Audiobooks And Literacy

Engagement with audiobooks can benefit children and young people’s reading skills and enjoyment, as well as their mental wellbeing and emotional intelligence, according to this review by the National Literacy Trust.

The review identified how audiobooks can widen children’s access to literature. Not only are audiobooks easy and convenient to access via digital devices, but children are able to access a broader range of texts. They are also able to access more of a book than reading alone as the listening experience deepens their understanding of tone and pronunciation and exposes them to different accents and dialects.

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      string(3311) "Start a New ChapterWhether you are blind, partially sighted, dyslexic or have another disability that makes you unable to read standard print, Calibre Audio Library brings the joy of audio books to everyone.  Calibre was set up over 40 years ago by a mother whose partially sighted son struggled to read the printed word. To solve the problem, she set up an audio library so he could enjoy books just like his friends. Since then, Calibre Audio Library has grown into a national charity that has over 14,000 members across the UK.Why are audio books so important?‘Audio books enable children with dyslexia and other print disabilities to develop literacy skills. They enhance their learning and they can reap the same rewards from reading as others. Audio books can be used as a replacement to reading print or as a supplement. Regular reading alongside listening allows the reader to make relationships between the sounds and print, improves word recognition and increases reading speed’ says Michael Lewington, Director of Calibre Audio Library. Struggling readers often have a comprehension age higher than their reading age. This means that audio books can be an equaliser. By bridging the gap between comprehension and reading levels, audio books can be an important tool in a child’s growth. ‘I cannot tell you how valuable Calibre is to my son. He is dyslexic and can get very demoralised at the reading material given to him at school. Calibre has enabled him to read books by a wide range of authors that are appropriate to his age and interest level. It has opened a world for him which he didn’t think he would be able to access’Michael Lewington, Director of Calibre Audio LibraryCalibre Audio LibraryCalibre has nearly 11,000 unabridged titles available to anyone over 16 and nearly 3,000 titles especially for students under 16, grouped by key stage or study level for guidance. Books can be borrowed on MP3 CD, USB memory stick, streamed or downloaded via the Calibre Audio Library app, so they really can be taken anywhere.We offer a Group Membership for schools and organisations for an annual subscription fee of £18 (inc. VAT).Alternatively, parents can buy individual lifetime memberships for their child for a single one-off payment of £20 per child (£35 for over 16s).Each membership includes a personalised service, 24 hour access to our library via the internet, unlimited numbers of books to stream or download, newsletters and updates on new books added to our library. We post the MP3 CD’s and USB memory sticks direct to your home. To join or for more information contact our membership services team:01296 432339 membershipservices@calibre.org.uk www.calibre.org.uk‘Thank you from myself and my daughter for giving her access to your library. Meg is 9 and very dyslexic. Audio books have been great for her and she loves the worlds of Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl amongst others. Who doesn’t? For a child who loves stories but has great difficulty reading, it would be a shame if she couldn’t get to experience these books at her age!’Audio books mean children won’t miss out.Calibre Audio Library registered charity no. 286614, VAT no. 138840202"
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Assistive Technology

