use them at home and school to encourage parental involvement and enable the setting of entertaining homework activities if appropriate. As a teacher, it is my responsibility to find materials to suit the ability


of all those in my class. As mentioned before, the problem previously has been a lack of age-appropriate resources that engage struggling readers. Many modern resources are designed to meet the requirements


of both able and struggling readers. This should come as a relief to teachers, as pupils’ lack of interest and confidence is made worse when confronted by patronising texts with the correct language level but completely inappropriate content. Even though these students struggle with reading, it is still important to introduce wide and relevant vocabulary as well as varied sentence structures.


Appropriate resources Before selecting any supporting resources you should firstly carry out an accurate ability assessment. Until this has been established it is not possible to select appropriate learning resources. Once assessed, the reading material should motivate these students to read without setting them apart from the other readers or make them feel like they have failed. Introducing reading material slowly with assessment at each stage


ensures that the students will feel comfortable with what is expected of them and they are less likely to fail. Good learning resources will assess the pupil at each stage, and revise the new reading activities. In today’s multi-media environment it is vital to enrich each student’s


reading experience to stimulate their learning. Because so much of students’ experience is shaped and surrounded by imagery, highly visual interactive activities have truly become the new currency of learning. All the students look forward to using online resources but if I asked many of them to read a book they would be a lot less driven. The commitment we expect from children should be reflected in our presentation of their learning experience and therefore giving them key stage 1 books is simply not acceptable. A learning system should be entertaining so that children will


associate reading with enjoyment. Using a variety of methods, media and techniques will keep their attention and stop students from getting bored.


Praise and reward A suitable eLearning system should motivate the students using praise and rewards every five to 10 minutes. As reading for key stage 1 and 2 students is as much a matter of confidence as ability, positive


“A learning system should be entertaining so that children will associate reading with enjoyment.


Using a variety of methods, media and techniques will keep their attention and stop students from getting bored.”


reinforcements can have a very noticeable effect. Each school should have its own rewards system and, when working with struggling readers, teachers should aim to praise more frequently than is typical in a larger group with more able students. The resources used should take advantage of the way children


entertain themselves today. Pupils who have difficulty reading are not a lost cause. Given the right techniques and self-confidence, coupled with good eLearning material, these pupils can learn to love reading and become confident and competent.


• Marc Bowen is a deputy headteacher based in Wiltshire. He uses Reading Eggs, published by 3P Learning to help struggling readers at his school. Visit www.readingeggs.co.uk


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