News Flash! It's a Game Changer

Why?

The research reinforces this initiative and will see our students engaged in reading, increasing their vocabulary, and instilling life-long reading habits!

I love the buzz of Term One. Despite not always admitting it, most boys are excited to be back, at school filled with the anticipation and high hopes of what lies ahead. For our newest group of Year 7 students, the delightful mix of awe and intrigue remains etched on their faces for at least the first term. It is endearing to witness them wandering around Westcourt taking in their new library space, keen to check out all it has to offer… and best of all, they want to read everything! This initial buzz of energy and enthusiasm for reading is what we aspire to capture and sustain here at ATC…before the inevitable distractions that are typical of Middle School creep in!

Research indicates that the middle years of schooling are when most teens’ reading habits decline. This is not a new revelation. As technology continues to subjugate nearly every facet of modern life, the urgency for us to come up with fresh ways to propel the humble print book back into the hands of our teens has become vastly apparent.

Recently I read a feature article in The Weekend Australian written by one of my favourite authors and columnists, Nikki Gemmell. Her article shone a spotlight on concerns about reading trends amongst young people and the ripple effect this might have on Australia’s publishing industry. Her opening line was, ‘Is the reading of books falling off a cliff?’ All I could think was … ‘What a depressing thought’!

Gemmell is not alone in her fears. Unless you’re a smugly voracious reader, it is a concern shared by many teachers, librarians and parents. Will consuming a novel one day “become as niche as the devouring of classical music: a world not dying but…shrinking?”

Public discussion of literacy typically focuses on teaching children how to read but too often ignores the next vital phase: developing life-long reading habits. Yet, this is the heart of the problem for the majority of Australian students for whom, the decline in regular reading begins in upper primary and then accelerates through high school and beyond.

“They encounter a perfect storm of distractions: they have more access to screens, greater independence, increasing reliance on social media. So by the age of 15, students will read “only if I have to”. (Merga, 2022)

Whilst many primary schools allocate approximately 10 minutes per day to ‘silent reading’ this is almost unheard of in secondary schools. Yet, this is where the greatest drop-off occurs! It is also when parents tend to withdraw from active supervision, no longer reading aloud or sharing books and reading with their children in the same way.

As a parent expressed to me recently; “In Year 5, he was a bookworm. In Year 7, he started to spend more time on screens than in books and by Year 9, he was only reading prescribed texts for school.” This sentiment is echoed throughout the teaching profession, among academics and by parents of teens.

If you ask me, I believe that it is a matter of urgency for us to get books back into the hands of boys so they can enjoy reading for pleasure, not just purpose. Senior Lecturer and Researcher at Newcastle University, Dr Margaret Merga identified the following key benefits of reading for pleasure:

A similar program was trialled at an independent school in Sydney, whereby a whole-school reading program was implemented. Their results after just 6 months were staggering. Teachers involved in the study observed that the program ‘centred and settled’ their students, making them more receptive to the lesson. Teachers observed that students’ vocabulary and comprehension had vastly improved and further to that, creativity and imagination had flourished in their writing. Library borrowing rates had increased by over 400% and students were often seen around campus with their heads in books between classes. Families were even reporting their child was reading more at home and this encouraged other family members to join in too.

Wow, all that from just timetabling reading? We’ll have what they’re having, please!, and so, ‘Flash Fiction’ in our Year 7 classes was launched!

Skill Development

Students will develop better vocabulary, comprehension, writing, general knowledge, conceptual ability and even, in the case of reading fiction, greater empathy and better interpersonal skills.

Engagement

Students develop a desire to read and use literacy, recognise, and understand print, obtain ideas from the written word, and learn from and with others.

Wellbeing

Students are given time to calm down, relax and refocus.

Sounds great…so what is ATC doing about it?

We are mandating a time for our Year 7 students to just read, and we call it ‘Flash Fiction’! This simple, yet highly effective initiative is underpinned by extensive research into the benefits of reading for pleasure. Dr Merga's research paper, "Teachers’ perceptions of the benefits and challenges of a whole school reading for pleasure program", outlines a number of key benefits from the simple act of reading each day.

How does it work?

Because we know that volitional reading is paramount to the program’s success, boys choose their own novel during their library lesson. We also encourage them to carry their book around with them all day, preferably in their laptop bag. We want them to know that their novel is just as important as their laptop and should remain with them in every lesson. This way, it is hoped, boys will read for pleasure wherever and whenever the opportunity arises.

To ensure success, we are adhering to the key provisions outlined in Merga’s research:

Flash Fiction is for leisure reading, not catching up on school texts (even novels). This signals that reading is not merely something mandated by a prescribed curriculum and begins to establish a broader habit.

The focus is on fiction. Non-fiction is great, but the greatest improvements in growth and learning are with fiction.

Modelling is important, so teachers also must down tools (no marking or checking emails) to read with their students. This includes support staff!

We read for 15 minutes in silence. Anything less than 15 minutes is too short to develop reading stamina, and even those students who believed they couldn’t concentrate in silence find that they quickly adapt.

We read from a book, not a screen. The human brain reads more fluently and with better comprehension from paper and, more practically, the temptation to do something other than read on a digital device is avoided.

How’s it all going?

So far, so good! As you would expect, borrowing rates have dramatically increased and I’m already having conversations with many Year 7 boys who excitedly tell me that they are now hooked on a particular book or author, simply because the time has been carved out for them in the busyness of their school day. Here's a few photos of boys snapped reading in Week 9. They are deep into their books and enjoying an afternoon read!

If the current trajectory continues and boys carry on showing an interest in reading for pleasure, as they have demonstrated so far this year, we will see our boys thinking more positively about reading, have improved mental wellbeing and improving across all areas of their learning! If all of this can be achieved with just the enjoyment of a good book... what’s not to love about that?!

Happy reading! Why not check out our latest newsletter from the Library HERE.

Kristy Reynoldson

Head of Library Services

Collins, Vanessa & Dargan, Isaac & Walsh, Rosalind & Merga, Margaret. (2022). Teachers' perceptions of the benefits and challenges of a whole school reading for pleasure program. Issues in Educational Research. 32. 89-104.

Gemmell, N. (2023, January 28). We'll always have stories - but if feels like the potency of books is softening. Weekend Australian Magazine.