awareness and promote progressive education for Vietnam. She is also recognized as a leading consultant in establishing and operating schools as well as training human resources in the education sector.

Ms. Nguyen Thuy Uyen Phuong, National Director of the world children's movement Design for Change. Photo: NVCC

Students have many forms of access to knowledge, not just reading books.

Talking about the fact that reading is no longer a passion for students and young people today, Ms. Phuong said: "There are two reasons for reading: One is reading as a hobby, a pleasure, and two is reading because of the need to absorb information to serve the purpose of studying/working. I see that young people today, if left alone, find it very difficult to read as a hobby. And this is also difficult to blame them, because the previous generation did not have much entertainment, nor did they have many ways to access information. But now, when you turn on your phone, a world that is ten thousand times more vivid comes right in front of you, why do you still want to look at a book? Not to mention that many of the latest studies on the human brain show that our ability to concentrate has shortened significantly and reading deeply is now a challenge.

But that does not mean we should just leave it as it is. I think we should let today's youth have the habit of reading and reading skills starting on path number 2. That is, we need reading programs that are specifically and strategically designed in schools, in the workplace..., where reading is introduced in a purposeful way, serving directly to answer the questions and problems we are struggling with and facing.

For example, my child became interested in reading books about human history because at school, the teachers taught a project with the question: "In the past, when there was no language, how did people communicate with each other?" Or my younger brother told me that thanks to the boss choosing a management book every quarter and forcing the whole company to read and write a report, his reading skills naturally improved. "The first book I was forced to read was very boring and very difficult, but I naturally got used to it and gradually "increased" my reading after each book. Then when the boss didn't force me, I found books to read on my own."

Reading skills are also something that does not come naturally to many people and must be trained. Because each person is born with a different way of learning. Some people absorb information effectively through writing, so reading is easy for them. But some people absorb information through images. Some people learn best from experience. So we should not show that we are "superior" to others because we read a lot. Because that does not necessarily mean we are smarter or more talented than others. It just shows that you are lucky to be born in an era where knowledge is transmitted mainly through reading and through books.

But with the explosion of multilingual and multimedia communication, there will be opportunities for other types of intelligence to take over. Literacy will no longer be the dominant force in the realm of knowledge.

There has been much discussion about the fact that students today read less books. Illustration: Cao Nga

Why do children still have to practice reading?

However, although there are many ways to access knowledge, Ms. Phuong said: "We still have to practice reading. Because the most profound and fundamental knowledge of mankind to date is still in the form of reading text. Can you learn useful things when surfing social networking platforms and listening to someone share? Yes! But no one can guarantee you that what you hear is accurate if you do not have the skills to access the original text. Or when you need to understand those interesting things more deeply, you still have to go back to reading.

I don't blame the lack of reading because that's the current situation. But saying "I'm a realist" is problematic because it implies that what's in books is of no use in life. Sadly, many other young people believe the same thing. Perhaps the way education focuses on "filling books with knowledge" without paying any attention to its relevance and connection to real life has contributed to this perspective?

Source: https://danviet.vn/tu-vu-hoa-hau-ky-duyen-chua-tung-doc-het-mot-cuon-sach-chuyen-gia-giao-duc-noi-dieu-nay-20240831065546682.htm