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5 Steps To Improve Your High Schooler’s Reading Comprehension

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Saba Alam
5 Steps To Improve Your High Schooler’s Reading Comprehension

Reading comprehension is the ability to process and understand written information. 

We all need this skill to communicate in life. When it comes to education, teachers use it to teach while students use it to learn. As you can see, this is one of the most important skills any student can acquire to succeed in their education. And in particular, high schoolers need to prepare for their college life.

Reading comprehension is not inborn. Yet, some are more competent than others. Why? Because of the different strategies they use to acquire and improve the skill. Some are more effective than others. If you are reading this article, chances are you are a high school parent trying to find the best ways to help your child improve their comprehension skill. Below are 5-steps how. 

 Choose the Right Environment

Comprehension is not easy. It requires a lot of concentration and soberness to complete. That can only happen in a quiet, clean, and comfortable environment. Any distractions will only confuse and make it even more challenging to study. That includes TV, Calls, and honking cars near their international or Indian high school, and so on. Choosing the right studying environment is crucial to help improve your child's comprehension.

 Encourage Active Reading

When it comes to comprehension, a book and a pen go hand in hand. Think about it. Which one is easy to remember? What you noted down after reading or what you kept in your head? If you do it practically, you will realize that what you note down will sink much better than what you choose to keep in your mind.

 Encourage a Positive Attitude

Some students indeed do love reading, but those are few. Most of them find it very difficult and tedious and will not do it unless someone pushes them. To your child, that someone is you. Find ways to nurture a more positive attitude to improve their comprehension.

 Discourage them to Memorize

The two words; memorization, and comprehension, are closely related, but they are not synonymous.

Comprehension is more engaging to the mind. You read, you process, you translate, you compare, and you analyze and understand it. You can even use it to come with other theories of your own. Comprehension is a memory that adds to your long term knowledge. 

Memorization, on the other hand, involves remembering something without having to understand it. It does not necessarily add to your knowledge. Encourage your child to comprehend instead of memorizing.

 Become Your Child’s Study Partner

Last but not least you need to study together with your high school child to sharpen the reading comprehension skills. Let them pick a book, or better yet, choose it yourself for both of you to read and discuss. Engage them using questions to open up their mind and improve their reasoning. Voice out your opinions and listen to theirs to understand their thought process and monitor their growth.

Studying with your child is a more practical way to develop their critical thinking abilities and comprehension skills.

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