Raising Readers - Megan Daley

The Sydney Weekend magazine in The Daily Telegraph (July 26-27, 2025) recently published an extract by Megan Daley, author of Raising Readers: How to Nurture a Child's Love of Books. A new edition of her 2019 book has just been published. 

She believes in the Science of Reading, which draws from neuroscience, linguistics, and cognitive psychology, asserting that reading and writing are not natural skills like speaking but need deliberate teaching.

Daley also suggests parents:

• Advocate for evidence-based literacy instruction
• Understand how reading works
• Support children at home with rich oral and print language environments
• Collaborate with educators and specialists (e.g., speech pathologists, psychologists)

For me, this reinforces what I see in the library each day. Children need more than access to books. They need explicit support and encouragement to become confident readers. The research is important, but so too is the human side of teaching — the conversations, the joy of sharing stories, and the chance to guide a student towards a book that sparks their interest.

As teacher librarians, we can bridge research and practice. We create spaces where reading feels valued, support colleagues in evidence-based literacy, and help families see the vital role they play. Each child who moves from “learning to read” to “reading to learn” is a reminder that raising readers is both science and art.

Decline in Reading ("Good Weekend" Magazine Article - 5 July 2025)

An article was published recently in Good Weekend Magazine (The Sydney Morning Herald/The Age) on July 5 that raised concerns about the decline in reading amongst Australians, particularly school students. 

A number of issues associated with reading and literacy were raised, which included the following:

• 29% of secondary school students no longer read for pleasure.
• Year 9 writing standards have slipped to the standard of a primary schooler.
• As many as one in three students in a typical classroom struggle with reading.
• Debates over how reading should be taught.
• Under-resourcing of school libraries and, in some schools, the removal of their libraries altogether.
• Decline in reading for leisure has resulted in poorer writing skills.
• Less critical engagement with texts in the classroom as a result of less reading.
• Difficulty in publishing successful titles. Fewer and fewer titles are being released each year that become "best sellers"

The role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Social Media was also explored, and the impact it has on reading and writing, e.g. ChatGPT can produce essays that cannot be detected as being AI-generated. 

A warning is given: if we as a nation fail to address the decline in reading and literacy skills, there will be significant social and economic consequences in the years ahead. 

I have always believed that reading underpins success in life.  I believe that reading is an essential skill that one should possess, as it forms a foundation for success in learning and active participation in society. 

This article will assist in library advocacy, particularly in highlighting the importance of reading to ones broader development, but also to boost reading and writing skills.

Reference:

Callaghan, G., 2025, ‘A ticking time bomb’: How Australia’s reading slump is making us stupid, The Sydney Morning Herald, viewed 1 August 2025, <https://www.smh.com.au/national/a-ticking-time-bomb-how-australia-s-reading-slump-is-making-us-stupid-20250501-p5lvoe.html>.

Historical Fiction on the up for youngsters?

The Australian recently published an article (below) on the increasing appeal of historical fiction among youngsters, especially those with plots focusing on spies, bombings, and young resistance fighters. As a history teacher, it's also a fun and entertaining way to learn about the history of our world. 

Source: Tranchtenberg, J.A. (2025) ‘World War II turns another page’, The Australian, 12 May, p. 14.

Engaging Reluctant Readers - SLANSW Webinar (February 2025)

The School Library Associaton of NSW (SLANSW), commenced its monthly webinar series this week. The theme was Practical ways to engage reluctant readers and featured contributions from Allison Tait (Author), Jade Arnold (NSW Premier’s Program Officer – Reading and Spelling) & Amanda Craig (Teacher Librarian - Telarah Public School)

I attended because I facilitate a READ group at school for students in Years' 10-12 that struggle to actively participate in the daily 20 minute session, where all students engage a time of silent reading, and wanted to be informed of some strategies applied to by others to encourage reluctant readers to add to my "tool kit".

I know two other READ groups that provide additional support to students in my school, and I should invite those groups to borrow during READ time. I have a small group already, and with my session in the library, I can open up the space to invite groups to borrow during that time and provide the opportunities that my group has access to, such as the lounges and beanbags to encourage them to relax. This would support the suggestion to make all students in a class borrow a book, unless there is a book of their own that interests them.

