F shaped reading pattern and the digital native
Good evening one and all. It’s been a while since I have posted something on here but I just had to get this out there. Ever wonder why your student, or child, just doesn't seem to read the same way you do? Well the answer may be the fact that our students, or children, DO read different then you do.
Before the introduction of a "google" or "yahoo" search, most people would be introduced to reading in some sort of printed pattern. From 1 paragraph to several hundred pages we would read from left to right and then top to bottom. This would create a Z PATTERN.
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That’s us, the non digital natives.
However, students/children of the 21st century have been bombarded with digital information. Some of this information comes in the form of a "google" or "yahoo" search. Because of this, children today don't read in the z pattern that we are so used to, but more in an F SHAPED PATTERN. Here is what that looks like:
There is a ton of data out to support this clam. Men from Ian Jukes to websites like http://www.useit.com/alertbox/reading_pattern.html discuss how 21st century students are reading in this pattern. In a standard “google” search, a reader sees the URL in bold, with text underneath. One's eye spends more time on the url, and less on the information. It just makes sense.
So as teachers or parents we must keep this in mind. If we know students read differently today then we did just a few years ago, embrace it. A good teacher should be able to take information that is in a Z pattern and try to re-work it into an F pattern. I know I am.
