Dogs make a great audience for reading

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DORSET, England, July 8 (UPI) -- Children who read to their dogs learn more quickly and are not afraid of being corrected or judged on their skills, a British teacher believes.

Martin Ford helped implement the canine reading program at St. Michael's Primary School in Bournemouth, Dorset, in April. The school brings in dogs for 45-minute reading sessions with 7- and 8-year-olds and teachers believe the kids are doing much better as a result, The Daily Telegraph reported Wednesday. The dogs are brought to school by the Caring Canines charity.

"The children always looked forward to their sessions and it certainly helped with motivating them to read both at school and at home," Ford said.

The idea is not universally supported.

"It's an amusing idea, but if the child makes a mistake the dog can't correct it," Nick Seaton, chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, said, adding, "It is simply a distraction from effective teaching. I think that while gimmicks like this maybe enjoyable they are unlikely to raise standards effectively