Education for Everyone

4 Dec 2018

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      string(5608) "experience the terrifying in a safe environment and fantasy is by far the most popular genre amongst young people. Reading is cool again and it is the headliners of the last decade that have made it so:  Harry Potter, 50 Shades of Grey, Pride and Prejudice, The Da Vinci Code and Paddington Bear.  Not necessarily all great literature, but they have encouraged complete strangers to talk to each other about books and their reading experience. There are lots of ways you can get your reading too: most library services now offer e books, e audiobooks, talking books and Large Print as well as picture books, paperbacks and hardbacks.  In addition, let’s not forget that reading is a crucial skill: without it, you cannot function in the 21st century, so why not make it as accessible as possible.Personally, I hate the slogan: Libraries are not just about books.  Why would you promote a negative?  Why not say:  Libraries have the most fantastic selection of books to suit all ages and tastes and they are free, but libraries also offer so much more. The six Universal Offers that all Libraries work to in England as devised by the Society of Chief Librarians are Learning, Information, Digital, Reading, Health and Culture.  Everything we do in terms of activity in our Libraries supports those offers and will also, I guarantee, support the main aims and objectives of the local council. In my case, this is to raise aspiration, grow the economy, promote health and well-being and keep people connected. Our activity might look ‘nice’ or ‘fluffy’ on the surface, but there will always be an underpinning agenda.Keeping learning has been identified as one of the 5 Ways to Well-Being and the computer age makes so many opportunities available for online learning.  This is a key area where libraries level the playing field through our People’s Network computers, granting everyone access to the Internet through their public library service. The great philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie, endowed so many public libraries to give everyone the opportunity to gain knowledge and learning regardless of economic standing or background. That is so true today.  In my borough, 13% of people are digitally illiterate in an age where digital competence is becoming an essential skill.  It’s not just about owning the computer or the tablet or the Smartphone; there are the costs of the broadband to enable you to use it, so all our libraries in my borough and most across the country now have wi-fi.  There is also the issue of learning the skills to go beyond Facebook or messaging.  To my mind, in this field, libraries are more important than ever.We also offer space and opportunity to our Adult Learning programme to deliver formal learning in a non-threatening environment in our library spaces, to encourage many who felt that learning had not been a great experience to give it another go.  Just to add, in the Liverpool City region alone, 143,000 people do not have basic qualifications. Through our public libraries, we can support them to get, either the skills that they need to move forward and get into employment or volunteering.Libraries also hold the keys to the world of Local History, helping people to nurture a sense of civic pride in achievement and also, through learning from the past, to look to the future and the possibilities inherent in innovation and enterprise.  The rise in interest in family history and tracing one’s family tree has opened a whole new seam for libraries, many of whom have some amazing treasures to share.In the health arena, libraries have a huge role to play.  Seventy-four per cent of health information that people access through Google is simply wrong and a librarian can help people access the information they need through pointing them to verified and verifiable schemes, the librarian’s mantra.  The three Books on Prescription schemes operated by most public libraries, do much to help people learn about common mental health issues, cope with dementia, either as a sufferer or a carer, and help a parent or a young person manage the increasingly worrying number of issues that our young people are reporting in terms of their mental health and well-being.  All my staff are trained as Dementia Friends.In my borough, we have seen the benefits of delivering an Arts on Prescription programme through our libraries, a return on investment of a staggering £11.55 for each £1 spent.  But so much of what we do is not measurable: who can say what the elderly gentleman who comes in to read the paper and do the jigsaw puzzle in our library is gaining? 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Family

