How educational technology can transform reading for pleasure
Reading for pleasure has many benefits to a child’s education, but how has educational technology transformed how we approach it? Reading development consultant and former Deputy Headteacher and Director of English, Ian Turner, discusses. Why reading for pleasure is so important. Teachers know that reading for pleasure can significantly impact a child’s education in terms of their performance in reading tests and their general well-being, vocabulary development, appreciation of other cultures, and knowledge. The implications of COVID-19 on reading for pleasure The pandemic’s wide-ranging impact on reading for pleasure is no surprise to anyone in the education sector. In 2020, the National Literacy Trust reported: • Children and young people’s levels of reading enjoyment continued to decline and were at their lowest since 2005. • Children and young people’s daily reading levels were at the lowest ever recorded, with just 25.8% of children saying they read daily in their free time in 2019. In 2021, the National Literacy Trust reported: • 1 in 2 (51.5%) children and young people said they enjoyed reading. This is slightly lower than the percentage recorded during the first spring lockdown in 2020 (55.9%) but higher than levels at the beginning of 2020. • 2 in 5 (44.6%) children and young people agreed that reading made them feel better. • ‘Reading to relax’ was one of the main reasons why children and young people were reading in early 2021, with 1 in 2 (52.7%) saying this, followed by ‘educational aspects’, namely helping to learn about new things (51.4%) and learning new words (49.8%). It is encouraging to see children and young people’s attitudes towards reading for enjoyment improve after the numerous Covid-related national lockdowns. Reflecting on the impact of the pandemic Rather than a blight on the future of a generation of children, the pandemic has led teachers and leaders to adapt and find alternative ways to inspire, engage, and accurately assess their pupils’ progress. The coronavirus outbreak highlighted the vital importance of technology for learning and as a tool to encourage reading for pleasure. As schools closed and physical books could no longer be swapped and taken home, many schools looked towards technology as a solution. Educational technology as a solution Access to texts to read online through programmes such as Reading Plus was a lifeline for schools and children during extended periods of home learning. Some of these programmes were developed in response to the pandemic, while others were already embedded as part of schools’ reading curriculum offer. And while some are designed purely to provide access to online texts, those that explicitly model best practices for reading development have enabled children to progress their reading skills, despite the closure of schools. Schools have been urged to seek technological solutions to teaching, learning and assessment. This ensures a smooth transition between year groups and key stages so children can continue developing age-appropriate skills. Thanks to teaching ingenuity and technology, the vulnerable and the most disadvantaged now have more opportunities. In addition, some children have perhaps read more during home-schooling than the traditional route. And while many children may not have a physical book in their house, being given hardware and software by their school has given them access to hundreds of online texts that are age-appropriate, ability levelled, and that provide direct and explicit instruction to improve their vocabulary, comprehension and fluency. Technology does not replace a book, the same way it does not replace teaching, but it can unlock the skills children need to read with metacognition. The impact of reading for pleasure A child who does not enjoy reading is less likely to read. A child who doesn’t read is less likely to develop reading efficiency, will not be exposed to a wide range of vocabulary, and is less likely to develop strong comprehension skills. These pupils are more likely to find reading difficult, lose their confidence in their reading ability, become further disengaged with reading, and lose confidence in their reading ability. How then do you teach a child to enjoy reading? To do that, you need to remove the obstacles that prevent reading from being a pleasurable experience. The obstacle of inefficient readers with low fluency To encourage reading for pleasure, we need to develop reading competence. Understanding why inefficient readers are so is a good place to start. Inefficient readers expend energy and attention simply trying to read the text, diverting attention from the critical step of information processing and understanding. As a result, inefficient readers may struggle with both comprehension and motivation to read – reading is slow and laborious, and their reading level is well below age-related expectations. Slow readers also read less and take in less information, which further sets them back. As with any activity, the more pupils read, the better they are at it. By making the act of reading more fluent, working memory is freed up to take in the meaning of the text. Weaker readers need well-structured, adaptive, and personalised reading interventions. The importance of automaticity in reading for pleasure One factor that distinguishes more successful readers from their less able peers is automaticity. That is, the ability to navigate lines of text, decode common words, and construct meaning from text without having to devote a great deal of conscious effort or attention to the process of reading. Automaticity develops from reading practice and the development of efficient, silent reading habits. With practice, word decoding speed increases, sight vocabulary expands, and word recognition becomes increasingly automatic. At some point, given sufficient exposure to appropriately levelled texts, an adequate percentage of words in a text will be sight words. According to prevailing theories, cognitive resources formerly required for word decoding can be redirected toward processes that support comprehension. How reading technologies can instil a lifelong love of reading The motivation to read and continue to read comes from curiosity about the text, knowing what you are successful at and the associated sense of achievement – and knowing what to do to
Go Sketch art teacher asks ‘Is talent a myth?’
