Opinion: To the point - The reason for reading

This will be my last column, and for a while I was at a loss for the focus. Having just been on a week's holiday in Jordan, the focus presented itself in a Bedouin tent. When told we would take cardamom coffee and tea in the desert with Bedouins, I was expecting a contrived event. Although there are 'Bedouin for tourists tents' it was clear when we arrived that this was a genuine family living in some poverty but with huge dignity who were very shyly hosting us.Two young children in Western dress welcomed us with handshakes and the husband, wife, elder son and grandmother received us in Bedouin style. Our Jordanian guide explained that only he came to this family with Western groups; it was clear he was trying to support them as a family.

Our guide explained that Bedouin lifestyles are changing rapidly, with increasing numbers of families seeking to own homes with electricity. The main impetus for this change was coming from the children, who wanted access to computers as used in school. We saw many new villages where the tents were erected next to the new homes; the elders were clearly not ready to forgo their lifestyles just yet. It was impressive to see that children were bringing about these cultural changes for many families.

The young boy hurried to the back of the tent behind the pile of well-worn blankets - the desert is cold at night - and returned with an English reading book. He sat beside a member of the group and announced, 'I will read to you'. It was clear this was something he did with every group. His desire to practise reading overcame language difficulties and shyness as he struggled with challenging words and smiled at praise received. His sister (who does not attend school) watched over his shoulder and mouthed the words.

Their motivation to read English is strong because, at seven and 11 years old, they know this is where their future lies. It reminded me very powerfully that children learn to read because they see a reason for it and that wanting to read is as natural as wanting to walk and talk. In the UK, learning to read in school has increasingly becoming separated from day to day life. We seem to be losing the capacity to motivate children, and inevitably an over-emphasis on phonics as 'reading' will make that separation greater. There were important lessons to learn in that tent.

- Pat Broadhead, chair of TACTYC, is professor of Playful Learning at Leeds Metropolitan University.