Discussion for September 2020 - Closing the Reading Gap

Thanks for joining in Michelle! It is always good to read your thoughts and ideas :)

Thanks for joining in @dawnwoods2000 it is always good to read your thoughts and ideas. It has been a tough start to September for many so it is good to see you here!

Thanks for taking the time to join in @Deborah Hogg and @KAREN HANS 😊

Definitely recommend the book but must admit feeling a little unsatisfied... incomplete... as though there is much more to know before feeling really accomplished enough to achieve “closing the reading gap” for all students. Much more to know... more reading required. 😆

@Deborah Hogg Yes, it was a very easy read which is probably why it leaves you wanting more. I was relieved at the start but soon realised that it is definitely more a starter book than a real ‘how to’ close the reading gap. As you say more reading is required 😊

@Elizabeth Yes, I would. It was easy to read, plenty of references for further research and there is lots I can use in school, particularly with working 1:1 with pupils to improve their literacy.

Biggest takeaway was probably a confirmation of what was already suspected... that explicit teaching of reading partnered with dedicated time for a wide array of opportunities to practice reading, is absolutely essential to maximise the possible outcomes for reading excellence.

There was no quick easy answer and most of the advice is what we knew already, but I still found it useful. Probably the biggest takeaway would be to focus more on reading for learning, without removing the enjoyment of reading for pleasure.

This book reflects a synthesis of a lot of other authors’ scholarship. So while the summary sections are useful, I think there is a lot of further work to do in reading more of the references resources to broaden understanding of the issues.

Great point @Deborah Hogg the reference lists are large at the end of each chapter which does give an opportunity for further reading. I agree, on reflection, this is far more useful than the ‘in short’ sections as it allows you to read wider within the specific chapters that you are interested in.

I did. I found it useful to consolidate on what had been read and the easy layout of references for further reading were useful too.

@Elizabeth My initial thought on reading through these was 'Where's the school library?' and I did feel a bit aggrieved! As has been mentioned already, this book is primarily aimed at teachers (although I would like to believe many good teachers know the importance of a school library and librarian.) I wonder if it might be worth asking Alex Quigley to amend his steps to include the library @dawnwoods2000 for future editions ?

@micwag would you mind me sharing this reply on twitter and tagging Alex Quigley in? You never know he may respond...

@Elizabeth Feel free! Please also tag me (@Libschool1) Or I can, but can't access my phone til later, as Twitter blocked in school!

@dawnwoods2000 It is difficult to achieve though isn't it! Surely it needs to have the support of the SLT and then an understanding that the school librarian should be part of the team running this. I agree a whole school reading culture is not going to become a thing from the school library alone...

@Elizabeth Yes, and I think the school librarian already uses many weapons in their arsenal to support the whole school reading culture, but it definitely needs SLT to be on board fully, not just give it lip service! And obviously, as the phrase suggests - the 'whole school'. I think the tide has definitely begun to turn with all departments beginning to see that reading (and writing) literacy is not just for 'English'. I think school librarians have played an important role in bringing departments together on cross-curricular initiatives.

@micwag I love that you see the role of the school librarian is to bring departments together through reading. The fact that the school librarian is one of the only people in school who can have a birds eye view of the whole school curriculum, is a real opportunity when it comes to something like whole school reading and is a opportunity not to be missed.

It is also the opportunity to bring different departments together for inquiry projects too. It shows that the school librarian does know what is going on across school.

We have a dedicated faculty for Learning Support and a whole school Literacy Team so there is an expectation that identifying students with reading issues will be passed on to the team.

Our year 7 and year 8 students are all regularly tested using the STAR reading test linked to the Accelerated Reader scheme. The STAR reading test provides a reading age for each student. This information is shared with appropriate members of staff such as Learning Support and the English faculty so there should be an awareness of the reading abilities of the whole year group, from those who might need additional support through to the more able. As librarian, I have been involved with organising these tests and have access to the information so I can refer to it if necessary when students ask for advice.

Similiar to @Deborah Hogg we have a LD (Learning development) dept who are line manged by our SENCO, so would refer to them and possibly speak to their English teacher too.

