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Rosen heads industry reading campaign
07.06.09 | Caroline Horn
Children's publishers, authors, retailers, librarians and reading organisations will meet next week in an unprecedented show of solidarity to back a new children's reading campaign called Just Read.
The campaign, which is spearheaded by the PA and Society of Authors' children's groups, will explore how the industry can support schools in encouraging children to read more in both volume and variety.
Children's Laureate Michael Rosen said: "I think we are in desperate need of a national policy on reading. At the moment we have policies on ‘literacy' and ‘learning to read' and there's an assumption that reading can look after itself. It can't. Children who come from homes where reading books is encouraged read books. Most of the children who come from homes where that isn't taking place aren't brought into daily contact with the excitement of books."
The idea for an industry-wide campaign was sparked by a meeting last autumn between children's publishers and authors to explore how they could work together to promote reading. Celia Rees, chair of CWIG (Children's Writers & Illustrator's Group of the Society of Authors) said: "We all believe passionately that children should read more and the way to do that seems to be through schools. This meeting will get people together in one place, at the same time, to discuss how we can get schools excited about reading."
The campaign is taking as its starting point a BBC4 programme, aired in the spring, in which Rosen encouraged a primary school to adopt certain strategies to become a "reading school". The programme explored 20 key activities suggested by the poet, including inviting local bookshops to support author events, visiting libraries and running book clubs for teachers, parents and children. His approach was shown to work.
Next week representatives from a range of industry organisations will debate how they can support Rosen's 20 "action points". Elaine McQuade, chair of the PA's childrens' group, said: "We will use the programme to launch a discussion, with the industry and with teachers, about how best we can support schools in becoming reading schools."
Rosen added: "We need to combine the efforts and ideas of all the agencies acting on behalf of reading."
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This is a cause so dear to my heart. I was a school teacher before turning to full-time writing and I know how hard it is to enthuse teachers about reading. Which sounds shocking to anyone outside teaching. But it's a very stressful job with so many demands on your time and energy. The sad thing is so many teachers don't read children's books themselves and have no idea what to recommend. You need a detailed knowledge of what there is in order to match child to book effectively. Also the teaching of literacy and cramming of the National Curriculum mean there's no longer time for that vital activity - the teacher reading a book to the class. This is such a valuable thing but has sadly got pushed out. All three of my grown up sons still remember books their teachers read aloud to them. My ex-pupils keep in touch on Facebook and say how they remember books I read to them and how inspirational they found it (must be the dodgy accents I used to put on!). It would be really helpful if teachers could be encouraged to read aloud again, expand their own knowledge of children's books and be given the time to explore what's available. Any initiative such as author visits, dress as a book-character days, book fairs, swap-a-book stalls, special assemblies focussing on books, etc are all helpful too. Each school should have a "Lead Reader" amongst their staff to co-ordinate this. Michael Rosen is so right - the reading campaign has to start at school, and it has to start with each individual teacher.
Kit Berry is so right. Teachers who don't read children's books are missing such treats, and recommending the right book for the right pupil could be the most important part of their job.
Kit, a "Lead Reader" already exists in many schools and should certainly be employed in all - these amazing people who know children's literature and can match the child with the right book are called.... librarians!
Why not campaign to have a professional librarian in every school (at the very least every secondary). A library is just a room of books (or maybe these days very few books) without a librarian. We are the people who could work with teachers to raise reading standards across the UK. It should not be about teachers working on their own, but a collaborative effort of teachers, librarians and parents - that would do more to raise achievement for students than any ICT initiative you care to mention.
Yes, librarians use and teach ICT to students and sometimes staff too - but that is another issue!
I believe this is one of the aims of the Campaign for the Book? So why have the Industry 'insiders' for whom profit is a motive, seen fit to set up a potentially divisive and rival campaign backed with more money than the Campaign for the Book could ever hope for, rather than join forces and support the groundswell of support that the Campaign has? This makes me highly suspicious although the cause itself is one I fully and wholeheartedly support.
Great! Support this good initiative and on behalf of The People's Book Prize we hope we can be included.
Tatiana Wilson
It is also desperately important that we start putting books back in public libraries, not just those one would identify as 'childrens' books' but also the ones that we read during our adolescence and early adulthood. The removal of bookishness at the heart of the public library service has, for such a long time, created the impression that we don't think reading is an important part of life. This should not just be about schools. But it is good to see and I congratulate Michael Rosen on his work
Michael spoke in Sheffield recently to a group of teachers and librarians. He acknowledged the need for a librarian in every school. Librarians love books and know children's literature inside out. They meet and enthuse children with books every day of the week. They know how to 'push' a child to the right book. Librarians in every school working closely with teachers is the way forward.
Sorry, I meant Anne's pro-librarian comment. I think I assumed it was Sheila's since so many librarians are called Sheila.
As a librarian myself, I agree with Sheila that many schools already have an under-used resource in their librarian, who is precisely the person to encourage reading - or rather, let's call it autonomous learning, since that's the goal, really, not just the rather functional / consumerist "reading" of any old books!
I would add a touch of realism too, noting as Rosen does above that its really families that give us our fundamental attitudes towards learning. I was a big user of my school library mainly because my parents were teachers and showed me how to appreciate books.
