ABSTRACT
Why do university students and school pupils often find it so hard and unpleasant to read? In this chapter, this question is approached as a problem in cognitive science and enquires into the conception of reading at the basis of current teaching practices. The chapter discusses the orthodox understanding of reading which has influenced specific ways of teaching it, and shows that the conception of reading at play in educational practices reflects a limited notion of the nature of the mind. The authors contrast the cognitivist and embodied conceptions of the mind and derive their implications for education and learning. Their aim is to make explicit which mechanisms support and constrain reading practices, to give recommendations for enhancing creative and critical reading in students, and to foster the joy of reading. The chapter is informed by empirical data of students who read different kinds of texts.
