The Reading Association of Ireland is very pleased to host its 31st annual conference, 'Developing and Sustaining Literacy' at Church of Ireland College, Dublin. This international conference will bring together presenters from Ireland, UK, USA, Canada and Africa who will present a variety of papers and workshops on a range of literacy related topics.
These topics include:
The conference will also host the second Research Award which foregrounds literacy related research carried out at Master's level in Ireland. This year the winner will be presented with a newly struck medal by Reading Association of Ireland to honour quality research in literacy here in Ireland. This year the panel of judges will be chaired by Professor Kathy Hall.
Four plenary speakers will address the conference:
The conference will be opened by Sydney Blain, principal of the college followed by distinguished educator Professor Linda Gambrell, President of the International Reading Association who will address the topic 'Insights from Recent Research on Reading Motivation'.
Recently appointed Head of Education at University College Cork, Professor Kathy Hall will talk about 'Bridging cultures and transforming identities: issues in developing and sustaining literacy' while Dr. Áine Cregan from Mary Immaculate College of the University of Limerick will examine some of the research she carried out with Combat Poverty Agency in “From Policy to Practice: The Oral Language Challenge.” Finally, Dr Sue Ellis, an executive member of The United Kingdom Reading Association who works at the University of Strathclyde will address the conference on the topic of 'Developing and Sustaining Literacy'.
Early booking for this conference is advised and a detachable application form is included in this issue in Reading News. Further details of the conference will appear on our website, www.reading.ie. We look forward to seeing you at the conference.
This session will focus on creating classroom cultures that support and nurture children in becoming motivated, engaged readers. Evidence-based insights about reading motivation and comprehension, drawn from recent research, will be presented.
Motivational strategies and techniques for promoting strategic reading will be shared.
Linda B. Gambrell is Distinguished Professor of Education in the Eugene T. Moore School of Education at Clemson University where she teaches graduate and undergraduate literacy courses. Prior to coming to Clemson University in 1999, she was Associate Dean for Research in the College of Education at University of Maryland. She began her career as an elementary classroom teacher and reading specialist in Prince George's County, Maryland. From 1992-97, she was principal investigator at the National Reading Research Center where she directed the Literacy Motivation Project. She has served as an elected member of the Board of Directors of the International Reading Association, National Reading Conference, and College Reading Association. She has served as President of the National Reading Conference and the College Reading Association. In 2007-08 she will serve as President of the International Reading Association.
Her major research areas are literacy motivation, the role of discussion in teaching and learning, and comprehension monitoring. She has authored/co-authored 10 books and over 100 chapters and journal articles on literacy. Her research has been published in major scholarly journals including Reading Research Quarterly, Educational Psychologist, and Journal of Educational Research. She has served on the editorial review boards for the most prestigious peer reviewed journals in the field of literacy. From 1993-96, she was co-editor of The Journal of Reading Behavior, a publication of the National Reading Conference. She currently serves as co-editor of Literacy Teaching and Learning: An International Journal of Reading and Writing.
Linda has received professional honours and awards including the College Reading Association A.B. Herr Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Field of Reading, 1994; International Reading Association Outstanding Teacher Educator in Reading Award, 1998; National Reading Conference Albert J. Kingston Award, 2001; College Reading Association Laureate Award, 2002; and in 2004 she was inducted into the Reading Hall of Fame.
It is now universally accepted that enhancing children's oral language skills at primary school level is critical for academic attainment and in particular for the successful development of literacy skills. Promoting oral language development as a central and fundamental aspect of a child's primary school experience is widely advocated in many policy documents published recently in this country. This is seen to be especially important for children from disadvantaged contexts for many of whom the language of schooling may be unfamiliar. Drawing on findings from research into the school language experiences of children in disadvantaged contexts in Ireland, this paper examines the challenges of implementing a policy of increased emphasis on oral language development in the primary school context for all involved in the education of young children. The paper concludes with some recommendations for successful implementation of the policy in relation to oral language development.
Graduated with B.Ed. from MIC, then M.Ed. UCC, and Ed.D. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Have worked initially as a primary school teacher in a disadvantaged school and subsequently in the department of Education in MIC, teaching language development and drama. In MIC have been Director of the Curriculum Development Unit and Director of Postgraduate Studies in Education. Now working on research agenda which includes child language development, educational disadvantage, and children's literature. Recently undertook research funded by the Combat Poverty Agency exploring the particular language needs of children in disadvantaged schools. Was a consultant to the English Committee during the writing of the Revised Curriculum, am a member of the primary language committee of the NCCA. Have written oral language materials for the Magic Emerald English Programme produced by Folens
In this session I will consider the question: how might learners come to recognize themselves as readers and writers? I will raise questions and issues about identity and agency and argue that the most significant factor in developing and sustaining literacy concerns the learner's view of self, and by implication, view of others. I will highlight two things: one, the significance of the learner's take on school literacy and school learning more generally, and two, how the learner's take is socially situated. I want to explain this by bringing together key concepts, some already very familiar now, like formative and summative assessment, some less so, like cultural bridging and identity transformation. The session will identify implications for teaching and for what constitutes a literacy curriculum for contemporary times.
Kathy Hall is Professor of Education and Head of the Department of Education in UCC. A former primary teacher in Ireland, she has a long standing interest in learning and assessment with particular reference to literacy. She has researched and published widely in these areas, recent books including Listening to Stephen read: multiple perspectives on literacy Open University Press (2003) and Literacy and Schooling: towards renewal in primary education policy Ashgate (2004). Before coming to UCC she was Professor of Education at the Open University, Professor of Childhood Studies at Leeds Metropolitan University and Senior Lecturer in Christ Church, Canterbury.
In this presentation, I explore some of the challenges facing teachers who want to teach writing in a way that is responsive to children's needs, is engaging and successful. Using practical examples from the classroom, I will examine some key principles about teaching writing and consider the implications for how teachers plan their teaching and how they talk to young writers. The choices teachers make in this area have important repercussions for how children see themselves and for how they develop as learners and as members of society.
Sue Ellis is a Reader in Literacy and Language at Strathclyde University, Glasgow. She was studied for her first degree, in Theoretical Linguistics and Language Pathology, at Essex University and later gained an M.Sc in Human Communication from Guy's Hospital, London. She worked briefly for a folk music shop before deciding that what she really wanted to be was a Primary school teacher. She completed a one-year PGCE course and worked as a teacher in primary schools in Sussex and in London before joining the Primary Education Department of the University of Strathclyde in 1989. At Strathclyde, she works on the B.Ed course team and is the Programme Co-ordinator for Language as well as teaching a range of pre-service, in-service and post-graduate courses. She is very interested in how to make policy actually work in practice and has recently completed research on the implementation of Literature Circles in Scottish classrooms and on Phonics. Some recent publications are: