Perspectives on dealing with reading difficulties

Learning to read is an expectation rather than an exception in society today. Despite this, some children experience reading difficulties. The purpose of this article is to review recent and seminal research on reading difficulties through the lenses of three perspectives: cognitive, social and cultural and interactive. The three perspectives are reviewed and the contribution they make to our understandings of how to support children with reading difficulties are considered. The implication of these perspectives on instruction is explored by examining one contentious contemporary debate in the field of reading instruction; choice of texts to support reading development. To conclude, an argument for a more holistic approach to reading difficulties is provided with reference to two contemporary assessment tools

Learning Letter-Sound Relationships: Evidence and Practice

In this article, we explore recent research about phonics teaching, the interdependent skills needed to access phonics teaching, and consider synergies between the findings from these studies and Reading Recoveryâ teaching procedures. First, we set the scene by discussing definitions and raise some issues regarding the efficacy of different ways of teaching phonics, particularly in relation to Reading Recovery. Next, we review some recent research about the role of phonics in learning to read and how it fits with Reading Recovery teaching procedures. Two of these studies were conducted in the context of Reading Recovery. Finally, given that it has been established that successful integration of Reading Recovery in a school (May, Sirinides, Gray, & Goldsworthy, 2016) demands a collective understanding of the pedagogy of Reading Recovery, we consider some of the current challenges in aligning classroom teaching of phonics and Reading Recovery. We hope that providing a broad overview of the issues will facilitate better professional conversations about the principles and practices of Reading Recovery and build collective understanding of the role of phonics in learning to read

Learning Loss versus Learning Disruption: Written evidence submitted by the International Literacy Centre, UCL, Institute of Education to the Education Select Committee Inquiry into the impact of COVID-19 on education and children's services, July 2020

This submission comes from the research project “A duty of care and a duty to teach: educational priorities in response to the COVID-19 crisis’. Funder: UKRI/ESRC Urgent COVID Response Call, project no. ES/V00414X/1. Researchers: PI: Gemma Moss. Co-Is: Alice Bradbury, Sam Duncan, Sinead Harmey and Rachael Levy. The project was based at the International Literacy Centre, UCL Institute of Education See https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/departments-and-centres/centres/international-literacycentre/duty-care-and-duty-teach-educational-priorities-response-COVID-19-crisis Data were collected and analysed between May – Sept 2020. This submission summarises a systematic literature review conducted as part of this project

Learning Disruption or Learning Loss: Using evidence from unplanned closures to inform returning to school after COVID-19

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the immediate and longer-term effects of school closures and ongoing interruptions on children’s learning have been a source of considerable apprehension to many. In an attempt to anticipate and mitigate the effect of school closures, researchers and policymakers have turned to the learning loss literature, research that estimates the effect of summer holidays on academic achievement. However, school closures due to COVID-19 have taken place under very different conditions, making the utility of such a literature debatable. Instead, this study is based on a rapid evidence assessment of research on learning disruption – extended and unplanned periods of school closure following unprecedented events, such as SARs or weather-related events. We argue that this literature provides clearer evidence on what helps children return to learning under similar conditions, and in this sense has more direct relevance for schools after COVID-19. A narrative synthesis of key recommendations is presented. Key findings are as follows: (i) that school leaders’ local knowledge is pivotal in leading a return to school, (ii) the curriculum needs to be responsive to children’s needs and (iii) that schools are essential in supporting the mental health of students. A discussion of the applicability and utility of these findings is provided in light of emerging evidence of challenges faced by schools in the context of an ongoing global pandemic and the disruption to education it continues to create

Developing an observational rubric of writing: Preliminary reliability and validity evidence

The purpose of this paper is (1) to report on the design of the early writing observational writing rubric designed to observe and describe change over time in the writing of children emerging into conventional literacy (ages 6–7) within an instructional setting and (2) to investigate the initial reliability and validity of the rubric. We used an extant data set that included 52 videos of writing instruction in Reading Recovery lessons (approximately 520 minutes) and pre- and post-intervention test data, for 24 students, taken at multiple time points across a 20-week period. Dependent sample t-tests and HLM were used to ascertain if the rubric was sensitive to change over occasions. We also considered if the scores correlated with external literacy measures. The findings suggest that the rubric has good initial reliability and validity and is a useful tool for researchers to observe and measure change over time as young children write in an instructional setting; further validation work is required for use in other settings

Responding to COVID-19, Briefing Note 3: Resetting educational priorities in challenging times

discussion on how to repair the fragilities in the education system that COVID has revealed. Over the length of our research projecti we have seen a gulf open up between government policy announcements and primary schools’ experiences of the crisis on the ground (Bradbury, 2020). Our data show teachers, head teachers and system leaders have not felt listened to by the DfE. Our respondents have expressed little confidence in decisions taken by government or the ways in which these have been communicated. The very different priorities that have emerged during the crisis for government and for teachers have set an agenda for change. This briefing note considers three critical issues: / How the education system recognises the needs of our most disadvantaged communities and funds the schools that work with them / The stresses in our testing and accountability systems that COVID has exacerbated / The need to better support locallyresponsive decision-making at times of crisi