Reading goals are essential as well to encourage reluctant readers. I applied this strategy with general class groups e.g Litgym at MLC School (2014), but should use this to both groups as well. It has worked for me with regular groups and I cannot see why it would fail with both groups.

Book labels also arose, and I didn't realise the impact they could have on reluctant readers, given that genre labels can guide students in selecting related texts or reading particular stories that interest them. I have been involved in the setup at my school. While it has consumed time and resources, it is a good investment, even if it's not a financial one because my goal is to have students borrowing and reading books that interest them. If students borrow and read more, I will be happy, and feedback from the wider student body will be favourable to date. 

Improving Graphic Novel Collections in schools

In the latest issue of INCITE magazine by ALIA (Australian Library and Information Association), I read a case study on Barker College Library’s efforts to expand and update its graphic novel and manga collections. In 2024, the library undertook a review to ensure those collections align with student interests and to encourage diverse reading experiences. The process involved forming a committee, gathering data and consulting students. 

As a result, they made informed decisions to refresh displays, shorten loan periods (two weeks to one week) and introduce new, age-appropriate titles.  

One of the changes implemented by Barker College has been reducing the loan period from two weeks to one week. At my school, graphic novels are loaned for two weeks, and to encourage greater engagement with graphic novels, I should consider whether a shorter loan period would work for them.

Selecting age-appropriate manga is a challenge that confronts school libraries. While manga titles have a rating system, some of the themes may not be consistent with the rating, so it does need to be scrutinised. It also needs to align with the values and ethos of the school, whether it is a public or private school. 

Devices eroding teens' reading attention (Newspaper feature)

Recently, The Sydney Morning Herald published a feature on the 2024 What Kids Are Reading Report by Renaissance Education, based on data from the Accelerated Reader Program, used by 440 schools across Australia.

Source: Harris, C. 2024. "Devices eroding teens' reading attention. The Sydney Morning Herald, October 26: 9. 

A table towards the top right of the article lists the top 20 books read by students in Years 9 to 12. While the number of books read by students has increased, concerns were raised about the difficulty of reading texts—students opting for easier rather than more challenging reads.

Diana Wing (Renaissance Education Australia) attributes this to a preference for social media and, hence, a preference for literature that does not require sustained focus. 

The challenge for me, as a Teacher Librarian, and for every Teacher Librarian, is to encourage and provide access to more challenging texts that require a more sustained focus. This adds to the challenge of just getting a person to read.

The second half of the article focuses on the role of school libraries in advocating for reading. Author Andy Griffiths stated that "libraries were essential to building a school's reading culture and ensuring that students, teachers and parents had access to and knowledge of a panoply of books". 

What is meant by Wide Reading?

"You need to broaden your wide reading."

Two months ago, a colleague at school made this remark to me. I was asked if I had read certain novels. I had not heard about many of them. However, some were classic novels that I may look at reading in the future and was "instructed" to re-read certain titles because of student interest or because of their place in the curriculum.

To me "wide reading" has been about spending a period of time e.g. thirty minutes or one hour reading, focusing on literature of interest but also challenging myself to read a variety of literature.

On a typical day, I will spend on average between one hour and one and a half hours a day reading books. I also read the newspaper for about an hour a day on top of my book reading. 

My reading preferences are geared towards non-fiction, since I enjoy reading about the world that we live in and boosting my general knowledge including:

• Geopolitics (It has helped me understand some of the challenges facing the world right now e.g. Ukraine and China)
• History
• Poiltics
• Economics
• Business
• Social Trends/Current Affairs
• Biographies 

When I choose to read fiction I prefer:

• Young Adult Literature (helps me with book recommendations)
• Storylines reflecting issues facing society (including diversity)
• Science Fiction 
• Historical Fiction
• "Political Fiction" - Storylines focusing on politics

At times I have challenged myself to read items that may come from other genres such as Fantasy or Classics to help me recommend suitable literature to read to my students.

I feel thats wide enough for my reading

But some definitions of  "wide reading" focus on reading a wide range of literature relating to a specific topic e.g. Australian History or genre and being able to understand and comprehend its content. Did my colleague see it this way? 

What does "wide reading" mean to you?

Representation Matters: Embracing Diversity and Inclusion - SLANSW Summit

The School Library Association of NSW (SLANSW) held the first of its biannual summits for 2022 which was provided online on Saturday.