Public Libraries More Important Than You Might Imagine

17 Apr 2018

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      string(5617) "tackling diversity concerns throughout thepublishing ecosystem – from the people writing books to the eventual audiencesreading them. When we launched the report, we spoke to 12 brilliant authors,illustrators and poets to ask them about their experience seeing themselves onthe page. Bali Rai, author of Mohinder’sWar (Bloomsbury), told us, “Characters ofSouth Asian heritage, and the stories of magic and wonder from that region,simply didn’t exist in British publishing when I was a child. I always thoughtbooks were about other people, never about me or people in my family.” Conversely, top children’sillustrator Dapo Adeola, (Look Up! andClean Up! Puffin) told us that a recent picture book, purchased when hebecame a godparent two years ago, was the first time he’d felt truly “seen” ina children’s book. Both Adeola and Rai contributed to a booklistwith representation at its heart, available for teachers, parents and carers onthe National Literacy Trust’s Words for Life page.We workclosely with publishers to distribute and champion books by a diverse range ofauthors. Our Arts Council England-funded campaign Connecting Stories, which launches in January, has been set up to connectchildren in 14 regions across the UK, our ‘Hubs’, with authors and artists fromthe country’s best-known publishers. It aims to show children and young peoplehow important their area is to the people behind the books they read andinspire a love of reading and creative writing. Onepublisher, Bloomsbury, is our partner in the literacy Hub in Hastings. It hasjust provided children and young people with 11,000 books for December. Many ofthese books, like Kate Pankhurst’s FantasticallyGreat Women Who Worked Wonders (Bloomsbury), are intended to encourage and inspire young people. The book,written by a descendant of Emmeline Pankhurst, has been distributed to KeyStage 2 pupils to show them the women who pioneered careers, from scientists tohot air balloonists. Penguin Books launched its Lit in Colour campaign last autumn which aims to support schools to diversify the teaching and learning of English literature and connect more students with books by writers of colour. A key part of the campaign includes commissioning research in partnership with race equality think tank The Runnymede Trust to better understand the barriers to a more representative curriculum, and explore possible solutions, with the voices and views of teachers and young people front and centre.Live survey There is currently a live survey for primary and secondary teachers of English to better understand teachers’ perspectives on teaching more diverse texts available via penguin.co.uk/litincolour. Lit in Colour also pledges to offer long term support to teachers and schools including book donations, and free teaching resources – informed by the findings of the research. Alongside this campaign, the publisher is also committed to publishing more books by writers of colour for readers of every age. Tom Weldon,CEO of Penguin Random House UK, said: “Atits best, English Literature offers young people a passport to see andunderstand the world through others’ eyes, inspire a lifelong love of readingand a fundamental sense of belonging. But the reality is that our young peopleare still studying a mostly white, mostly male English Literature curriculum:one which neither reflects contemporary society nor inspires a generation toread outside of their classes. We are joining forces with The Runnymede Trustto support the many schools and teachers working hard to make change on theground, and to better understand the depth and breadth of this issue.”What’s next?We are working with publishers, many of whom arecommitted to publishing more diverse books, to ensure our charity partners witha representative range of authors, illustrators and storytellers across thecountry and gets books into the hands of children that they can really engageand connect with. For example, to provide additional support foryoung women through our Words for Work: Women in Leadership programme withLancôme, we launched Behind the Cover, an audiobook club for all women andnon-binary readers aged 16 and over to access for free at home. It’s a bookclub that celebrates brilliant, diverse books with women at the centre of thestories. We have an extensive network across the UK thatallows us to find creative ways to get these books into the hands of childrenand young people who need them the most. As one example, our Young WritersProgramme delivers poetry writing because young people living in financialdisadvantage are more likely to read and write their own poetry. We help teachersdiversify their poetry repertoire by sharing poetry by writers from ethnicminorities in the UK, Black writers from the UK and the US, and poetry inEnglish or translation from writers living across the world including thoseresiding in the global south. We also share model poems by writers identifyingas LGBTQ+ and give teachers the tools to integrate these poems into theirteaching strategies.The project managers for all our programmes workwith schools and the community to learn about children’s individual backgroundsand experiences. Programmes like Premier League Primary Stars, Skills Academyand Game Changers feature texts and resources that reflect the schools andcommunities that we work with: texts are from a diverse range of writers andfeature diverse characters.175,000five-year-olds in England started primary school without the communication,language and literacy skills"
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Creative Teaching & Learning

