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Reading With Intention in a Distracted World
A language teacher’s perspective on how slower intentional reading could improve literacy levels in Portugal
The number of professional teachers in Portugal has steadily declined, especially among those who teach Portuguese as a mother tongue.
Scientific research has long noted how the quality of “ is a key factor for inclusion and quality learning, and it also improves learning outcomes and academic performance,” which can also be .
That’s probably why I wasn’t too surprised when I reviewed the data from the OECD’s and the study showed only around 40% of adults living in Portugal can understand simple texts and solve basic arithmetic.
The study shows that 15% of Portuguese respondents can, at most, understand short, simple sentences and that another 27% can understand brief texts and organized lists.
Thus, in Portugal, 42% of the population has a very low level of literacy, according to the results of those surveyed, who represent 6.6 million people between the ages of 16 and 65 living in our country.
In Portugal, adults aged 16–65 scored, on average, 235 points in…
