UEA expert exhibits research at British Academy event
By: News Archive
A leading education expert from the University of East Anglia (UEA) will exhibit research around reading in schools and its lasting impression into adulthood, at the British Academy’s Summer Showcase event, later this week (22-23 June).
Dr John Gordon, Senior Lecturer in Education at the School of Education and Lifelong Learning, will present research about the role of shared reading and how childhood experiences affect attitudes to reading in adulthood.
The academic’s presentation will invite visitors to recall their own reading experiences at school and consider how group reading shaped their attitude to reading.
He will join 15 other researchers from across the UK, who conduct British Academy-funded humanities and social sciences studies and will give talks, performances and hands-on activities.
His interactive exhibit is based on his research on shared reading in the classroom, funded by his British Academy Mid-Career Fellowship.
Dr Gordon said: “Reading in adulthood should be an enjoyable, powerful and enriching experience. But for some adults, their lack of interest in reading for pleasure stems from uninspiring or negative experiences at school.
“Teachers have an important role to play in childhood when practicing shared reading in class. They are constantly making judgements about how much of the story to read, when to pause, when to question, or emphasise certain details.
“They create an experience of each story that is very different from simply reading a novel alone on the bus or sitting at home. It takes great skill to make these inspiring and enjoyable experiences for students.”
Dr Gordon’s research has important implications which could inform school curriculum and exam design.
The Showcase takes place in the British Academy’s beautiful Regency building and gardens overlooking The Mall on Carlton House Terrace. Rarely open to the public, this historic house was once home to Prime Minister William Gladstone.
The event at Carlton House Terrace, St James’s, London (SW1Y 5AH) is free to attend and open from 11am - 5pm on Friday 22 and Saturday 23 June. A special late opening of the Summer Showcase takes place on Friday 22 June with live music, activities and special performances from 6.30pm.
Related Articles
Nurses worldwide rely on intuition to triage patients
Nurses around the world use intuition to work out how sick a patient is before triaging for treatment according to new research from the University of East Anglia.
Read more
UEA nursing apprentice’s sky-high dive for Alzheimer's and Dementia awareness
On Sunday 24 September, University of East Anglia (UEA) nursing apprentice Francessca Turrell will be taking part in a charity skydive for Alzheimers Society, a UK care and research charity for people with dementia and their carers.
Read more
New book to focus on Norwich’s medieval logos
Logo Rewind: Trademarks of Medieval Norwich is a new book from UEA Publishing Project, in collaboration with CreativeUEA and featuring the work of Darren Leader, which will focus on the stories of Norwichs medieval merchants marks found in different locat
Read more