The Importance Of Seeing Yourself In What You Read

11 Jan 2021

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      string(5604) "gigabytes than others andbecause we use the iPads for taking photos and producing videos they quickly become‘clogged’ up, so in order to keep them in good working order they do need someoneto manage and maintain them. If finances were unlimited I’d love to be able to allocate“ On-goingfrustrations include theblocking of functionssuch as Face Timeand Skype and theblocking of automaticupdates that thencreate a synchingback log but we’reworking on it ”e-learning–Technology44Volume3.3nCreativeTeaching&Learninga class a set of iPads with a designated Mac and Apple account, in a secondary schoola departmental approach would perhaps be pertinent?The decision to allocate staff iPads also required a degree of risk management. Myrationale was clear, we are avid bloggers as a school and allocating staff iPads meantthey could use the WordPress app making blogging effortless and so a key element ofalmost every lesson. It also meant that staff could source apps, which were purposefuland enhanced learning. The School Leadership Team have iPads with 3G capabilitywhich means that we can blog ‘live’ on school trips, as well as using the iPads increasinglyas a management tool. Clearly having devices that have images of children on and thatcan be taken off site needs to be securely managed. We are absolutely vociferous in ourpursuit of Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) and photographic consent at the beginning of theschool year and secure 100 per cent return. Staff also sign AUPs that include protocolsaround not synching their iPad with the iCloud so that school images and personalphotos aren’t merged, photos are cleared regularly, iPads are all password protectedand have the Find My iPhone app installed so they can be located and/or wiped in theevent of loss or theft. Getting staff on board hasn’t been an issue and training has beenminimal as they are such an innate tool with such obvious potential.Appealing to the next generationFrom the outset our iPad ‘relationship’ has required commitment and work but therewards have been immense!We use iPads across our whole setting from our very youngest children in the ChildrenCentre (aged 6 weeks to 3 years). They and the Foundation Stage have access to iPadsas part of continuous provision. Again they are so user friendly that the children quicklybecome adept at using and navigating between apps. We have slightly more robustcovers in the Children’s Centre but ‘normal’ covers in the Foundation Stage as I have apersonal hatred of the ‘plastic’ covers that make them ten times bigger and look like atoy. We just teach them to be careful and respectful, which has paid off as in two yearswe have only had three broken screens and one of those was mine! The children wereinitially in awe of the devices but their use is now so common place that they don’tgive them a second thought – they are awe struck by the learning opportunities theirteachers offer but it is worth remembering that the iPads are sometimes a part of thatand sometimes not.Volume3.3nCreativeTeaching&Learning45e-learning–TechnologyUnlike a laptop or a tablet the iPad really encourages collaboration, on a desk theycreate no physical barrier and in the very best lessons children will slip seamlesslyfrom using the iPad for research to writing in their books or on pupil white boards,they are as likely to complete an ‘actual’ post it snow storm as they are a ‘virtual’ one,using apps such as Corkboardme, and are equally as competent at engaging in both.QR code scanners such as QR HD or QR Code Scan offer a seamless link to the Internet.QR code ‘treasure hunts’ offer learning that is active and engaging and can be highlypersonalised. Children scan the codes which are linked to problems/tasks that aredifferentiated or that offer a visual and auditory prompt – this was highly effective in arecent Year 2 maths lesson focusing on word problems where learners were supported,as the problems could be read and heard. QR codes were also a powerful addition toour ‘Art Week’ displays, they linked parents to videos of the children completing theart and offered a narrative of what they had done.Key apps for allDeveloping the communication, language and literacy skills of our learners is a particularpriority for us as a school. In addition to a raft of phonics apps including MontessoriWords, Word Wizard, and Pocket Phonics, apps such as Puppet Pals, I Can Animateand Sock Puppets have supported story telling skills – our Foundation Stage childrenindependently and competently retold the The Gruffalo supported by animationusing Puppet Pals. Our older children have used the Audioboo and Voice Threadapp to share and re-tell their stories. Comic Life offers a great opportunity for storyboarding, using photos or saved images. The images found in apps such as GuardianEyewitness offer fantastic speaking and listening and story stimuli as do the adventuregames such as Myst and Citadel that can also be bought as apps. The Kindle app offersthe opportunity to download and use a range of texts as part of Guided Reading, thehighlighting and note taking function work effectively to support inference work. Therange of interactive books is also growing – Heart in a Bottle by Oliver Jeffers is, in myopinion, an absolute must!iPads have become an integral tool for supporting the learning and inclusion ofchildren who access the school’s Communication and Interaction Resourced Provision– these children all have statements of SEN and have a range of complex expressive orreceptive"
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Creative Teaching & Learning

iPad innovation

5 Dec 2012