Emma Shannon from Go Sketch Club teaches art to children and adults and aims to develop young artists into self confident, imaginative and creative thinking adults of tomorrow. In this guest blog she explores the notion of talent and why many children are unfairly turned off art at a young age. Is talent a myth? As a young child, many of us would have easily picked up a crayon and started drawing with a sense of freedom and exploration. I remember vividly that feeling of excitement when I opened my sketchbook on a long train journey with my family or started painting with a new set of paints. When I became a primary school teacher, I enjoyed seeing this same joy when children were given the opportunity to draw or create a clay sculpture in class. However, for many, this sense of joy and abandon when creating art does not last. As we get older, many adults leave this pastime behind them. Drawing becomes something that children do with ease and adults do with caution. As an art teacher I have noticed that there is a sense of judgement that starts from about age 8 or 9 and grows into adulthood. Instead of being present in the moment while creating, we start thinking “Is this a good or a bad drawing?”. We look around at our classmates and we start comparing our drawing to others. As a teacher, I began to wonder what causes this shift in attitude from “I can draw” to “I can’t draw”. Is there anything I can do as a teacher to stop this transition? Around the time I set up Go Sketch Art Classes, I started listening more to what children, parents and other teachers started expressing around art education and one word kept popping up again and again. The word was ‘talent’. I would hear it in class when children would ask the ‘talented’ child to help them draw something. I would hear it in other teachers who would sometimes openly pick out a child as having talent in front of the other students. I would hear it in some of the art birthday parties I taught, when parents would come up to me and say (in front of the children), “James is the talented one in this group”. I would also hear about people not having this ‘talent’, especially when parents dropped off their children at one of our Go Sketch art classes. They would often say “I’m not creative or talented in art so I don’t know where my child gets it from!”. So what is this elusive ‘talent’ people keep talking about? Talent is defined as an ‘innate ability in a particular field’. Innate is defined as existing naturally rather than being learned through experience. Talent becomes a magical quality that you are either born with or not. In some ways, this can make the person with the ‘talent’ feel very special and what is the harm in that? It is a great feeling when someone sees something special in you and celebrates it. I suppose the downside to this belief in ‘talent’ for the ‘talented child’ is that it is lot to live up to and can cause problems if the said ‘talented’ child draws something they don’t like. I have seen this in action, where the ‘talented’ child is incredibly hard on themselves and sometimes stops trying to advance their drawing in the fear that they will draw something ‘not good’ and lose the magical label of ‘talented’. I believe this idea of talent can also be a factor in the shift from children thinking they can draw to suddenly and heartbreakingly believing that they can’t. If you believe in talent as an innate ability then art is simply a door that is open to the chosen few and the moment you draw something you don’t like, that door is slammed shut as proof that you do not have this magical quality within you. Drawing and painting becomes a cautious activity that people tiptoe around or avoid altogether. In the same way that someone seeing something special in you feels great, realising that you could be lacking in that special ability can feel horrible. So do I believe talent is a myth? In a word, yes, but I feel I need to explain this further. In my experience of teaching art over the years, to both children and adults, I have noticed a few things. The first thing is that people who are said to possess this ‘talent’ for art are very often the same people who have a deep passion for drawing, painting and creating. It is this passion that drives them to create art most days, filling sketchbooks and studios with their creations. Is it not this drive and hard work that results in artwork that they are proud of rather than an ability they were born with? I would say celebrating their effort and passion for their craft means more than simply saying that they were born with that ability. Secondly, if you ask any artist if they draw, paint or create something they don’t like sometimes, the answer is always yes! The creative process relies on people being able to experiment, try out new ideas and take risks. Therefore, it makes sense that the results of this exploration will sometimes create artwork the artist is happy with and sometimes create results that they are not happy with. But creating something you don’t like is just the beginning! We need to teach children to think like artists and keep shifting and changing their work until they get to the desired result rather than just stopping in their tracks. Finally, ‘talent’ relies on the belief that there is a desired standard of art to be reached. That a piece of art is either good or bad. As many children and adults will know, if they come to our art classes online or in person, I start every
Arts On The Move loves making a drama out of practically anything
