In considering the audio book format and its effects on education, many parents and teachers find relief in that there are so many benefits. The use of audio books in the classroom increases the success of beginning readers in general—and also serves as an excellent aide to those who struggle with reading. The following is just a handful of reasons why audio books are used, and ought certainly to be used, by teachers.

I. To begin with, audio books allow teachers to put more into their workloads than is usual; while students are enjoying the audio presentation, for example, the teacher can prepare for the next lesson, or else simply listen to the recording along with the students.

II. Save money! Instead of buying a classroom set of 10 or more books, one audio book is enough for a class of more than fifty students. Additionally, audio book rental companies like Jiggerbug ( http://www.Jiggerbug.com ) allow teachers to save valuable money by renting an unlimited number of audio books for a lower cost than buying a single audio book.

III. At home and in the classroom, children love good storytelling. Audio books provide this storytelling, which is, more-often-than-not, well-presented by professional actors. Sometimes the book’s own author provides the narration, as is the case with many Roald Dahl titles.

IV. Roughly half—about 45%-- of each day is spent listening to others. Much of human learning—85%, actually—comes about through merely listening! This is important and one of the main reasons why teachers rely on audio books to the extent that they do.

V. Audio books are often credited with developing and improving the listening skills of their hearers. Audio books listeners have better reading comprehension skills than non-listeners.

VI. When presented with the printed word, young readers see a mere grouping of disconnected words and phrases; but audio books make it so that the rhythm patterns of speech become more distinct—thus allowing the material to become more easily understood by children.

VII. When audio books are utilized in a classroom setting, the students often have the opportunity to hear the pronunciation of words they are unfamiliar with and pick up the meaning of the word by the readers tone.

VIII. Often times, the narrator presents the work in such a way that young listeners come to find new meaning after the book has already been read in printed form. This is true of all age groups.

IX. Struggling young readers often develop a fondness for literature when they are exposed to the audio book format because of how fun it is to listen.

Reasons for listening to audio books are innumerable; among them, education serves as one of the greatest. The reasons stated should, and will, give most readers an idea of how indispensable, and enjoyable, audio books can be when utilized for the sake of education. A much sought for result of audio books in the classroom, though, and a very common one, is that students often go home and start reading with a willing attitude

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