How to increase challenge without overwhelming pupils
Well hello there, and welcome to update #143!
There’s a paradox here: on the one hand a young person might not be able to read very well themselves; on the other they are able to understand a demanding text if someone is reading to them.
We can fall into the trap of focusing on what a pupil can’t do, as opposed to what they can!
What follows is that we think pupils won’t be able to access demanding texts, so instead we provide them with material that is at their ‘level’.
Yet how can we close the attainment gap if pupils don’t have access to rich material?
The fact is that our listening comprehension is more advanced than our decoding capacity, particularly for novice readers.
Quality texts are generally of greater depth and complexity than the spoken word, and if we are keen to close the vocabulary gap, then one of the fastest ways to do so is through reading aloud to a class.
The Just Reading research from the University of Sussex shows what’s possible in English lessons and we can apply the same principles across the curriculum.
It’s insights such as this plus the fact that, as Dan Willingham says, our brains privilege story, that have informed the Key Stage 3 Ambitious Years project.
The first unit for Yr 7 history on the Norman Conquest, based on extracts from Marc Morris’ book, is published and teacher resources and pupil booklets are ready to download from Myatt & Co.
I’ll shortly be publishing the Yr 7 unit for religious education. It’s called ‘Is Anybody There?’ and it based on chapters from Richard Holloway’s ‘Little History of Religion.’
The teacher resources and pupil booklets will be available on Myatt & Co, access with an annual or group subscription.
Until next time
Mary