VIEWS From the pen of... Ruth Estevez


This month, in our regular series on authors working in education, we’re delighted to hear from RUTH ESTEVEZ, author of new YA novel, Jiddy Vardy, who offers ten tips on encouraging young people to read more. Ruth has worked in Theatre-in-Education, taking stories and drama to remote rural schools in North Yorkshire. She was also a script-writer on BBC’s Bob the Builder. She has taught script and creative writing at Oldham College and Manchester Metropolitan University and, as well as writing, now works for The Portico Sadie Massey Awards with The Portico Library, working with schools to encourage a lifelong love of reading and writing.


1 – Don’t panic! My youngest daughter struggled with reading and writing, finding spelling and remembering spelling difficult. We encouraged her to continue using words no matter if she misspelt them or not. The result was, she had a vocabulary beyond her years and she used words with confidence, vocally and written. Similarly when learning to play the piano, she struggled reading music, but learned a great deal by ear. Now, she reads voraciously and is a great musician.


2 – Be seen to read yourself and talk about what you’re reading so that children see your passion.


3 – Read together. Read the story aloud yourself and encourage words, then sentences and then the whole book to be read aloud by the child. Make it interactive, personal and enjoyable.


4 – Help select books that the child is interested in. Anything to encourage reading. Factual, graphic novels, make stories from pictures, fiction, whatever they gravitate towards. Support their choices.


5 - I have to say, being let loose to explore bookshelves in peace and privacy is magical.


6 – Create a space to read – a cosy corner, chair, nest so that it’s a pleasurable place to be and have books within reach. Use cushions, curtains, a little table with a lamp and books on. Homey!


7 – Talk about the book they are reading or you are reading together. Encourage talk about what they dislike as well as what they like in a book. How would they do it differently?


8 – Encourage a book review of each book, however long or short and in pictures or written. Take photos of the book being read and be creative, use props that have a connection with the book, to create a little scene. Share these photos for comments and to build excitement.


9 – See books! Visit bookshops, libraries, look out for street free book libraries, there are some fantastic ones – look up online and choose favourites. Maybe design their own and make one. This could be a group activity as well to have at home or in the classroom. Maybe ask a shop if they can put one in as a class and manage by choosing the books and keep rotating the stock.


10 – Book groups, all reading the same book, then talking about it can encourage reading so that an individual feels part of a community, but I wouldn’t push this too hard if the young person isn’t keen. They could create a cool name for their group too!


Happy reading!


uRuth’s debut YA title Jiddy Vardy is now available to buy online and at all good booksellers


October 2018 British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA)


Finally, the government has a vision for EdTech!


This month in his regular column for Education Today, PATRICK HAYES, Director of BESA, examines the government’s new vision for education technology.


After eight long years with negligible government guidance on the use of education technology in education, it seems that things are finally set to change. Over the summer – admittedly not the best timing, but better during the holidays than never! – the education secretary Damian Hinds announced an “overarching vision” for education technology (EdTech). All too often we have seen an irrational backlash against the use


of technology in schools. These anti-tech luddites often reference initiatives that date back to the early dot-com era, which simply aren’t representative of the kind of products you would see exhibited at the Bett Show in London nowadays. Of course, lessons have been learned from early tech


implementation failures, and the industry has worked hard to demonstrate this. Look no further, for example, than UCL’s EDUCATE programme, headed by Professor Rose Luckin, which is working with 250 UK EdTech companies to put academic-quality research at the heart of their offering. They are ensuring that even companies at their earliest stages work with academics and schools alike to demonstrate the impact of the products they are developing upon educational outcomes. We mustn’t fail to recognise the power that technology has to


inspire young minds and free up teacher time to focus on the delivery of high-quality teaching and learning practice. Arguably the biggest mistake made by EdTech advocates of yore


was to think that simply throwing money at shiny new tech was going to make a major impact in classrooms. Ensuring ongoing training and support – and, crucially, time to undertake this – is absolutely vital to successful implementation. Indeed, British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA)’s latest annual research of the use of ICT in UK schools, undertaken by the National Education Research Panel, found that 68 per cent of secondary schools and 56 per cent of primary schools cited training in EdTech resources as being their key challenge over the next 12 months. It’s encouraging therefore, that the DfE is planning to place


teacher training and support at the heart and soul of its future approach to EdTech. Over the next academic year, BESA will be working with the DfE to run a series of roadshows across the country to provide CPD and ensure that schools get demonstrations of the best EdTech out there. We will also be launching an online platform in partnership with the DfE to allow schools to “try before they buy” and take out free trials of EdTech products before making an investment – to make sure that it is right for them. As Mr Hinds says, technology can be used in the classroom in


“revolutionary ways” – allowing students to explore a rainforest from their classroom, or to programme a robot. There are many examples of ministries of education across the world evangelising about the revolutionary potential of education technology, often that supplied by UK companies. It’s very welcome that our own Department for Education is now setting out a vision for EdTech that, if realised, could have a ground-breaking impact upon its implementation worldwide.


uFor information from BESA contact: u020 7537 4997 upatrick@besa.org.uk uwww.besa.org.uk


www.education-today.co.uk 13


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52