Choice and Voice: Honouring Readers' Rights - Rooted in Reading at the Doncaster Conference
- steve246253
- Apr 8
- 3 min read
Participating in the OU Reading for Pleasure conference in Doncaster recently was a great experience. The conference was a dynamic gathering, filled with shared enthusiasm for instilling a love for reading among students. Educators from both primary and secondary sectors engaged in discussions about transformative strategies that promote reading for pleasure. The Rooted in Reading stand provided a practical programme and resources to support this wonderful aim. Teresa Cremin started off the day with her typical verve, leading by example, sharing the touching story, My Beautiful Voice by Joseph Coelho.
The Rooted in Reading stand was a colourful hub, showcasing the full range of reading passports designed to meet the needs of the full school age range. Every interaction brought new insights and shared experiences, reflecting a collective commitment to fostering a reading culture in schools. The passion for literature resonated throughout the event, emphasizing the importance of building a lifelong love for reading.
The Heart of Reading for Pleasure
Reading for pleasure is not just an enjoyable activity; it is crucial for developing literacy and comprehension skills in students. This personal connection with literature allows students to immerse themselves in imaginative stories, enhancing critical thinking and creativity. It boosts empathy for others and, according to international research, correlates more closely with a child's future academic performance than their parental academic attainments does.
Connecting with Colleagues
Engaging with educators across different levels provided a unique opportunity to exchange best practices and learn from one another's experiences. Conversations focused on challenges in promoting reading for pleasure, such as capturing the interest of reluctant readers and integrating a variety of genres into the curriculum. Many teachers shared success stories of transforming their classrooms into welcoming reading environments.
Rooted in Reading: A Transformative Approach
The Rooted in Reading programme stands out for its alignment with reading for pleasure. It equips educators with structured, well-designed resources while allowing room for pupil-creativity in implementation. By applying these ideas, educators can create a vibrant reading culture that fosters enthusiasm and curiosity about literature within their schools.
The Power of Diversity in Literature
A key topic of discussion at the conference was the importance of diverse literature and this is embedded in the ethos of Rooted in Reading. Diversity is a particular focus on the My Reading World passport, which encourages pupils to read and think about fiction and non-fiction texts from all regions of the world. Research shows that students exposed to diverse literature are more likely to develop empathy and cross-cultural understanding.
At just 40p each when bought in packs of 100, these passports present a really cost-effective way to inject high levels of diversity and independence into your pupils' reading diet. Explore the full Rooted in Reading range here https://www.swillshawconsulting.co.uk/books
It was great to meet a wide range of educators at the Conference - I hope we can continue our conversations about Rooted in Reading at one of the monthly Rooted in Reading information meetings that I will be recording from April to July.
An engaging keynote from Sufiya Ahmed provided an uplifting way to end the Conference. Her story of her early life in politics and then her transition into writing was inspirational. Many thanks to Debbie Thomas for organising the event and to Willow Primary School, Bessacarr for hosting it.
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