Is there really a school to prison pipeline for struggling readers?
Literacy and Behaviour
Sometimes, working with young people living chaotic lives, you only get a very short time to make a difference. Here’s what only 4 hours of That Reading Thing can do.
‘I don’t do education’
A woman from the Basic Skills Agency insisted, ‘You can’t just sit a young offender down at a table and teach them to read.’
Where reading can take you
Choosing text for struggling readers – start with what they know and take them somewhere less familiar. Raise your expectations and see where reading can take you.
Reading Anxiety
Some hide their anxiety and suffer quietly while others express it in disruptive or self-harming behaviour. There are young people who panic at the sight of text in every secondary school.
Shame or Safety?
If a 13/15/20 year old can’t read very well then they have already experienced enough shame. If they’re not already angry, they soon will be.