E-learning - an approach to the treatment of dyslexia

Statsråd Kristin Clemet -Besøk til Belgia 21.mai 2003

Seminar: E-learning - an approach to the treatment of dyslexia?

21

Welcome address

Minister, ladies and gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure to welcome you all to this seminar on e-learning and dyslexia.

As part of the program in connection with an official state visit, it is a custom to organise conferences and seminars on different subjects. It is however, the first time, to my knowledge, that reading literacy and reading difficulties has been the subject of such a seminar.

I want to greet and thank my Belgian colleague Mrs. Marleen Vanderporten, Minister of Education and Research, Flanders for the co-operation in preparing this seminar. I also want to thank the Norwegian Ambassador Bjørnebye and the Norwegian Trade Council for suggesting this topic and thus broadening the scope of co-operation between Norway and Belgium. I also want to thank our Belgian friends . Without their knowledge of the professional field in Belgium, this seminar could not have taken place. Last -but not least - I want to mention Ms. Hanna Marit Jahr for the way she has taken care of contacts and arrangements in Brussels, and the Centre for Reading Research at the Stavanger University College for organising things at the Norwegian end.

Reading is important for several reasons. We read to learn and for pleasure. Books are sources for reflection, development of skills and relaxation. We also use reading as a tool for learning, and as children progress through school, reading is the foundation for learning across all subjects. Finally, the ability to read is necessary in order to participate fully in our society, and illiteracy is probably one of the major threats against democracy. No wonder then that one of the main tasks of our school system is to teach children to read, for learning, and hopefully also for pleasure. This is common knowledge, so common in fact, that if you ask young children why they go to school, the answer will be "To learn to read!" even from those children who already know how to read!

Unfortunately the development of reading skills does not progress easily for all children. There are various reasons why some children face problems when they try to master this important skill. General learning difficulties, language problems and dyslexia are just some of the causes underlying reading problems. Regardless of why children have problems with learning to read, early detection is important. After having detected a problem, the cause should be diagnosed. If the reason is dyslexia, special educational measures to overcome the reading problem can be organised.

Since instruction in reading is such an important task, we in Norway, and I know you do the same in Belgium, try to evaluate the school system’s efficiency in performing this task. The results from two recent large-scale international reading literacy surveys, PISA for fifteen-year-olds and PIRLS for ten-year-olds give some indications. Both studies show that Norwegian students have average reading skills, which indicates that we have room for improvement. The need for improvement is underlined by the fact that the difference between poor readers and good readers is too large. The two international surveys also indicate that there are substantial differences in the reading abilities of girls and boys, and that we have reason to worry about the performances of the low achieving boys. The good news is that compared to other countries Norway did well on literacy related activities in the home and on early literacy activities before starting school. In addition, we see that Norwegian pupils, in general, are well adapted and enjoy attending school.

The government has, during the entire period we have been in office, focused on improving the quality of our educational system. In line with this policy, we have recently presented a plan with a time scope from now until 2007. The plan is named "Make Room for Reading!" and the purpose can be summed up in six points:

1. improve the reading abilities of the pupils and increase their motivation for reading
2. improve the teachers’ competence in reading instruction and the use of school libraries
3. motivate children, youngsters and adults to make more room for reading in preschool, school, at home and in their time of leisure
4. increase consciousness that reading is the foundation of learning other skills, cultural competence, quality of life, participation in work and a democratic society
5. improve the teachers’ knowledge about new and present-day literature for children and youngsters
6. stimulate the spreading of literature

The goal is a joint effort of all parts of society, parents, education from preschool to university, economic life and trade and commerce. At government level, it has been especially important to secure the co-operation of the Ministry responsible for cultural affairs. The two ministries have organised a separate project to secure the co-operation and participation of the public library system. As part of this project, the public library system will enter the schools with information about literature suited for different age groups and purposes, and it will organise different programs designed to enhance reading.

The plan is quite detailed. It consists of 35 points, grouped into five main categories. Each point consists of specifications for action, time-scope and indication of who is responsible. The main instances in implementing the plan are the Communities, the Chief Administrative Officers in the Counties, the National Board of Education and the Ministry of Education and Research.

As part of this plan, the Centre for Reading Research will be given new responsibilities as a National Centre for Reading and Reading instruction. We have already established a Centre for Mathematics at the University of Trondheim, and a Centre for Natural Sciences at the University of Oslo. As you understand, reading is important, but not the only area where the government aims at improving the achievement of Norwegian students.

When working to improve reading literacy among Norwegian students, special attention will be given to poor readers. There are two reasons for this. The first is that reading abilities are a severe handicap in our society, a handicap that restricts freedom of choice in a number of areas. The second is that by focusing on poor reading abilities, we also address the problem that a majority of the poor readers are boys. The reason for this gender difference is puzzling for the professionals, but there seems to be an agreement that there are strong cultural and motivational aspects involved. In addition, there might be genetic factors. Regardless of reason, and whether it be boy or girl, it is important to detect poor reading as early as possible and to offer help and special education at an early stage.

In the area of early detection of reading problems, Norway has a fairly good track record. More than ten years ago, the Ministry of Education developed a battery of screening tests, especially designed to identify poor readers. The tests were developed as a tool for the teachers by the Centre for Reading Research and have been in widespread use. In grades 2. and 7. all Norwegian students take these tests.

As part of our government’s effort to increase the quality of our educational system, we have started an ambitious program developing national evaluation tests for four different grades in the basic subjects of mathematics, reading, writing, and English. The Centre for Reading Research is involved in the development of the reading tests.

In addition to the traditional paper and pencil tests, the Centre for Reading Research has been in the front seat in developing advanced computer based diagnostic tests. Some of these tests will be presented at this seminar.

It is our goal that the new national evaluation tests in time will be available in electronic form, hopefully followed by specially designed computer based teaching material. It is in this field that I see the potential for future co-operation between Norway and Belgium. We both see the problems needing to be addressed, and I am sure that we can benefit from co-operating in finding the solutions.

Thank you…