TheU UnitedK KingdomL LiteracyA Association Everyone can be news a writer. An agenda for action SPRING 2010 In the autumn edition of Literacy News I argued for UKLA to formulate a straightforward, succinct and under- The President’s Message - standable statement of what should be the basis for developing literacy David Reedy education in the 21st Century. The Executive and National Committees of Moving forward together UKLA is growing. Get involved! the Association have been discussing what ought to be included and a draft How heartening it is to be able to write Whether you have just joined or have ‘Agenda for Action’ has been produced. that in these straightened times. Our been with us for a while, we can only This will now be included in the next membership significantly increased continue to grow in size and influence issue of ‘English 4-11’ and uploaded during 2009. It means that in excess of if members get involved in the associ- onto the website soon. Please read, 25% of our members have joined over ation’s activities. There are many ways discuss and feedback your comments the last 6 months or so and are in which you can do so. Here are some: so that it can truly represent the broad committed to our overarching objective • Come to our vibrant and view of our membership to feed into of the advancement of education in inspirational conferences. The next the ongoing discussions with policy literacy. Welcome to you all and a big national conference is at the British makers over the coming months. thank you to old friends who are Library in London on March 30th still with us! (see below for details). UKLA News A good proportion of our new members • Contact your Regional Representative We hope you like the newly designed are lead teachers who are part of and find out what is happening in UKLA News which we hope reflects England’s Every Child a Writer (ECaW) your area and how you can help to the Association’s active contribution initiative, led by the Primary National organise activity and events in the to literacy education. This edition will Strategy. UKLA is very keen to support region (visit the UKLA website to also, for the first time, be available and involve these classroom teachers find out who your representative is). on-line. Developing an on-line edition and so we have set up a Task Group, of UKLA News is part of the Association’s • Instigate or join one of the special convened by Marilyn Mottram, Vice plan for sustainability. Members will interest groups (SIGs) or volunteer President, in order to do so. If you go continue to receive the newsletter in to be on a committee. to the UKLA website (www.UKLA.org) the post but if you’d prefer only to have you will find some downloadable • Submit a research proposal and the on-line version, please contact materials which all class teachers share your insights at one of Brenda Eastwood on [email protected] should find useful. If you are an ECaW our conferences. giving her your email address. leading teacher, I am sure Marilyn and • Visit the website and contribute the task group would love to hear I wish you a productive year and ideas and questions to the from you about what you have been look forward to meeting and hearing discussions and forums there. doing and how UKLA could support from as many of you as possible you further. during 2010. Your UKLA Membership Welcome to all new members, The National Association for the Teaching of English - Eastern Region including all those who have joined and The United Kingdom Literacy Association - Eastern Region through ECaW and the Hampshire teachers, schools and consultants Pleasure & Progress in Speaking & Listening involved in the 2010 UKLA Children’s A conference for teachers of English, Drama and Media Book Award. Primary to Post-16 Saturday Morning Conference - 13th March 2010, 9.00 - 13.00 Free raffle for all members University of Cambridge Faculty of Education who pay by direct debit! Donald McIntyre Building, 184 Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 8PQ We are delighted that many of our http://www.educ.cam.ac.uk/about/reachus/maps/campus.html members choose to pay by direct Opening keynote address David Reedy debit. In order to say thank you we Effective Talk for Learning: Lessons from research applied to practice offer a FREE RAFFLE each year at the International Conference for all direct David’s talk will focus on what seem to be the key issues identified through debit members. The prize is over £100 recent research which develop classrooms where talk most powerfully leads to of recently published children’s books. changes in pupils' thinking. He will explore practical examples of classroom The next raffle will be discourse and the implications for continuing professional development. in Winchester 9-11 July 2010. Workshops Jackie Woodward: Filming Shakespeare on Location CHANGE now to DIRECT DEBIT Sarah Izzard: Speak, Listen, Dance, Write in order to be entered Richard