@Deborah Hogg Whilst I agree that all students should have access to subscription databases there are other ways to access free academic reading. Online news article, quality websites, books and even online through your local public library. Many schools that do subscribe don’t use these resources to their full advantage in my opinion and the skill of learning to read academic texts is so much more than having access to them. I would love to work with teachers helping them to find what they need and support teaching this.

@Elizabeth Absolutely - this is what a school library provides! While different school libraries have different budgets on what they can offer their students in school, they can still refer to local libraries and the wealth of free resources available to all there.

We tend to utilise our online databases (JSTOR, Phillip Allan archive etc) more with the older students and VI Form, for coursework research and HPQ/EPQ.

Lower school tend to access the non-fiction books for home learning projects - which also brings up a whole new discussion point on accessible titles from publishers. When I first started in this role, there were plenty of publishers and books for all key stages, but now there is very little for upper KS3 & 4.

@micwag I would agree it is very difficult to provide non-fiction books for KS3 and 4. There is a real gap in the market here but can understand why publishers are not prepared to put money into this area. This is where we need to be looking at what is available online but this makes getting resources into the hands of teachers and students so much harder. Showing students a book that will help them is one thing, trying to sit them down so you can show them an online tool is completely different. We do need to find a way around this as we know that if we don't advertise that these tools are available we know that they will never be used. A real conundrum...

@Stephanie Thanks for sharing the information from the TES article about 'what you read matters' I think this is particularly important when we are thinking about mental health. Knowing that comforting books help reduce stress, this will be particularly useful to recognise with students coming back to school during the Covid crisis. I am not surprised by this as it really does make sense.

I agree it is important to get the balance between reading for pleasure and reading for learning right as I think they are two different but essential aspects of reading. I believe that in order for students to be encouraged to read the harder books they do need to engage with reading in the first place. The comfort factor is definitely a good starting point.

I have never been a fan of AR. Although I do see it has its benefits I think there are better ways to encourage reading for pleasure. I think schools like it because it gives them figures and stats that are not easily obtained any other way. You won't be surprised to hear that I prefer The Reading Road Map but as many schools are tided into AR it will be very difficult for them to change and I understand that.

Whatever scheme a school is using it is important that the librarian uses their skill in understanding their stock and knowing their students to encourage reading to the level suitable for them.

@Elizabeth I don’t think we should criticise anyone’s choice of reading, whether that’s aspirational or a comfort read. Enjoyment is crucially important.

@dawnwoods2000 Yes, it goes back to reading for pleasure. I agree with what has already been said - 'Goldilocks' text are good - for the very reasons Quigley outlines, but choice is more important, perhaps. It did make me stop and consider what would be the 'Goldilocks' texts for struggling Yr 9 readers, for example - all of which is part of a librarian's day to day role.

@Elizabeth I have always agreed with this to an extent - how can you succeed in Science or Maths if you can't read the questions, and been an advocate for English arguably being the most important subject in school! Reading for learning is another matter, and it is true I think, certainly in my own case, that we've focused more on reading for pleasure. Although I do believe, those students who do read more for pleasure, tend to find reading for learning easier than those who don't. I agree, it is an area we can certainly improve and focus on.

@micwag Have you come across Alice Visser-Furay? She is an English teachers and is very interested in reading for learning. There is a lot of information on her website that might be worth checking out. https://readingforpleasureandprogress.com/author/vissersinuk/

@Elizabeth Thanks Elizabeth, I've recently followed her on Twitter, but I do not to take a more in depth look at this. (It's finding the time to fit everything in!)

@Deborah Hogg I agree! When you are an adult reader it is easy to forget about the challenges children face learning to read. I think the realisation that it was not natural was an important message in this book.

I actually enjoyed this part of the history of reading - it definitely helped me put myself in the place of a non-reader or perhaps an EAL student. There were some interesting facts and I think it might be useful to share with some struggling readers, to show it is a skill that can be learned - I will be undertaking some 1:1 later this term, and might consider using aspects of this.

@micwag It will be lovely to hear how these 1-1 sessions go Michelle and if what you learnt from this book made a difference.