Reading: The Ultimate Form of Active Learning?

Repeated research has highlighted the academic benefits of elective reading- the reading that students undertake because they choose to do it. Strong links have been found between reading widely and increased proficiency in reading, attainment in and positive attitudes to writing, a wider vocabulary, better spelling, wider academic achievement right across the curriculum, and even increased happiness and levels of empathy with others.

In this thought-provoking session, education researcher and author James Clements will explore the relationship between active learning and students’ wider elective reading, focusing  on two interlinked strands: statistical learning and the impact of print experience on students’ academic development, and active reading, applying the principles of active learning to the teaching of reading, supporting children to develop critical thinking skills as they learn to read.

Practical and interactive, the session will illustrate the findings of academic research with examples of practice from high-performing schools to show how teachers and librarians can support their students to become active readers, and ultimately, active learners.