Spencer and Anthony Partington: Lend Me Your Ears for the raffle! Simon Wrigley: Talk for Learning Just contact Closing keynote address Kevin Crossley-Holland Brenda Eastwood Never Mind the Story! at [email protected] Kevin is renowned for his retellings of traditional tales as well as being a don’t worry if you don’t know your leading children's author and poet. He was shortlisted in 2009 for the membership number - position of Children's Laureate. we can find it! NATE/UKLA members £25 • Non-members £30 • NQTs £20 • Trainees £10 Choice and Voice: Reading and Writing for Pleasure and Independence The British Library, Tuesday March 30th 2010 This exciting and inspirational conference focuses on the significance of children reading and writing for pleasure & independence. It explores ways to motivate, engage and foster both choice and voice in the early years and in primary classrooms. UKLA are delighted to be hosting this conference in the fabulous surroundings of the British Library, near St. Pancras, a fitting venue for a conference dedicated to developing young people’s desire, interest and independence as both readers and writers. Target audience: Teachers (F-KS2) lecturers, advisers and consultants. Speakers include: Richard Andrews, London Institute of Education Teresa Cremin, Open University Popular children’s author, Alan Gibbons This professional development opportunity will enable participants to: • profile reading and writing for pleasure in school - the will alongside the skill • examine ways to build communities of readers and writers • engage with classroom activities that promote independence and choice • browse and buy books from a specialist children’s and UKLA bookshop Conference fee: Non-UKLA members £125 • UKLA members £100 • Students and unwaged £60 For more information and to apply please contact [email protected] or visit www.ukla.org.uk News from UKLA Special Interest Groups Children’s Books in Initial Teacher Education SIG Some UKLA teachers tried the following ideas: Following the lively inaugural session of the Children’s Books in ITE group at the International Conference in Greenwich, a questionnaire about what is happening on “I explained that readers always imagine education courses around the UK was completed. The characters, places and events differently; content of the returned questionnaires was the focus for no book is ever understood in exactly the discussion at a meeting at Birmingham City University on same way by two readers. I challenged Friday 22 January. It is evident that there is a great deal of reading partners to identify similarities variation in the time dedicated to children’s books in ITE and differences in how they had imagined and that reasons for this are often historical rather than the characters and places in the book based on learning needs of trainees. they were reading. I was stunned by the conversations this simple task produced. Different training programmes also had an impact, with Instead of thinking about comprehension PGCE and EBITT (Employment Based ITT) having much as a ‘right or wrong, they began to less time than BAEd or BEd. The SIG members were all share and explain interpretations.” keen to continue their exploration of the topic and will be “I think poor concentration and poor aiming to feedback to UKLA colleagues at the International comprehension are often linked. I gave Conference in July. everyone in my class who had poor concentration extra lessons to build Left: Members of the Children’s Books in ITE SIG at BCU basic comprehension. It didn’t improve everyone, but it worked for quite a lot.” “I taught my class to ask themselves: ‘Is Comprehension SIG the answer in the book or is the answer All members are invited to join UKLA’s comprehension SIG in my head?’ It helped them think about how to combine what they know with Conveners: Sue Ellis and Colin Harrison the book information.” What’s it about? • Is it time to question traditional “I asked my pupils to cut faces from magazines and newspapers to show what Reading comprehension is as fundamental, assumptions about comprehension teaching? Is the traditional framework they thought the different characters in but debates on literacy are dominated the story looked like. When we compared, by phonics. We are starting a UKLA of ‘literal, inferential and evaluative’ comprehension useful, or should we the differences and explanations Comprehension SIG to think about use frameworks that focus more on were amazing.” comprehension teaching in schools. how and where children use their We want to know: knowledge? If you are interested in joining • What teachers do that works? • Traditional activities such as reading a Go to the UKLA website and click on the • What teachers have tried that passage and answering questions, ‘login’ and enter your username and is different? tend to test comprehension rather password (the system will email you • What problems do teachers face in than teach it.