US embassy hosts discussion on 'Read Well, Think Well'

The United States Embassy, through the Paul Robeson Information Resource Center, hosted a discussion on the book Read Well,Think Well: Build Your Child's Reading, Compre-hension and Critical Thinking Skills by Hal Lanse. The panellists pointed out that issues discussed in the book spoke to their particular situations.

Alixann Narcisse-Campbell, founder and principal at Naz Children's Centre, said she appreciated the fact that the author dedicated a chapter of the book to address special needs.

The book, for her, was instructive as it highlighted the need for early intervention and for parents to pay attention to their children so that they can identify if they have special needs from an early age.

Wendy Bailey, administrator at the Junior World Learning and Activity Centre, also had high praises for the book and welcomed its focus on pre-schoolers. Bailey said that the intervention from the author on tapping into the creative and imaginative mindset of children was very enlightening for her.

According to Bailey, another strong point of the book is its emphasis on active commu-nication with children, regardless of age. She argued that it is important for teachers and parents alike to question children about what they read so that they can reinforce reading skills.

Another viewpoint on the book was proffered by Kena Henry-Anglin, a teacher at Charlemont High School.

Her takeaway from the book was its call for teachers to build the self-esteem of students and to encourage them to move past thinking of themselves as failures.

She recounted a situation in which she used some of the principles outlined in the book to bring about a change in one of her students who suffered from self-esteem issues.

The book was well received by members of the audience, who echoed many of the points made by the panellists.