Teach Reading and Writing Issue 19

D id you know that turning on the subtitles while children are watching television can double the chances of them becoming good at reading? Yes, really. Wonderfully simple, isn’t it? Ten seconds of effort for parents, a lifetime’s impact for their children. And all backed up by decades of scientific research. As co-founder of Turn on the Subtitles (TOTS), the world’s largest literacy campaign, I’ve teamed up with The Access Group to help schools spread the word to parents and boost literacy. Our literacy problem Research shows that 28 per cent of children – up to 45 per cent in poorer families – struggle with reading, while 250,000 start secondary school lacking basic English skills. Furthermore, nearly one in five children aged five to eight in England lack access to books at home. And for those children who do have books, only two in five say they enjoy reading. Igniting a love of literacy We all recognise how crucial it is to instil a love of reading books, and we wouldn’t want to detract from that. However, by integrating both reading books and TOTS, we can double the likelihood of children excelling in reading skills. Believe it or not, if a child watches just over three hours and 15 minutes of TV a day with the subtitles switched on, after just a year, they’ll have read the same number of words that are in all the Harry Potter books, the Narnia saga, the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and Roald Dahl’s entire collection combined. Of course, few would suggest that much screentime as a target – however, while many might describe the battle of encouraging their child to put down their smartphone or tablet as a losing one, it’s time to accept that this technology is part and parcel of our daily lives. We must meet younger generations halfway. With almost everything available through a screen, children are familiar with using their devices to stream content. By asking them to simply turn on the subtitles, and explaining the benefits, children can learn new words and develop their language almost subconsciously. Research carried out by The Access Group showed that 98 per cent of viewers had zero complaints about having subtitles on screen. The impact of TOTS Backed by the likes of Jack Black, Stephen Fry, Sandi Toksvig and Lenny Henry, as well as other leading academics and influencers, the impact of TOTS has been huge. In a small space of time, the campaign has gone from a kitchen table in Essex to the world’s largest literacy programme. The TOTS initiative led to the launch of Sky Q’s Literacy Zone, which plays children’s favourite cartoons with subtitles. Moonbug has also launched a channel on YouTube called Moonbug Kids Literacy. To date, these platforms now have over five billion views. Everyone working across the education sector needs to understand the impact that simply turning on the subtitles has. TOTS was initially aiming to help a few thousand children in the UK, but with this number only increasing (currently at 400 million), the target is now to help a billion children by 2027. All we ask is that schools, parents and the media share this incredibly simple but powerful message. TOTS at home and in the classroom Get started by downloading a free TOTS digital pack full of useful information you can share with parents to get them turning the subtitles on at home ( theaccessgroup.com/tots ) . In the classroom, use videos, with subtitles on, to introduce new topics. Having the option to read the subtitles will prevent pupils from completely disengaging from more complex subject material. Finally, try to support different ways of working in school. Approximately 15 to 20 per cent of children and young people in the UK are neurodivergent. By incorporating short video clips into a lesson plan, pupils who may struggle to focus for a long period of time, or who prefer to see what they are learning about, will thrive alongside their peers. To find out more about TOTS, and download a free school resource pack, visit theaccessgroup.com/tots Simply turning on the television subtitles can improve children’s literacy just as efficiently as reading lengthy novels, says Henry Warren www.teachwire.net | 23 HenryWarren is co-founder of Turn on the Subtitles. “Turning on the subtitles while children are watching television can double the chances of them becoming good at reading” SCREEN TIME TH I NK I NG L I T ERAC Y turnonthesubtitles.org