Why Drama? A recent article in the Guardian newspaper supported the brilliant actor, Mark Rylance, in his assertion that there needs to be better drama and theatre provision in state schools. Timetables don’t always allow for discrete drama lessons but simple process drama sessions, activities, games and methods can be effective in even the smallest amount of allocated time. As the article says: ‘Drama enables children to explore issues of global concern, to develop new perspectives and acquire essential communication skills. Drama is a social art form that is informed by the interests of the participants. It is a collaborative learning experience that is sadly missing from the curriculum of many schools. It has been evident for many years that youngsters thrive in schools where drama is accessible to all.’ Drama As Development As educators we seek to develop children who are inquisitive learners, with creative minds that are ready to bring forth the ideas of the future. We want to enable children to reach their full potential, to help them to understand how to respect themselves and others; we want to encourage children to go out into the world with confidence and self-awareness, with empathy, with the ability to listen, to communicate effectively, to work in a team, to be curious, to evaluate situations and constantly reassess, to shine. Drama develops all of these. Drama In The Classroom Drama – and its co-conspirator, theatre – is the perfect subject for helping children to make sense of their world, especially in these troubling times. But not all drama lessons need to be taught by a specialist teacher. Simple drama strategies and methods can be employed as a learning tool for any lesson: • hotseating characters from a story, poem or period in history; • pair improvisations to explore different points of view; • forum theatre to look at actions and consequences; • role on the wall for in-depth character work; • conscience alley for investigating choices and behaviour …the list of possibilities is endless. The Impact of Drama Every drama experience will have an impact. Not all children enjoy drama, it’s true – and why should they, not all adults enjoy it either – but it will still have that impact. The confidence gained from learning to work collaboratively, speaking up for the first time, making eye contact, learning about your world, understanding issues, being able to assess your own and others’ work, feeling able to control your behaviour or responses, being heard and acknowledged, is invaluable. Drama is also the best form of shared experience in a safe environment – and that’s something that no other subject can offer. What Arts On The Move Offers You Arts On The Move provides a wide range of drama teaching materials, from stand-alone lesson plans to full projects, starter packs and assessment reports, plus a variety of stage scripts to develop performance and presentation skills. The website also offers a huge amount of free information, resources and advice, and the company is always ready to answer any questions you may have – and to provide invaluable support. You don’t need experience or even specialist knowledge to start offering drama in your school. Just visit www.artsonthemove.co.uk to see how drama in education works at KS1, KS2 and KS3, grab yourself a pack or two, and have a go! Visit www.artsonthemove.co.uk for all your drama needs. Call 0161 881 0868 Email info@artsonthemove.co.uk
Aquaswitch providing Green water supplies for schools
The government recognises the education sector has a massive role in driving the country toward a net-zero future. Decarbonisation activities in schools and colleges can provide powerful learning opportunities. Adopting green energy initiatives is a common way schools are helping to improve the environment. Let’s look at another step schools can take in adopting a green water supply. What’s not green about a mains water supply? The supply of water to schools is highly carbon-intensive for two reasons: Water treatment – British water treatment plants process 10 billion litres of wastewater each year, emitting over 2 million tonnes of greenhouse gases. Pumping water – Pumping water from reservoirs to the water users uses lots of energy. What sustainable water options are available? Here are the most common sustainable water options that schools could take advantage of: Rainwater harvesting – Collecting and storing rainwater landing on your school buildings. Collected rainwater can be used directly in non-human processes such as sprinkler systems. Borehole water supplies – Pumping the pure water found in underground streams beneath your school up to the surface to be used as an alternative to the mains water supply. Greywater systems – Recycling and treating relatively clean wastewater produced by devices such as washing machines. The locally treated greywater is safe to use in flushing toilets or sprinkler systems. These options are great but require an upfront investment in time and money. There is also a quicker fix. Business water suppliers are now offering green water tariffs. In a green water tariff, the carbon emissions caused by your mains water supply are offset through investment in negative carbon projects such as planting forests. What about carbon emissions from energy supplies? Renewable energy technology is improving, and the green energy rates are getting ever cheaper. See if your school can benefit from a green energy tariff with a business energy comparison tool.