The focus was on embracing diversity and inclusion and attending on Saturday was a must given that in a secondary setting, students are indicating a preference for literature that reflects the world around them.

Two items stood out on Saturday

Firstly, I enjoyed listing to keynote speaker - Will Kostakis (Author), who provided a wonderful overview of his writing career, and the challenges that he has faced in writing literature as his novels such as The First Third and Sidekicks have been inspired by his experience growing up as gay. He had been told that he had to "de gay" the storyline for The First Third. I have read both of those titles and are very well written.

Secondly, Pooja Mathur (Teacher Librarian, The Kings School & ) presented a workshop that helped us to identify suitable literature that can be representative of all students within your school including authors. In our resource acquistion, we had to consider the impact the story may have on the reader and if it improves our understanding of an issue. Also how can we classify it. "Relationships" was recommended. Promotion of literature that is from the "Relationships" genre is straightforward and can be easily applied in my practice.

One matter raised during the day was the amount of censorship or concerns that have been raised about books and how they may "misrepresent" certain groups or issues in society.  Even great and bestseller books have been listed as doing so, even though the intention is to provide an insight into their world but also help society understand their needs and issues in a positive way. I would not be surprised if these concerns are being raised more by the "politically correct" or "woke" groups in our society in terms of outing the faults in books, and not realising the debate and discussion and positive change that has stemmed from the publication of the book.

I am currently a Metropolitan Representative on the School Library Association of NSW Management Committee.

Concerns over Reading for Pleasure

Yesterday, The Australian published an overview of the findings from OECD, 21st‑Century Readers: Developing Literacy Skills in a Digital World.

It was concerning for Australia. The research established that increased internet usage was leading to a decrease in students reading for pleasure. 32% of Australian teenagers felt that reading was a "waste of time" and 58% read because "I have to". 

Reading for pleasure has been linked to performance in reading scores. Those who read for pleasure received scores up to 86 points higher than those who dont read. 

With Australia slipping against other OECD countries in reading scores and rankings, this is suggesting that engagement with reading amongst children is on the decline.

The research also identified that teachers contribute towards higher reading scores if students were required to read texts e.g. set text or read one book per fortnight and if the texts contained more than 101 pages. It also encouraged reading for pleasure.

Click here to view the article (You will need to be a subscriber to The Australian) to access the content.

Literature Circles

I have been a opportunity to fill for a Teacher Librarian for the next few weeks. One initative that their school has been doing with a very small group of selected students in Years' 8 and 10 is to engage in a fortnightly literature circle. 

I met two groups this week and was encouraged by their participation. The Year 10 group focused this week on the concept of the literature circle, its conventions and the roles that each member will have as they commence reading The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. I am looking forward to what they have to say in less than two weeks time. I will be reading alongside them as well which is my main reading challenge for the next fortnight.

The Year 8 group were one session ahead and for a first session, did well. Generally they were fufilling their roles well. There are areas to work on, but this will be developed over time. They definately had read the part of the book that they were required to read. Even though I have not read the book, I was listening and was interested in the discussion and was able to even pose questions to the group, because I was keen to engage with them and find out more about the book.

Literature Circles have a core benefit in encouraging critical thinking about a text that a person has read and scaffolds guide discussion, which should eventually become free flowing. The requirement to think critically also fuels their comprehension skills as the reader/s have to explore their text in greater detail. 

Reading and Wellbeing

Last week, I attended Reading for Wellbeing presented by Judith Wellman as part of the School Library Association of NSW (SLANSW) conference - Reach out through Reading.

It was a highly informative presentation and gained some new insights that I didn't expect to know.

One point that was emphasised is that we should get to know Student Welfare officers and school counsellors who can guide Teacher Librarians to identify issues that may be need to be focused on.

Doom and gloom seems to be state of the world at the moment, but literature can help us address them through reading stories that are motivating and inspiring.

The COVID19 outbreak is one such example. Should we be looking at stories that focus on overcoming health challenges in our lives.

Climate Change is another example. Cli-fi can be used to address this.

At the end of the day, literature relating to our wellbeing can help us build resilence in times of need but also help one another combat the day to day challenges that may confront us.

Reading and Wellbeing - The Pretest

The School Library Association of NSW is hosting the first of its two biannual conferences at the State Library of NSW this week.

