Mayor Chu attended the annual forum of international reading education
New Taipei City Government’s Department of Education and CommonWealth Magazine Education Foundation co-coordinated the annual forum of international reading education for the 5th year. Mayor Eric Chu attended the forum and presented the award of Model School of Reading Participation to Dacheng Elementary School today (11/30). He appreciates CommonWealth magazine’s participation and looks forward to spreading love, hope and reading throughout urban and rural areas.
Mayor Chu worries that most people spend most of their time talking about things they already know but don’t take the time to think and increase their knowledge through reading. Mayor Chu said that the media for reading, including internet and many other resources, is no longer limited to public matter, and most importantly, people should be able to enjoy reading and learn.
Minister of Council of Cultural Affairs, Ovid J.L. Tzeng, also attended the forum. He said the forum has its annual topic to identify difficulties concerning reading participation in Taiwan. The topic for this year’s forum is “Reading for fun”, pointing out that reading is for oneself instead of others or any external reason. Tzeng said that he is still reading many global science magazines every day. He also shared an English research discovering that curiosity is as important as effort and earnestness for improving children’s academic performance. He said that reading can not only satisfy curiosity but also help one procure knowledge and experience.
Chairman of Board of CommonWealth magazine, Diane Yun-Peng Ying, added that reading is the root of learning, and encouraging students to read is the key to cultivating our next generation.
Principal of Dacheng Elementary School, the Model School of Reading Participation Award winner, said that reading helps children build their confidence. The school used word-recognition test, reading comprehension test, and assistance education to improve students’ language abilities, finishing 3rd place for language competition of the 100th academic year in Sanying District.
The CommonWealth Magazine Education Foundation and CommonWealth Parenting magazine conducted a survey of 3715 junior high school and high school students on youths’ reading abilities. Survey result showed that parents’ educations and academic pressure apparently affect participation of extracurricular reading. Libraries become students’ study area and Facebook becomes the favorite “book” for youths.
Lecturers for today’s forum are from prestigious institutes in UK, China, and Japan. They all would like to share their joy of reading with parents and teachers from different cultural perspectives.