I am an auditory learner. With that being said, it would be logical to think that I would enjoy an audiobook. However, I had never even tried it before (until I had to). My reasoning was simple: I am a reading purist. I like the act of flipping pages, running my finger along texts, and the gratifying feeling of more pages being held down by my left thumb as I make my way through the written journey page by page. Having someone read the words the words aloud seemed childish to me (I did love when my mother read to me when I was younger though). I really did not go into this experiment whole-heartedly.
In order to make what I had intended to be my dread more bearable, I listened to an Evanovich story (I know, not brilliant literature but she is one of the few writers who makes me laugh out loud). Here is a simplified run down of the week it took me to listen to the story.
I have a long drive from where I live in St. Augustine to where I teach in Orange Park. It is close to 100 miles round trip each day that I am in my car. Due to all of the talking I do and have to listen to in a day, I enjoy the drive with ONLY songs playing (sometimes even without lyrics). No talk radio allowed! When I was assigned to "read" an audiobook, I knew it wouldn't take long to get through.
On the first day, I ended up only getting through about 30 minutes of the story. The person reading had GREAT accents for each of the characters (which I found enjoyable). However, the rate at which she read I found to be tedious (some of the characters were southern and she seemed to really take the stereotype to heart about talking slowly). I also historically have difficulty getting into a story if it does not capture me within the first few pages (I am the kind of person who will stay up all night to finish a book - putting a good one down is not an option).
The next day, after being a bit more familiar with the reader's style and tempo, I found myself less annoyed. The story also began to pick up and I listened for my entire drive both to and from home. This pattern continued until the end of the week. I found myself waiting in to car and taking longer ways home in order to get in more "reading" time. The story was coming to an end and I was unable to do what I usually do - skip to the last few pages and find out what is going to happen (it is harder to mark your place in an audiobook if you skip around).
By the end of the week (and the story) I could see how easily some people choose to use audiobooks as their means of exposure to literature (I do feel that listening to classics like the Iliad on audiobook would have to be some sort of blasphemy). Audiobooks are easy to multitask (using an iPod doing cardio at the gym, driving, using and iPod while grocery shopping) and are reasonably priced. The library also offers a wide array of audiobooks to choose from.
After this experience, I wanted to do a little experiment on my kids. I read the BOB books to my homeroom every morning, but we lose so much time to routine (lunch money collections, notes, unpacking, etc.) it seems a shame. Using the program Audacity, I recorded myself reading a chapter from the book we were reading called The Secret of Zoom by Lynne Jonell. As soon as the kids started walking in, I pushed play and my voice could be heard around the class on the speaker system. The kids at first were startled, but continued on with their routine (I use a powerpoint to give them directions about what they are to do and it is projected for all to see). I was able to take attendance, collect lunch money AND finish the chapter! I can never do that when other things take the place of reading.
When we finished the chapter, I asked the kids what they thought (a brief, qualitative study, if you will). Most of the students thought it was cool and enjoyed being able to hear me read. A few students remarked that they missed watching me read. Apparently, I use my hands and make faces which help them remember the story. However, they did ask if I could record more of me reading the story, which, of course, I will.
I believe that audiobooks have positive implications not only for the adults who don't have time to pick up an actual book, but for our struggling readers. It is much easier to listen (for some) to a story and not have to worry about the decoding part and just enjoy the artistry of a story. Isn't that the whole point of reading, after all?
Perhaps you could also send them the BOB files so that they could re-listen with their iPods?
ReplyDeleteListening to books does take practice, as you have found it gets easier with time. It is also good that you started with an author whose writing style you are already familiar with - you might try "re-reading" some of her works that you have already read.
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