Audio Books Reflections - Links to Read Alouds

This summer I was thrilled when I thought of the idea to listen to audio books while commuting to summer school for my five weeks of doctoral classes. Since Simplicity is my One Little Word this year, I knew that I could not add on my doctoral courses and continue with my same level of reading for pleasure if I still wanted to have time for my family. Listening to audio books has been a perfect way to enjoy the commute and feel like I am able to still be "reading" some books for pleasure. I have posted about the audio books I have listened to so far here and here.

While listening to audio books, I naturally began to reflect about how it was similar and different to reading a paper version of the book. The most noticeable difference was the difficulty in flipping back to verify something that happened earlier. Sure, I could have gone back to the previous tracks, but my car CD player does not have the capacity to quickly scan through individual tracks, at least that I know of. This meant that I thought a lot harder about whether or not I really needed to take the time to go back at times when I do it without another thought with a paper version. I didn't want to have to listen to a significant portion of a track again just to double check something. Instead, I often opted to continue on and focus on details that would clarify my question. The same goes for if I realize that my mind has been wandering, such as if I was more concerned with merging. I found myself evaluating whether I still had a pretty good idea of what was going on or if I was completely lost. Again, I would only go back if I really needed to in order to understand, but if it was a paper version I would have skimmed back to the last point that I remembered being fully engaged.

Other difficulties come when at times it was hard to know if it was a character's thoughts or dialogue without the visual cues that the text versions give, making me realize that I had to be listening even more intently to make meaning of what was going on. For example, how the other characters responded helped me to know if they said something out loud or if it was an internal dialogue. However, the advantage was that audio adds more expression, which at times made it easier to understand.

This made me think about read alouds in class and the strategies that readers need in order to get the most out of read alouds. Since they do not have the text in front of them (at least in my classroom most of the time), they need to pay close attention to get what is going on. They need to realize when their minds have drifted off and evaluate how much they are able to fill in their own gaps and when they need to ask a clarifying question.

This year I am planning on talking to my students about what I have discovered about audio books vs. reading a paper version. I will share my experiences of noticing my mind was wandering and not having the ease to quickly flip back, as well as the strategies I used to make meaning and deciding what to do. Hopefully, the students will realize that readers at all proficiency levels utilize strategies to make meaning. It will work toward making them realize that just because they are asking a question does not mean that they are not a "good" reader, which seems to be a reason why some students do not want to ask questions or show their confusion with read alouds.

I was excited when I realized this bi-product of expanding my reading horizons to include audio books. What I thought of as a way to pass the time during my commute and fill my need for reading for pleasure, ended up also having value for implications for teaching. I will continue to think of my experiences with audio books and how that informs me about myself as a reader and possible tie-ins to my classroom.