I have decided to attend a workshop that will focus on reading and wellbeing.

I have challenged myself to undertake a pretest where I will brainstorm what I think about reading and wellbeing.

Next week, I will look back and reflect on what I wrote.

Reading and wellbeing...

• Calms one down when they are anxious and down.
• Stimulates the brain.
• Great recreational activity.
• Motivates people
• Allows one to play with their imagination.
• Settles a class down, especially at the start of the period.
• Can improve concentration in classroom settings and in general.
• Relaxes people (even sends them to sleep)
• Empowers other people

Teachers Talk about Literature

Cover 2 Cover had an unexpected benefit in terms of building up a culture of reading in a school and this is reinforced through articles that I have read.

One of my colleagues was assisting me with Library supervision several weeks ago. They actually leaked out their favourite book to a group of students. The teacher in question was one of those featured in the staff favourite books guessing competition.

I recall that they shared some details about the book and this got the students interested.

The students who took part in the guessing competition themselves and even after the answers were publicly revealed (once winners had collected their prizes) learnt a lot about teachers' reading preferences and I hope it might encourage them to read. If teachers can reveal their reading preferences and share it, it will motivate them to read, whether it is the books featured or other books.

Most importantly, the message conveyed to students was that teachers, even with their busy schedules put time aside to read.

Even I learnt a lot about what my colleagues like to read. I could tell that the books meant something to them.

But in the classroom, what could you do as a teacher to promote reading as a fun activity?

• Find books with storylines that relate to the work being studied in class e.g. The Lord of the Flies is fantastic in reflecting how important having laws are in society. 
• Sharing background information, especially classic novels can be used to relate them to history.
• Share quotes or extracts from books with your class.
• Talk to students about your reading and invite them to share what they read with you.
• Get students to try and identify books or stories that relate to the content studied.
• Share books relating to a specific subject, e.g. Adam Spencer's books on numbers are great for mathematics.

There might be some other ideas. What could you suggest?

Reading Reduces Anxiety - Newsletter article

Below is a short feature that I put in the school newsletter this week focusing on reading and anxiety.

According to Beyond Blue, 7% of Australian adolescents have experienced an Anxiety Disorder while around 3% have experienced a depressive disorder. Research by the Black Dog Institute has shown that 25% of adolescents are at risk of developing mental illness at some point in their lives. 

In recent times, researchers have examined whether or not reading can reduce anxiety, known as bibliotherapy. Evidence has suggested that reading a good book can reduce anxiety.

How? Reading a book allows a person to escape from the problems that they are facing, and can enter into another world. Reading can also allow a person to develop a sense of compassion and empathy but also aid in healing.

Sometimes our day doesn’t turn out the way that we wish for. Reading for pleasure is a great way to unwind after a long day at school. 

And if you are someone who travels a long way to school on public transport, reading can make the journey much more relaxing and makes the time go faster. Disruptions with your bus or train won’t be so frustrating.

The need to read for pleasure

The Weekend Australian recently published an article by Rebecca Urban on recent comments by the headmaster of the SHORE school in Sydney - Tim Wright in a school newsletter.

He was concerned that boys were too dependent on social media and online news and that it could impact on their intellectual development.

Also, he has challenged the boys to read better quality books and challenge themselves in their reading.

I agree in particular with this statement:

“Reading develops your imagin­ation, emotional skills and reasoning power. If I am a reader and I have chosen my reading wisely I will see through simplistic slogans, facile arguments and tinsel values. I will understand more completely the perspectives of other people and I will not believe in unidimensional solutions­ to life’s problems.”

I really believe that you can get great insights into the state of our world or how others see the world. I for one have believed that literary works have an underlying message that an author embeds about the world. Bear in mind that great literary works have affected historical change.

For example, Charles Dickens through his novels highlighted the atrocious conditions that workers were subjected to in 19th century Britain. That would influence improvements in working conditions and has helped each of us work in safe workplaces today.

Many teen fiction novels today are based on real-life experiences. One can gain a real understanding of the issues facing teenagers by reading the novels. In fact, they have led to a public debate on the issues themselves. This is great for the progress of society

As there is a firewall for access to The Australian online, click here to view a pdf copy of the article.

Genre Labels on Books

I am in the process of introducing spine labels at school, encouraged by the fact that most schools do so.

