DOCUMENT RESUME ED 070 074 CS 000 298 AUTHOR Staiger, Ralph C.,\..Ed.; Andresen, Oliver, Ed. Reading: A Human Right and A Human Problem. TITLE . INSTITUTION ---- International Reading Association, Newark, Del. PUB DATE 69 NOTE 186p.; Proceedings of the Second World Congress on Reading, Copenhagen, Denmark, August 1-3,1968 AVAILABLE FROM Tnternational Reading Association, 6 Tyre Avenue, Newark, Del.19711($3.85 non-member, $3.50 member) EDRS PRICE MF-40.65 HC-$6.58 DESCRIPTORS Beginning Reading; *Conferences; Dyslexia; *International Education; International Organizations;- *Literacy;, Reading Comprehension; Reading Difficulty; *Reading Instruction;Reading Materials; Reading Programs; Teacher Education ABSTRACT 'A selection of papers presentedat the Second World Congress on Reading held in Copenhagenin August-, 1960, reflects_the views of educators from 25 countries onfacets of reading instruction. Central to the Congress wasits stress on education as a human right. The raising of literacy goalsand the roles played by various agencies in accomplishing this arethemes which appear throughout tftespeeches. Topicsdiscussed in papers in the collection include beginning reading, readingcomprehension, preparationOf teaching materials, descriptions of programs,teacher education, and reading problems:. (This document previouslyannounced as ED 045 306.) U S DEPARTMENT OF HE.31.TH, EDUCATION & WELFARE OFFICE OF EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPRO DUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED rROM THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIG- INATING IT POINTS OF VIEW OR OPIN O IDNS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT OFFICIAL OFFICE OF EDU CATION POSITION OR POLICY wREADING: A Human Right and A Human Problem RALPH C. STAIGER, University of Delaware OLIVER ANDRESEN, Chicago State College Editors Proceedings of the Second World Congress on Reading Copenhagen, Denmark August 1-3, 1968 INTERNATIONAL READING ASSOCIATION Six Tyre Avenue Newark. Delaware, U.S.A. INTERNATIONAL READING ASSOCIATION OFFICERS President: LEO FAY, Indiana University, Bloomington,. Indiana President-Elect: HELEN HUUS, University of Missouri, Kansas City, Missouri past President: H. ALAN ROBINSON, Hofstra University, Old Westbury,New York DIRECTORS Term expiring Spring 1969 MARGARET J. EARLY, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York THEODORE HARRIS, University of- Puget Sound, Tacoma, Washington EVE MALMQUIST, National School for Educational Research, Linkoping,Sweden Term expiring Spring 1970 MILLARD H. BLACK, City Unified School District, Los Angeles, California AMELIA MELNIK, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona VIRGINIA D. YATES, Metropolitan Junior College, Kansas City, Missouri Term expiring Spring 1971 WILLIAM K. DURR, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan MILDRED H. FREEMAN, Metropolitan Public Schcols, Nashville, Tennessee ETHEL M. KING, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta Executive Secretary-Treasurer: RALPH C. STAIGER, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware Assistant Executive Secretary: RONALD W. MITCHELL, International Reading Association, Newark, Delaware Publications Coordinator: FAYE R. BRANCA, International ReadingAssociation, Newark, Delaware Program was arranged ,by the Second World Congress Committee Cochairmen Eve Malmquist. Sweden Dorothy Kendall Bracken, U.S.A. Committee Members H. Alan Robinson, U.S.A. Mogens Jansen, Denmark Marion Jenkinson, Canada Joyce M. Morris, England Helen M. Robinson, U.S.A. PERMISSION 10 REPRODUCE THis COPY Copyright 1969 by the International Reading Association. Inc. RIGHTED MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED All rights reserved BY Printod in Sweden - AB Ostgola Correspondenten, Linkoping, 1969 International Reading Association 10 ERIC AND ORGANIZATIONS OPERATING It UNDER AGREEMENTS WITH THE US OFT ICI OF EDUCATIONFURTHER REPRODUCHON OUTSIDE THE ERIC SYSTEM RECTORIES PEP MISSION OF THE COPYRICTIO-OWNER Foreword On August 8 and 9, 1966, the First World Congress on Reading. sponsored by IRA, was held in Paris. Five hundred educators from sixteen countries were in attendance. The proceedings of that Congress, Reading Ins/rue/ion: An iniernaiional Forum, was published by IRA in 1967. On AugustI,2, and 3, 1968, the Second World Congress on Reading was held in Copenhagen, cosponsored by the Danish National Associationof Reading Teachers and the International Reading Association. About thirteen hundied educators from twenty-five countries were in attendance. The present volume is the proceedings of the Second World Congress. This publication does not contain all papers presented in Copenhagen, lor does it reflect fully the stimulating dialogues, formal and informal, carried on among the participants. A complete list of program participants