Reading expands horizons

“This is my brain, I’m takingin all the information and I’malways reading, I’ll readanything. And it’s made fromwhen I was at school, theworld was quite small and it’sreally, really made the worldso much bigger in lots ofways”

regular reader

Lost without a book

‘It’s that important. It’sjust like losing an arm, it’sa comfort blanket, it’sescapism, it’s a friend, it’shaving something whereverI go, train, waiting,whatever, odd days in thebag, it’s just always there.’

Highly engaged reader

crucial reading foundations

“I think there is a period from about 8 to 17, just the books you read then just sort of define you, somehow”

“Making a mess of reading aloud”

“You almost have a mental block where you think I wasn’t very good at that, I can’t do thatnow, and it brings back bad memories”

“School books stop you reading books of your own choice”

barriers to reading

Pointers from recent research and projects

• Importance of self perception • Role models • Writing

NLT research

• 73% of young people have books of their own

• Book ownership is related to enjoyment of reading, attitudes towards reading and reading frequency

• Reading attainment was related to:

– having a computer

– having a desk of one’s own

– having books of one’s own

– having access to newspapers and magazines

Pointers from recent research• importance of motivation and enjoyment for children’s reading development

• transforming role of particular books. 

• significant role for creative teaching approaches

• professional knowledge of children’s literature should be a priority for teachers

• teachers’ knowledge of books affects the extent to which they use literature in the classroom

Pointers from recent research•Reading teachers’ develop genuinely reciprocal reading communities

Reading for Pleasure Agenda:

• can positively impact upon children’s attainment and desire to read

• is distinct from, although closely related to a reading instruction agenda

• is strongly influenced by relationships:

• between teachers

• between teachers and children

• between children and families

• between children, teachers, families and communities

UKLA research The ‘Teachers As Readers’ report

recommends:

• developing reading for pleasure alongside reading instruction

• making time and space to build reciprocal reading communities in classrooms

• blur the boundaries between children’s home and school reading

• foster children’s autonomy as readers who can exercise discrimination and choice

“In the last three decades schools and libraries have gone through periods of hectic change…they have moved apart and there is a perception that schools don’t need libraries; that libraries are not modern or fit for purpose” Baroness Estelle Morris

““It’s not a space that the adults It’s not a space that the adults have made – it’s for us by us”have made – it’s for us by us”

Libraries are changing!

Libraries helping teachers• Reader motivation and

development

• Continuing professional development

• Curriculum support

• Community partnerships/ extended services

• Family involvement

New pivots for joint work• “The Summer Reading Challenge is a sign

post pointing the way to an enduring relationship between schools and libraries.”

Baroness Estelle Morris

• “The Summer Reading Challenge is one of the UK’s largest creative reading opportunities available to children. It introduces children to one of the best free resources for their minds on their doorsteps – the local library - and focuses on developing skills that are vital for their life chances.”

Alan Yentob, Creative Director of the BBC

 Next year we will hold a parents’ meeting to promote the Challenge. Jeremy Jackson, Headteacher  We would like to have a special meeting next year, some kind of high profile event with the school, like you do with world book day. Sarah Jones, Y4 teacher when the kids feel that they have a personal relationship with you as their librarian they are more likely to bring books back, to visit again... all that is going to help with their self-esteem... this is somebody that is helping me who is outside of school, there is a chance to connect more with the parents... so it just connects things... community cohesion. Claire Trivino, Manager of the Children’s Mobile Library

Summer Reading Challenge

Public libraries and young people

Reading based community activism

New survey on volunteering and creative activities

• Young people want more activities: music 89%, games 88%, reading 74%

• Public libraries rated best place to go 81%

• Want to volunteer: 70% said would make them more confident

• “it will bring back community spirit”

21C reading for pleasure • Created with young people • Peer to peer promotion • Social, active, relaxed, fun • Experiential, live, contact with authors • Volunteering opportunities • Supported by parents as role models • Multi platform/ redefining reading • Multi agency

“To read is to soar, to fly to a point of vantage”