It has helped me immensely in helping students (or myself) in choosing a good book to read. It is part of a broader objective to move the school towards genreifying the fiction collection. Research has shown that dividing the fiction collection into genres does increase borrowing. Students feel more guided in their selection of books to read.

I have had some conversations with students this week telling them about the spine labels and they are in fact excited by the idea. It might be because its a fresh idea, or being able to easily find books in a genre that interests them.

The labels are primarily being sourced from Raeco, but some will be made in house.

I cannot find anything explicit on research about the impact of genre labels on books. However research on the broader topic of genrefication might give us some answers or clues like the link provided here.

Feel free to download and use the poster that I created for my students. It doesn't need to be too fancy.

Being passionate in our reading!!!

Teacher Librarian's have a challenge in motivating students to read.

But how they will they be encouraged to read if we as teachers don't role model the right behaviour.

I have been reading some accounts by students of why they enjoy reading. They are encouraged to read because the teacher demonstrates their passion for literature whether it might be through the exciting and engaging manner in sharing stories (changing voices etc, making students laugh) or sharing why they enjoy the book.

While I am good at enjoying reading for pleasure, I at times have neglected to share some of the passion I have for literature.

I may share with others what I am reading, but do I or the students themselves understand why.

I may tell students that I read the book, but not give reasoning as to what made it a great book.

It is even suggested that I share my experiences of how I came across the book or even the version that I have e.g. autographed editions and collectors editions to motivate them to read even more.

My challenge is to share with my students what makes the book a great read. It should not just be who the book appeals best to, but why.

Make your challenge too.

HallowRead Trivia

Recently , I was looking for ideas to do a library activity focusing on Halloween. I searched the OZTL_NET forum for ideas and liked the idea from one contributor of referring to Halloween as "HallowRead", to encourage reading.

I created a "HallowRead" quiz to challenge the Readers Club students focusing on Fantasy and Horror books. It was quite challenging but fun.

I will share this with you:

Questions
Answers
Answer Sheet

Thankyou to those on the OZTL_NET forum who shared their ideas.

Book sizes - Does big mean good?

Charles Wooley wrote an article for The Australian yesterday and has posed the question of whether or not books are being made big for marketing's sake?

He cites Mawson by Peter Fitzsimons and mentions that we don't get to read about his adventures to Antarctica until we are halfway through.

But hold on a moment? As a history trained teacher, doesn't one needs to understand the background of a person before we understand why they chose a particular path in life or made a decision/s that shaped a person into who they are?

In any story in order to understand it, we need to know one's background in life.

The size of a book should not determine whether its a good read or not. It is what is written and how it is written that determines its success.

Some of our biggest selling books are in fact books with long plots or explore an issue in depth. There are readers who will love the fine details of a character or person or of an event or topic. It is merely one's choice.

Strapped for time, there will always be shorter books or abridged versions. Some want to get the point read quickly.

It does amaze me how some smaller and shorter books retail for high prices. That question needs to be raised? No guarantee that it will be a quality read either.

Should writers show restraint? No. Let them write and let them focus on making what is written great.

As for people struggling to get to the end? I always would encourage a person to read a long book if they feel that they have the time and energy to complete it. I also believe that reading levels are important too. Weaker readers don't benefit from a long book. It's nice to set a challenge for one to read challenging texts, but they need to be realistic.

If a person cannot get there, take it steps. Aim for a book of 300 pages, then 350, then 400 pages.

Special Needs Library Programs

This term has introduced me to library programs for Special Needs students which I have actually enjoyed more than standard library lessons.

It allows me to open up and relax a little and show that passion for reading!!!

And the time is so relaxing for them too. In fact its my number one priority because I have seen them participate actively and also become more settled.

Some people might think these classes are a burden, but they are not at all.

I have been lucky to be guided in how to organise the sessions in a casual/temporary capacity as there has been a well established routine that I (and them) would like to maintain.

There is a bit of work involved in planning, but if you approach it with gusto like you do in your day to day role, you wont have a problem. Embrace it, because I think its one of the great ways you can show off your passion for reading and libraries.

The students will certainly get involved and will want to read.

But if you need somewhere to start, this document by Toronto Public Library would be a good start as it has some great guidelines but also outlines of how you can organise a library session with your special needs students.