appears atthe end of this volume. The provocative papers included here; however, provide some of the flavor of the CongresS the fresh ideas and knowledge about reading instruction revealed by conferees from countries throughout the world. Although you will find all papers of great interest,I should like to direct attention particularly to the (+ening papers by Eve Malmquist and Arthur I. Gates for, in addition to insightful and thought-provoking content, they relate to two significant events which took place during the Congress. Eve Malm- quist's keynote address on the theme of the Congress served as the basic mate- rialfor a series of resolutions concerned with worldliteracy which were drafted by an international committee and were received with acclaim by the total body of participants at the Congress. It is anticipated that, growing from these resolutions, an .international group, of leaders will form a steering com- mittee to begin a worldwide campaign for the eradication of illiteracy. Arthur Gates' paper is an award response. Dr. Gates was selected by an international group to become the recipient of the first World Congress in Reading Award for his distinguished service and many contributions to a better underStanding of the reading process and to reading instruction throughout the world. Another important occurrence reported at the Congress, but not included in the body of this volume, will be of interest to you. The International Reading Association was one of five groups to be awarded honorable mention for the Mohammad Peza Pahlavi Prize for meritorious work in adult literacy. The award was made possible through the generous gift of H.I.M. the Shahinshah of Iran and was awarded by a jury appointed by the Director-General of UNESCO. The success of the Second World Congress was due to the concerted efforts of many people and organizations. Eve Malmquist initiated the idea of a Scan- dinavian congress and helped with concepts and details from start to finish. Ralph Staiger and the IRA headquarters staff worked long hours in implement- 3 ing and arranging the congress plan. Dorothy Kendall Bracken was mainly responsible for making the congress plan operational and spent many long hours revamping and revising the program. Thanks arc also 'Inc to other members of the Second World Congress who provided significantideas, suggested possible participants, and helped in shaping the program. Special gratitude must be offered to Mogcns Jansen, membc.r of the Second World Congress Committee and Local Arrangements Chairman in Copenhagen. Dr. Jansen, along with many Scandinavian educators and the Danish Inter- national Students' Congress Service, was responsible for the smooth and pro- fessional operation of the Congress. I-I. ALAN ROBINSON,President International Reading Association 1967--1968 Introduction The reading process has no boundaries. Through reading, literate people can learn the thinking, not only of their own people, but that of other nations as well. Certainly, therefore, reading is a process through whichmankind can find universal understanding. The Second World Congress on Reading in Copenhagen was a step towards this ideal. Although the people of the world `speak in many tongues, the reading of these written languages has much it\ common. Consequently, thereading instruction in one land has problems in common with such instruction in any other country. At the IRA congress researchers and educators discussed the common problems and shared suggested answers whichmight be found fruit- ,/ ful 'for the teaching of reading in widely different cultures andlocalities/ Many of the papers presented are included in this book. In additionto/tlie keynote address and the award response, presentations range from a disynssion of how successful readers have learned, by Ruth Strang, to the veryspecific discussion of children's literature from many lands, by IRAPreWent-elect Helen Huus. The papers presented in the Scandinavian languages will appear inthe Skandinarisk TidskriP for Laspedarger: Some of the/other presentations by their nature did not lend themselves to formalpapers and were not sub- mitted. Since final plans for publication were not completed untilNovember 1968, certain of the Congress papers have appfed in professionaljournals and, therefore, have not been included heje/. A complete list of program participants appears at the end of this vo)me. The purpose of publication, of course, is to allow for a vast extensionof the profitable pooling of ideas atopenhageo. Through suchinternational conferences and their resulting proceedings, a more lucid appreciationof the reading process and the enhapcment of reading instruction can be gained by _inquiring educators throughout the world. RAI.P11 C. STAIGER OLIVER ANDRESI,N Eth/ors The International Reading Association attempts. through its publications, to