We expect miracles of our schools but really they can't replace a popular mentality of respect for scholarship (switch on the TV and point to this if you can!) and the total engagement of parents in their children's education.
My school (a "lapsed grammar") was simply throwing out its entire collection of German literature and drama and I took it home and read it!
Sadly our popular culture doesn't really encourage serious reading among adults (sorry, Waterstone's bestsellers are not enough) and hence it's only generally middle-class, public school children who will get even the chance of a genuine enculturation.
michaelhopwood.wordpress.com
I absolutely agree that literacy is not the same as reading and it's good to see that libraries have been included in the mix as they are a vital resource for parents and children who may not have the money or knowledge to access all of the wonderful books that are available. Thurrock Library Service already offers a reading group for adults who want to find out more about books for children and local teachers are keen participants.
This is a cause so dear to my heart. I was a school teacher before turning to full-time writing and I know how hard it is to enthuse teachers about reading. Which sounds shocking to anyone outside teaching. But it's a very stressful job with so many demands on your time and energy. The sad thing is so many teachers don't read children's books themselves and have no idea what to recommend. You need a detailed knowledge of what there is in order to match child to book effectively. Also the teaching of literacy and cramming of the National Curriculum mean there's no longer time for that vital activity - the teacher reading a book to the class. This is such a valuable thing but has sadly got pushed out. All three of my grown up sons still remember books their teachers read aloud to them. My ex-pupils keep in touch on Facebook and say how they remember books I read to them and how inspirational they found it (must be the dodgy accents I used to put on!). It would be really helpful if teachers could be encouraged to read aloud again, expand their own knowledge of children's books and be given the time to explore what's available. Any initiative such as author visits, dress as a book-character days, book fairs, swap-a-book stalls, special assemblies focussing on books, etc are all helpful too. Each school should have a "Lead Reader" amongst their staff to co-ordinate this. Michael Rosen is so right - the reading campaign has to start at school, and it has to start with each individual teacher.
Kit Berry is so right. Teachers who don't read children's books are missing such treats, and recommending the right book for the right pupil could be the most important part of their job.
Kit, a "Lead Reader" already exists in many schools and should certainly be employed in all - these amazing people who know children's literature and can match the child with the right book are called.... librarians!
Why not campaign to have a professional librarian in every school (at the very least every secondary). A library is just a room of books (or maybe these days very few books) without a librarian. We are the people who could work with teachers to raise reading standards across the UK. It should not be about teachers working on their own, but a collaborative effort of teachers, librarians and parents - that would do more to raise achievement for students than any ICT initiative you care to mention.
Yes, librarians use and teach ICT to students and sometimes staff too - but that is another issue!
I believe this is one of the aims of the Campaign for the Book? So why have the Industry 'insiders' for whom profit is a motive, seen fit to set up a potentially divisive and rival campaign backed with more money than the Campaign for the Book could ever hope for, rather than join forces and support the groundswell of support that the Campaign has? This makes me highly suspicious although the cause itself is one I fully and wholeheartedly support.
Great! Support this good initiative and on behalf of The People's Book Prize we hope we can be included.
Tatiana Wilson
As a librarian myself, I agree with Sheila that many schools already have an under-used resource in their librarian, who is precisely the person to encourage reading - or rather, let's call it autonomous learning, since that's the goal, really, not just the rather functional / consumerist "reading" of any old books!
I would add a touch of realism too, noting as Rosen does above that its really families that give us our fundamental attitudes towards learning. I was a big user of my school library mainly because my parents were teachers and showed me how to appreciate books.
We expect miracles of our schools but really they can't replace a popular mentality of respect for scholarship (switch on the TV and point to this if you can!) and the total engagement of parents in their children's education.
My school (a "lapsed grammar") was simply throwing out its entire collection of German literature and drama and I took it home and read it!
Sadly our popular culture doesn't really encourage serious reading among adults (sorry, Waterstone's bestsellers are not enough) and hence it's only generally middle-class, public school children who will get even the chance of a genuine enculturation.
michaelhopwood.wordpress.com
Sorry, I meant Anne's pro-librarian comment. I think I assumed it was Sheila's since so many librarians are called Sheila.
Michael spoke in Sheffield recently to a group of teachers and librarians. He acknowledged the need for a librarian in every school. Librarians love books and know children's literature inside out. They meet and enthuse children with books every day of the week. They know how to 'push' a child to the right book. Librarians in every school working closely with teachers is the way forward.
It is also desperately important that we start putting books back in public libraries, not just those one would identify as 'childrens' books' but also the ones that we read during our adolescence and early adulthood. The removal of bookishness at the heart of the public library service has, for such a long time, created the impression that we don't think reading is an important part of life. This should not just be about schools. But it is good to see and I congratulate Michael Rosen on his work
I absolutely agree that literacy is not the same as reading and it's good to see that libraries have been included in the mix as they are a vital resource for parents and children who may not have the money or knowledge to access all of the wonderful books that are available. Thurrock Library Service already offers a reading group for adults who want to find out more about books for children and local teachers are keen participants.