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Guilty Pleasure? Reading Groups and Reader Development
Sarah MountAlan Pulverness
What does reading mean to you?
What do you immediately think of when
you hear the word ‘reading’?
Write down three words or phrases.
What are your associations, memories,
feelings?
What is reader development?• Talking about reading• Sharing and recommending books• Inspiring people to try books they would not usually think
of reading• Exploring your feelings about books and what impact
they have on you • Exploring memories inspired by books • Bringing books to life through fun activities• Reading on your own• Reading together • Becoming aware of the kinds of reading you like • Making links between books• Making links between books and.... • Celebrating books • Learning about authors
Reading Groups: a definition
• A collection of people who come together to discuss books
• Creating a reader-focused environment
• Providing an enjoyable social experience
• Flexible model adaptable to meet the needs of a diverse range of readers
Reading Groups
• Reading for pleasure
• Broadening horizons – introducing new titles, authors and genres
• Social – talking about reading
• Ethos – open, informal
• Texts may be chosen for qualities of interest and readability as much as for literary merit.
Reading groups for younger readers
• New reading experiences• Support for formal learning• Encouraging self-expression• Developing peer-to-peer support• Increasing the time young people spend
reading and sharing books
How to set up a reading group
• 6-8 participants
(with waiting list)• On-going or a
fixed number of sessions?
• Who plans programme content, frequency of meetings etc?
• Same text, pairs of texts, different texts on the same theme, or each person reading a text of their choice?
• How are texts chosen, and by whom?
• What types of books?• Activities? • Ground rules /
conventions
First meeting• Agree on the structure
• Selection (or at least a list) of texts
• Explain procedure for meetings
• Give the group some questions to think about for the texts being read
• Produce collection of reviews
to trigger ideas
The role of the facilitator• Develop good preparation and
group management skills.
• Display interest and encourage involvement.
• Be prepared to step back.
• Be prepared to talk, but try to get all the participants involved.
• Develop the ability to engage directly with readers.
• Ultimately, be willing to step in and exert control if necessary.
Choosing texts• Recommendations from library staff,
suggestions from co-ordinator & group members
• Books published in the last twenty years, available in paperback and probably under 300 pages long
• Texts with some challenging dimension, dealing with current issues and concerns from a variety of viewpoints
• Texts which have narrative force and which group members will enjoy without feeling that texts are being imposed on them
British Council’s global book clubhttp://www.encompassculture.com/• Chat with leading authors
• Read author interviews
• Join discussion boards
• Take part in readers’ quizzes
• Receive recommendations
from reviews on the site or
from the Online
Reader-in-Residence
• Catch up with news and events posted on the site
• Discover a mine of information about reading groups.
• Join with a reading group in another part of the world.
• Download bibliographies
British Council bibliographies
1 + 1 = 3!• Pairs of texts economy +
more dynamic discussion• A second text can often provide
a welcome contrast.• Even tenuous connections can
generate productive discussion.• Often the very texts people say
that they didn't enjoy open up the most stimulating discussions.
• But don’t force texts into pairs.
Sustaining the reading group…• creative writing
• working with authors & publishers
• working with language (e.g. Jabberwocky)
• role-play & simulation (e.g. Hot Seat; Trial)
• storytelling
• poetry readings
Outcomes…?• Improving literacy• Improving critical
thinking skills• Improving English
language skills• Broadening the
experience of reading
• Providing relaxation away from curriculum pressure
• Creating social opportunities for students
• Increasing readers’ sense of belonging to a community
• Students have a good time reading and talking about books
• Developing reading confidence
Christine Nuttall Teaching Reading Skills in a Foreign Language (Heinemann 1996)
The surprising thing…
…is where I’d found him – not up a
tree or sulking in the shade, or
splashing around in one of the hill streams, but in a book. No one had
told us kids to look there for a
friend.
Lloyd Jones Mr Pip (2006)
I like hearing people talk about their reading experiences and sharing mine – it gives me much to savour after the event.
I just love meeting other people who share my passion for reading and hearing them enthuse about the books they like. This often throws up new authors and titles for me to try – and that way I get to broaden my reading spectrum.
Very stimulating and enjoyable. The depth and variety are stimulating, provocative and informative. An absolute treat.
I love talking about a book in a group and listening to the wide-ranging opinions of other readers – I get
some real insights this way.
As always I meet great people – reading remains a must.
“I like Book Club because…
When my grandfather died we found wardrobes full of books.
His floor-to-ceiling shelves were stuffed with books three deep.
His enthusiasm was infectious and we all inherited it.
Reading for pleasure feels like a luxury, albeit a daily one, and
it's something I would struggle to do without. Book Club has
brought a new and welcome dimension to reading. Reading a
book at the same time as other people, with the knowledge
that you will be discussing it as a group, alters the experience.
The discussions we have can fill my own gaps in knowledge,
perhaps about the historical or cultural setting of a book, and I
benefit from hearing others' impressions of characters.
“I like Book Club because…
In addition, I have extended the range of books I read,
sampling horror/science fiction for the first time and
enjoying it (helped along by an outdoor midnight reading at
one memorable book club meeting). I'm starting to realise
that what I like is based less on genre and more on style of
writing. Above all, book club is something that none of us
have to do, it feels like a great big treat.
The rights of the reader
1 The right not to read.
2 The right to skip.
The rights of the reader
3 The right not to finish a book
4 The right to read it again.
The rights of the reader
5 The right to read anything
6 The right to mistake a book for real life
The rights of the reader
7 The right to read anywhere
8 The right to dip in
The rights of the reader
9 The right to read out loud
10 The right to be quiet.
www.walkerbooks.co.uk
The Reader's Bill of Rights Daniel Pennac The Rights of the Reader (Reads Like a Novel)
1. The right to not read
2. The right to skip pages
3. The right to not finish
4. The right to reread
5. The right to read anything
6. The right to escapism
7. The right to read anywhere
8. The right to browse
9. The right to read out loud
10. The right to not defend your tastes
