Since the dawn of the internet and our ability to read on-screen, people have bemoaned its negative impact on learning. But is reading on screen any different to reading a traditional book? …
The Promise and Perils of ‘Book Gifting’
You can watch my short video on book gifting on my YouTube page, ‘Exploring Evidence in Education‘: If you cannot read, you cannot access the school curriculum and so much more beyond. …
Closing the Reading Gap: ResearchED Home
On the 22nd of May, I had the great pleasure to join the researchEd Home gang to talk ‘Closing the Reading Gap (in the time of Coronavirus)’. A couple of years ago, …
5 Recent Articles on the Reading Gap
Over the past couple of months, I was asked to write about reading given interest in my new ‘reading gap’ book. Below is a list of the articles you can access online, …
Tricky Texts and the ‘Arduous Eight’
When it comes to reading, teachers are a little like Goldilocks. When it comes to spotting difficult texts – whether it is the class reader in year 5, or a maths word …
Introducing ‘Closing the Reading Gap’
Nearly two years ago, I began researching and writing ‘Closing the Reading Gap’. After writing my book on vocabulary, I knew that reading was the natural next step. I knew that every …
Reading by the beach
Reading by the beach normally evokes glossy scenes of lying on the beach, amidst the heady scent of suncream and sea air, along with a good ol’ story. Well, this blog isn’t about such a sunny scene…
Cancel World Book Day!
As March begins, we should expect daffodils to be emerging and the warm weather of spring to be gently cooking our cockles. And yet, the reality is that we are being covered …
How could a text message transform literacy?
Just over five million adults in England are functionally illiterate, with the literacy skills equivalent to an eleven year old. Not only that, around half of the adults in prison are illiterate …
The Shape of Stories
Have you ever considered the shape of a story? Perhaps it is a tale that undulates and dips, before rising to a finish. Or it is a story that is jagged, with …