From Skimming to Thinking: Rebuilding the Reading Brain

One of the most common questions I’m asked during Student Learning Conferences is from exasperated parents: “How do I get her to read more?” This is swiftly followed by a lament on how she used to read all the time in primary school, as a sheepish daughter avoids eye contact. Sound familiar? You’re not alone.

Many of you may have read the brilliant yet devastating Good Weekend article on "how Australia’s reading slump is making us stupid," and paused to reflect on your reading habits, especially when “only about 15 per cent of the population read at level 4 to 5 (the highest).” We want our girls to read more, but how often do they see us model this ourselves? Research tells us that reading for pleasure, just 30 minutes a day, is linked to increased empathy and self-esteem - something we could all benefit from in today’s frantic world.

At Loreto Kirribilli, our school-wide focus on literacy has prompted us to re-examine how we create space for ‘active reading’ in classrooms and across subject areas. When we surveyed students last year, we discovered that most preferred print over digital reading, citing screen fatigue and the joy of physically holding a book. Their reflections echo global research: print reading supports deeper comprehension, while digital reading can encourage skimming and shallow engagement (Woolf, 2018; Green, 2022). Many teachers also observed students flicking and scanning rather than slowing down to process meaning - an understandable habit in the age of TikTok and text alerts.

This highlights the urgent need to foster what researcher Maryanne Woolf calls the ‘bi-literate brain’: one capable of both deep, sustained reading in print and critical, selective reading online. Over the past year, we have been teaching students explicit strategies to recognise when they’re skimming, and tools to re-engage with complexity. It’s not about banning screens, but teaching students to be conscious, reflective readers in every medium.

Prioritising and nurturing reading at home is another powerful influence on kids' reading habits. Reading aloud to your child doesn’t need to stop when they can read independently - older children still benefit deeply from the shared experience of being read to. Try a device-free family read-aloud night with something like Runt by Craig Silvey or The Wild Robot by Peter Brown. Talk about books together. I love hearing girls say, “My mum read that too!” during library sessions.

Lastly, do not despair. Our world is filled with podcasts about books, BookTok, celebrity book clubs, writers’ festivals, and many more ways to connect with reading. The challenge, as always, is time. Look for little windows - listen to a book together in the car, read an important article as a family, and enjoy the conversation it brings - in a world of fast content, that’s a powerful gift.

Emma Brandon
Literacy Coordinator K-12