Books reflecting today’s society need to be present in the classroom

Reading books from a young age is beneficial for children, it opens their mind, teaches them empathy, and boosts academic results, yet the books we present to children are often only reflecting one side of society. 

According to ECU lecturer Helen Adam, teachers have a tendency to share the books they love with their students, resulting in them only reading classics that have been here for decades. 

"Australian classrooms and childcare centres are full of diversity, yet books on the shelves largely represent an outdated and unique viewpoint of our society.

"What you have is only animal stories and white people characters resulting in an invisible 25/30 per cent of the population who are just not represented or only in the background, meaning kids do not learn about other cultures."

She urges teachers and support teachers to include newer books in their collection to depict more diversity and an updated view of today's society. 

Adam joined Education Review to discuss the place of books in the classroom and what strategies schools can put in place to encourage their students to read more.