How you can apply your learning from the Teachers’ Reading Challenge into your classroom or library
The Teachers’ Reading Challenge is open to any education or library professional who wants to expand their knowledge of children’s books and develop their understanding of reading for pleasure pedagogy. We call those people Reading Teachers, and they include:
- Primary, Secondary and Special School Teachers
- School and Public Librarians
- Headteachers/ Acting Headteachers/ Deputy Headteachers
- English Consultants
- Learning Support Assistants (LSAs)/ Higher Level Teaching Assistants (HLTAs)
- Curriculum Leaders
- Student Teachers
- University lecturers working with schools and teachers
- Heads of Pastoral Care
- Language Teachers
Whilst it is called the Teachers’ Reading Challenge, the Challenge is for all teachers, librarians and education staff, including trainees. Here are just some of the ways the Teachers’ Reading Challenge can support your professional development, and how you can use it to grow a love for reading for pleasure with the children and young people you work with:
- Student teachers will be able to enrich their repertoire, drawing from the diverse recommendations of other teachers and librarians, and will be able to use their new knowledge to support Reading for Pleasure pedagogy in their future work and make recommendations to individual children.
- Librarians will be able to use their increased knowledge of children’s literature to recommend books to budding readers in their libraries, as well as support staff or parents to find books.
- Teaching assistants may find titles that could be shared with small groups to discuss further and explore new topics or themes.
- Secondary school teachers will be able to expand their reading repertoire and promote wider reading with their students through informal book talk as they transition into secondary school – with 1 in 2 young people reportedly not reading for pleasure when they reach secondary school.
- Primary school teachers will be able to extend their knowledge of texts for children to better tailor recommendations for individuals in their classrooms and promote Reading for Pleasure through reading aloud.
- Returning participants will be able to build on what they have learnt from past Challenges and find new ways to use Reading for Pleasure pedagogy in their work.
You can find other examples of learning put into practice on the Reading for Pleasure Pedagogy page or on The Open University Reading for Pleasure website, where you can sign up for their monthly newsletter.