2. Context
I became a Reading for Pleasure (RfP) Ambassador during
my third and penultimate year on the Primary Education BA
course at Nottingham Trent University, working in partnership
with the Open University and the UKLA to share the wonder of
RfP. During this year of study I had the pleasure of
undertaking a placement in a Year 2 class at Chellaston Fields
Spencer Academy in Derby. This placement experience
provided an opportunity to put my passion and developing
knowledge into practice. In addition to the example shared
within this presentation, I carried out independent research
into reading environments and shared my enthusiasm for RfP
with the Spencer Academy Trust during a collaborative INSET
day.
3. OU Research
Inspiration and
Rationale
Whilst undertaking professional development
both independently and collaboratively, as well
as participating in university book clubs, I
discovered a particular area of interest. As the
importance of informal book talk was explored,
I became increasingly aware that this is a skill
that requires explicit scaffolding, as opposed to
assuming autonomy and natural ability. The
Open University Teachers as Readers (TaRs)
findings highlight a range of areas within which
practitioners are recommended to develop their
knowledge and pedagogy, and these include
informal book talk (Cremin et al., 2014)
Knowledge of children’s literature
Knowledge of children’s reading practice
• Social reading environments
• Reading aloud
• Independent reading
• Informal book talk, inside-text talk and recommendations
A reading for pleasure pedagogy which
includes:
Becoming a teacher who reads and a reader
who teaches
Reciprocal and interactive reading communities
(Cremin et al.,
2014)
4. OU Research
Inspiration and
Rationale
My independent research into reading environments
highlighted the importance of recognising that all
readers possess unique reader identities. For example,
some children may prefer environmental noise and the
option for occasional book talk, however others may
enjoy quiet surroundings. Therefore, within this example
of practice I considered how to scaffold informal book
talk and recommendations in ways that could meet a
range of environmental needs; linking to the social
reading environment (Cremin et al., 2014).
Furthermore, whilst the term ‘reading for pleasure’
implies intrinsic motivation, it is argued that budding
readers benefit from simultaneous extrinsic
endorsement from those around them (Cremin, 2016;
Stutz, Schaffner and Schiefele, 2017; Wray, 2014).
Knowledge of children’s literature
Knowledge of children’s reading practice
• Social reading environments
• Reading aloud
• Independent reading
• Informal book talk, inside-text talk and recommendations
A reading for pleasure pedagogy which
includes:
Becoming a teacher who reads and a reader
who teaches
Reciprocal and interactive reading communities
(Cremin et al.,
2014)
5. Aims
To model and scaffold informal book-talk
as a skill that develops and becomes more
autonomous over time.
To create an inclusive environment which
encourages informal communication about
literature; a social reading environment.
6. Outline – Thinking Crowns
Inspired by De Bono's Thinking Hats (De Bono,
2016), I created accessible 'thinking crown' cards
with questions and prompts to promote informal
book talk. The crown theme arose due to the class
fairy-tale topic, however the prompts were not
specific to this theme so that they could be applied
to a range of literature. Alongside the written
questions and sentence starters were visual
representations to increase accessibility and to
create a more visually appealing resource. The
cards were designed to be used in a range of
ways; to provide inspiration when initiating a
conversation with a peer, to help when questioning
a peer about their latest read and to support
children in exploring vocabulary. Skills that the
cards encourage include recall, explanation and
creative thinking.
Black - Cautions Green -
Creativity
Red - Feelings
Yellow - Benefits White - Facts
7. Outline –
Recommendation Stalk
In keeping with the fairy-tale theme,
which I had observed to promote a
high level of engagement, I created a
bean stalk, aiming to populate it with
book recommendations. This idea
stemmed from a need for promoting a
social reading environment whilst
meeting the preferences of those who
prefer to read within quiet
surroundings. I displayed questions
next to the leaves and provided my
own example to scaffold children’s
book-talk skills.
8. Impact
Children were observed
implementing the thinking
crowns over time.
Book recommendations
became more detailed as
reliance on thinking
crowns declined.
More children became
engaged in using the
thinking crowns and
recommending as they
observed their peers.
The reading community
within the classroom
bloomed.
Confidence developed as
children began to ask if
they could read their
recommendations to the
class.
Children naturally
responded to those
sharing; expressing
common interests and
suggesting literature of a
similar style.
Increased my awareness
that autonomous book
talk can develop
significantly with
scaffolding, modelling and
support.
My future practice will be
informed by my reflections
and evaluations of these
approaches.
‘It makes me
laugh because
the two main
characters play
tricks on each
other.’
‘If you like that,
you will love
Mopoke because
it has owls in it
too.’
‘Please can I read
mine before it goes
on the wall? I could
bring the book to
show everyone
too.’
‘Miss Barber,
please could I do
one? How about I
write it about my
comic at home?’
These practices
should not be
limited only to the
‘reading corner’.
9. Reflections
It could be argued that this example of practice
succeeds in demonstrating the need to support
children in building the blocks to confident
informal book talk. Whilst I will take many
elements of these approaches into my future
practice, I aim to review and adapt to maximise
the amount of children I engage. To support me in
this process, I aim to consider my own reading
habits and preferences and use this information to
prevent unrealistic expectations being placed on
young readers (Bearne and Reedy, 2017; Cremin
et al., 2008). Additionally, I aim to continually
develop my knowledge of children’s literature
to further increase the possibility of meeting all
children’s interests and needs. Whilst my practice
was connected largely to informal book talk and
social reading environments, the approaches
arguably had a consequential impact on the
interactive reading community. I feel that as I
continue to appreciate each individual and their
reader identities, and support them in building
their blocks to book talk, I can work towards
supporting the reading community to blossom.
10. References
Bearne, E. and Reedy, D., 2017. Teaching primary English subject knowledge and classroom practice
[eBook]. New York: Routledge. Available via: Ebook Central. [Accessed 02/09/22].
Cremin, T. et al., 2008. Primary teachers as readers. English in Education. 42 (1), 8-23.
Cremin, T. et al., 2014. Building communities of engaged readers: reading for pleasure. London:
Routledge.
Cremin, T., 2016. Reading for pleasure: just window dressing? [online]. Cambridge: Cambridge Primary
Review Trust. Available at: https://cprtrust.org.uk/cprt-blog/reading-for-pleasure-just-window-dressing/.
[Accessed 01/09/22].
De Bono, E., 2016. Six thinking hats. London: Penguin Life.
Stutz, F., Schaffner, E. and Schiefele, U., 2017. Measurement invariance and validity of a brief
questionnaire on reading motivation in elementary students. Journal of Research in Reading. 40 (4),
439-461.
Wray, D., 2014. Looking at learning. Arthur, J. and Cremin, T., ed. Learning to teach in the primary
school. New York: Routledge, pp. 69 - 84.
