42
“The positive results of the programme convinced us – the teachers, that such activities
are very important in developing our students. Many of my students started having fun
in reading not only the sport news, but also literature.” (Poland).
3.
Enriched Reading Culture in Schools:
The effective implementation of the
lifelong readers programme on a whole
school level resulted in an enrichment of
the reading culture of each school that
took
part.
Some
examples
are
documented below.
“The school library stock in School No. 2
was enlarged; the library stocks offer
now books in many different genres or
reading material such as magazines, newspapers, comics, films on DVD, etc. A range of
dual language texts or appropriate materials reflecting pupils’ diverse cultures and
backgrounds is available for pupils to borrow.” (Austria)
“Even teachers that were not that actively involved in the reading-promotion effort said
at the end of the day that this event should definitely be repeated next year. In the two
interviews and focus group discussion, teachers marked this whole-day event as
important because: It included a wide variety of activities; Children interacted with
diverse people: teachers, university students, actors, authors, etc.; Children did not get
bored or tired, as they would move from one activity to a completely different one and
so on; It was very well organized; Children were actively involved and engaged; Parents
were excited about the event and asked to be more intensely involved in a similar event
next year.” (Cyprus)
“Both teachers and parents remarked on the change of reading culture in the school.
This was seen as a positive development. Many remarks echo the following “it’s great to
hear kids talking about books and saying “oh have you read this one?” and “try this one”
and “oh I like that bit”.” (Ireland)
“There was a significant increase in the response to question 41, with nine more pupils
indicating that they discuss what they have read in class with their teachers and peers.
This seems to suggest that the heightened visibility of reading throughout the school has
promoted and encouraged more conversations around books. One interviewee felt that
‘children were more aware of books’.” (UK)
