Reading specialists explain how a revised curriculum has dramatically improved reading standards and literacy skills at both primary and secondary levels.
Chile is the most improved of all OECD countries for reading levels at both primary and secondary, according to the 2009 PISA(Programme for International Student Assessment) report.
Reading specialist, Soledad Concha, from the University of Diego Portales in Santiago talks about the revised curriculum and the new emphasis on developing meaning-related competencies.
At primary level, the strategy is to teach phonics and reading comprehension simultaneously - from the very first letter; while in secondary schools, students are encouraged to engage with more sophisticated texts.
Fundamental to these approaches is the desire to equip the population with the skills to engage fully in a democratic society.