Why use outdoor furniture made from recycled plastic?
The key reasons why plastic waste is so bad for wildlife and the environment are also some of the key reasons why recycled plastic is increasingly becoming the manufacturing material of choice for so many organisations who need to provide outdoor furniture. It’s perfect – the products last longer, do not rot, are resistant to insect infestation, are often stronger, more difficult to deface & vandalise, are usually heavier and are almost totally maintenance free. And, as an added bonus (following wet weather conditions), they can be easily wiped down and used straight away. Most importantly, the use of recycled plastic also reduces demand on the world’s natural resources and the need to grow, harvest or extract new raw materials. About KBS Depot Ltd KBS Depot Ltd is a family run business offering an extensive range of high quality outdoor street and park furniture solutions. We work closely with many of the UK’s leading manufacturers, wholesalers and suppliers to bring you the broadest possible choice of products, made from high quality materials, including Steel, Wood, Aluminium, Polypropylene and Recycled Plastic (see below). Bulk Buying? – We offer very competitive pricing on bulk purchases. Our multiple-purchase discount prices are detailed against each product on our website. Credit terms? We offer 30-day credit terms to all Public Sector bodies (Councils, Schools, Universities etc.) Need a quote? Quotes are available on request from our friendly sales team! – We’re here to help, so if you’re in any doubt about your requirements, please don’t hesitate to contact one of our team for advice. If we don’t know the answer to your query, we will always try and find out for you. Our full range can be found on our website at http://www.kbsdepot.com which is regularly updated with important Information on pricing and lead times.
Medpac celebrates ten years of supplying emergency medicine bags
Medpac are practical bags specifically designed for carrying and storing prescription and emergency medicine in school, complete with photo identification. They are ideal for asthma inhalers, Epipens, epilepsy and diabetic medication and more. Medpac is the brainchild of Jayne Tarrant, a mum who saw a need for such a product when her own daughter was diagnosed with a condition that required her to carry emergency medicine with her at all times. Not able to find a product to fulfil the need, Jayne set about designing and sourcing a product that would work in many situations. Jayne says: “When I sat down at my kitchen table all those years ago and came up with the concept of a Medpac as a safe way for my then young daughter to store and carry her emergency medicine, I could never have dreamt that 10 years later it would be a thriving business supplying Medpacs worldwide.” Each Medpac is insulated and comes complete with a Medpac Photo ID and a Medpac Treatment Card to include clear instructions on how to use the medication. In summary Medpac is designed to store medicines safely and efficiently, easily identify correct medicine for correct child, save vital time in an emergency, help older children to carry own medication and display expiry dates to save time for staff Ideal for use in school, on school trips, after school clubs, swimming lessons and school transport. To discover more about this innovative range of products visit www.medpac.co.uk and see how Medpac could change the way you store the medicines in your school. There is no minimum order value, order online at www.medpac.co.uk or download an order form if you would prefer to receive an invoice, we also offer a 5% discount on orders over £200. Web: www.medpac.co.uk
History brought to life at The London Bridge Experience
Step down in to the vaults of the original London Bridge with The London Bridge Experience, an immersive walk-through experience featuring live actors who will take you on a journey to relive and meet all the characters from the past 2,000 years of its history. Travelling back in time to an age of adventure, guests will uncover the dark secrets that lie beneath the world’s most famous and haunted Bridge. Moving through the experience you will encounter some of London Bridge’s gruesome characters from its past including William Wallace and Jack the Ripper and hear the tales from the Great Fire of London and join Queen Boudica and the Iceni tribe to take over Londinium. Then for those brave enough; laugh, scream and jump whilst going through the UK’s best scare attraction or for an alternative the class could join our fun headmaster for a further history lesson on London Bridge and the secrets it holds. It’s funny, historical and educational, making learning easy. Because of this the London Bridge Experience welcomes many educational groups every year and is an invaluable lesson in history covering a number of curriculum topics. Join us for a multi-sensory experience, you will see, hear and even smell what London Bridge was really like through its 2,000-year history. This really will be an unforgettable school trip and memorable lesson we can offer students hot food and beverages at our in-house restaurant. To book your school trip contact sales@tlbe.co.uk or telephone 0207 403 6333 Web: https://www.thelondonbridgeexperience.com
Are you integrating PSHE and emotional wellbeing across your curriculum?
