Krashen

=Stephen D. Krashen= Stephen D. Krashen is a linguist and a professor in the Department of Education at the University of Southern California. He has written numerous books and articles on the subjects of bilingual education, second language acquisition, and reading. Some of his books include //Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition// and //The Power of Reading//. He has also done a lot of work with literacy awareness, promoting free voluntary reading as a tool in language acquisition. Much of Krashen's work can be found on his website.

In his article, "The Case for Libraries and Librarians", Krashen says, "Research shows that better public and school libraries are related to better reading achievement. The reason for this is obvious: Children become better readers by reading more (Krashen, 2004), and the library is a major source of books for children". Krashen believes that young people naturally have a desire to read and enjoy books and reading. He says that when children and young adults do not read, it is usually due to a lack of access to books. Thus, libraries and librarians play a very inportant role in providing children with books and opportunities to read.

I think Krashen makes some very good points about literacy and language acquisition. I agree that reading is the most fundamental building block in developing literacy. I also think it's great that he promotes free reading in schools. Too often children are encouraged to read books that they are not interested in, thereby lessening their passion for reading. When children are allowed to read books they choose themselves, their copmprehension level often increases. Krashen is a great supporter of books, libraries, and students. [mel]