This term, I will continue to log my thoughts and experiences as any journal or blog and what I have learn't from it. Even in full time work, this is a learning journey and a place for me to reflect.
One task that I've been doing this term has been the cataloguing of the items featuring in the Premiers Reading Challenge. I've been a supporter of it because it gives kids an incentive to read and the titles on the list cater to all reading abilities and all reading interests.
I wish it had been around when I was at school because reading was treated as chore. We had to read because our teachers made us do it with designated periods to do so in the library. I loved to read and as a adult love to read, but I was not allowed to read non fiction books for instance. It had to be fiction. There were no reading lists and if you didn't read a certain amount, there was the possibility of detention. Some items were also studied in English and you had to read the book whether you liked it or not. I think it turned me off from reading until I was at University, when I rediscovered the marvels of reading a book.
The Premiers Reading Challenge actually gives incentive for kids to read. A challenge is set for them to read a certain number of books of their choice (from a list) within a specified time frame. Even magazine articles and newspaper articles can be counted if they come across an item that interests them. I was amazed to see them listed (under various). People love to work towards a goal, and the Premiers Reading Challenge does that.