Be Ofsted ready with ZunTold publications and teaching guides. Available from Peters and other leading educational distributors. Face in the Mirror – A teaching manual to support students’ mental health, was published by ZunTold, a specialist publisher of texts supporting mental health and the PSHE curriculum. It contains 54 poems, collated around 11 themes of wellbeing, detailed commentaries and curriculum specific lesson plans. Accompanying the teaching manual is a students’ guide. At 410 pages, the teaching manual retails for £60 but with discounts to schools available and with cross-curricular approach, it is an excellent investment for the English and PSHE department. Written by Judy Morris, who taught as a classroom teacher for over twenty-five years before she became a headteacher, Judy’s experience includes specialisms in English, special educational needs and disability (SEND), and personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE). Judy explains, ‘Poetry is an ideal form for developing speaking & listening skills and can be taught as part of the key reading, writing and speaking and listening areas of language development. But its effect and educative value are not limited to language development. Poetry can have a positive impact on the social and emotional learning of young people, and can provide them with a healthy outlet for their emotions as well as a means of accessing and understanding those feelings.’ Judy Morris has written a unique teaching guide, intended to help young people to explore issues associated with mental health, wellbeing and relationships. The lesson plans provide opportunities for young people to talk about worries and concerns, to see their connections with others and with the world around them, and to empathise with others. The aim is to move away from stigmatising mental health problems, a state of affairs that still persists in society, and to be able to talk about mental health and wellbeing issues in a normalised, accepting and supportive forum. Judy Morris is available for teacher training workshops and student workshops – topics such as how to integrate pupil wellbeing into an already busy curriculum, or Plugging the Covid gap; restoring fluency through poetry and many others. We would be happy to send schools a detailed guide of what is available for schools and the publisher is happy to take direct orders for the Teachers’ Guide and students text books. Please contact elaine@zuntold.com or call 07974 190136
The Safeguarding Community: For Everyone, Everywhere Involved in Safeguarding
The Safeguarding Company’s Head of Community Relations, Vikkey Chaffe, explains why she created The Safeguarding Community and the impact it will have for all those involved in safeguarding. Why is there such a need for our “Safeguarders” to connect with each other? Working in safeguarding can involve harrowing cases, demanding situations, challenging conversations, and upsetting circumstances. Many Safeguarding leads deal with this alone. We sometimes need a safe space where we can support each other, learn from each other, share our experiences and talk to people who are dealing with the same situations. What will the Community look like? We have invested in a particular platform to host our community, rather than a free social media platform. We have done this to ensure our community is secure and will allow us to make sure the community has been created to meet the needs of our “Safeguarders”. We will monitor the community and have ground rules so that everyone feels supportive and respected. What are some of the features of the Safeguarding Community? We will have three different rooms for different needs. Our Staff Room: where everyone can ask broad questions and share resources. Our International Room specifically for international safeguarding queries and our Safe Room, with anonymous posting for issues too sensitive and confidential to go in the ‘Staff Room’. Will people need to pay to join this community? This community is free and open to everyone involved in safeguarding. We believe that giving you a safe place to communicate will make a significant difference to your wellbeing. There will be free resources and blogs but above all, the ability to connect with others involved in safeguarding. Join the community and connect with others involved in safeguarding who understand how challenging safeguarding can be. The Safeguarding Company Contact Details Telephone: (+44) 0330 6600 757 Email: info@thesafeguardingcompany.com Web: https://www.thesafeguardingcompany.com