OU Collaborates with The Reading Agency on Teachers' Reading Challenge

Following the recent Reading Together Day initiative, the OU's Reading for Pleasure programme, headed up by Professor Teresa Cremin (Education, Childhood, Youth and Sport), has partnered with The Reading Agency to launch a Teachers' Reading Challenge. Due to launch on 14 August, the initiative aims to create a community for teachers to share their thoughts and recommendations on children's literature.

Similar to The Reading Agency's popular Summer Reading Challenge, which is run annually to motivate more children to read during the break from school, the Teachers' Reading Challenge invites teachers to read and comment on up to six children's books on a dedicated Teachers' Reading Challenge website. The hope is that the site will become a hub for teachers to deepen knowledge of children's literature, access resources and share recommendations and advice on encouraging their students to read more.

Academic lead of the OU's Reading for Pleasure programme, Professor Teresa Cremin said: "OU research shows that teacher's knowledge of children's literature is the cornerstone of effective reading for pleasure practise in school (Cremin et al., 2014). The Teachers Reading Challenge offers a practical and engaging way for teachers and student teachers to widen their repertoires, rekindle their pleasure in reading and share their passion with children."

CEO of The Reading Agency, Karen Napier commented: "We're thrilled to be teaming up with The Open University to present the Teachers' Reading Challenge. Every year, teachers across the country support the Reading Agency's Summer Reading Challenge and help their students discover the joy of reading – and we're delighted that we can now offer them a dedicated platform to engage with the wider teaching community and delve into the world of children's literacy."

Further information about the Teacher's Reading Challenge will be announced in the following weeks on the OU's Reading for Pleasure and The Reading Agency's websites.