On Friday 5th March, the ‘Future of Reading’ Literacy Forum is taking place alongside the Education Show, with support from the National Literacy Association. Developed to delve deep into the heart of literacy, attendees can enjoy a stellar programme of speakers and roundtable discussions, including a presentation by author and former Children’s Laureate, Michael Rosen.

Richard Joslin, exhibition director of Emap comments: “The Literacy Forum organised by Emap and the National Literacy Association is the first of its kind and runs alongside the UK’s leading and largest education resource event, the Education Show.  The Literacy Forum brings together educators, authors, publishers and some of the biggest names in literacy in a dynamic forum to share ideas on the best way to improve literacy in the UK and encourage reading amongst today’s young people.” 

Michael Rosen comments: “I think it’s vital for the education of every child in the country that we get back to talking about reading whole books. For a variety of reasons, and through no fault of their own, many teachers have lost the expertise and know-how to find their way through the hosts of children’s books on sale today. What’s more, because education has been saddled with goal oriented questioning and quizzing of children in relation to ‘passages’ and ‘excerpts’, the value of ‘talk about books’ has been downgraded.

Michael Rosen continues: “This denies children the opportunity to explore books in an imaginative and creative way. Because books carry ideas married to feelings in an accessible and exciting way, we should be putting books at the centre of the literacy curriculum and beyond. I welcome this forum as a chance for teachers and practitioners of different kinds to sit down and discuss what’s possible, what’s necessary and what’s desirable in the field of books in schools.”

A major outcome of the ‘Future of Reading’ Literacy Forum will be a ‘manifesto’ publication from the National Literacy Association, supported by Pearson and developed using the views of delegates and presenters. The aim of the manifesto will be to change attitudes towards reading in the UK, to ultimately improve literacy rates and encourage more children to read for pleasure.

Dr Rona Tutt OBE, chair of the board of trustees at the National Literacy Association adds: “There are many tools that help children to learn to read, but the key to success is to develop a love of books, so that they will want to be able to read for themselves and become lifelong readers. Children who are surrounded by books from the earliest age, who are invited to share stories with adults and who see the people around them valuing reading, are likely to develop the motivation to become readers themselves.”

Any practitioners wishing to effect a change on policy and practice surrounding this crucial issue should visit www.education-show.com/reading to book tickets to this event.  Attendance to the ‘Future of Reading’ Literacy Forum is £150 plus VAT for the full day programme. After the Forum, delegates will have the opportunity to network with speakers at a drinks reception sponsored by Scholastic.

Delegates will have an opportunity to attend the Education Show and visit some of the 500 plus exhibitors.  This year, and to complement the Literacy Forum, the free to attend Education Show also features the Reading Central feature; an area of the show devoted to publishers, enabling visitors to discover best-value literacy resources. In addition, there are exciting activities planned to celebrate World Book Day on Thursday 4 March.

Visit www.education-show.com/reading for more information.  

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