Reading to learn Developing advanced reading skills in traditional and digital environments

Abstract

Rapid advances in digital technologies are transforming patterns of learning to read, as well as 'reading to learn'. The latter refers to the process of reading in the service of learning, in school and beyond, and is a major purpose for reading beyond the earliest school years. When reading to learn, contemporary e-learning trends either promote the supplementary use of ICT in face-to-face settings or the use of such environments for comprehensive delivery of learning materials. Such changes make it imperative to understand the basic elements of reading in digital environments to support learning. In this chapter we first introduce the basic elements that can be used to build an effective digital reading environment to improve learning. The chapter then considers the instructional design principles that best promote learning through digital reading and explores the impact of digital interfaces on traditional reading-to-learn strategies.