We are delighted to have Alex Quigley, a renowned literacy specialist, contributor to Educational Endowment Foundation (EEF) research and publications and author of several best-selling books (including Closing the Reading Gap and Closing the Vocabulary Gap) join us for three sessions in May and June. During these sessions Alex will share insights and evidence-informed approaches that teachers can employ in their practice. There will be a follow-up session on 15th June for attendees to discuss what they have taken from the sessions, as well as a platform to discuss how the RIC can best support you going into the 2022-2023 school year.
Closing the Reading Gap with Alex Quigley
11th of May at 4pm – Alex explores the brilliantly complex act of reading in this session. He tackles practical issues, such as developing reading fluency, and how to support pupils to become strategic and knowledgeable readers. The session draws upon Alex’s best-selling book for teachers, and is research-informed but also packed with practical strategies every teacher can apply in the classroom.
Sign up via CPD Manager – course ID: 78388
Literacy across Learning with Alex Quigley
25th of May at 4pm – During this one-hour session Alex draws upon his classroom practice and a wealth of research evidence to explore the challenges pupils face when it comes to literacy in the classroom. In this session, he explores the importance of ‘disciplinary literacy’, focusing on how pupils develop as readers and writers across the curriculum. The session includes practical strategies to develop reading, writing and vocabulary approaches that unlock the curriculum for students and help ensure their success.
Sign up via CPD Manager – course ID: 78133
*This session is also part of the Forth Valley and West Lothian Regional Improvement Collaborative’s Futureproofing Pedagogy Series, which runs every Wednesday from 4pm from 26th April until 1st June.
Closing the Vocabulary Gap with Alex Quigley
7th of June at 4pm – Alex explores the phenomenon of the ‘vocabulary gap’ and its crucial impact on learning in the classroom. In this session, he explores how teachers can support vocabulary through rich academic talk, alongside applying vocabulary approaches to ensure pupils read and write with success. Alex holds a mirror up to word-rich classrooms and offers practical strategies that you can apply in your own classroom context.
Sign up via CPD Manager – course ID: 78389
Closing the Literacy Gap
15th of June at 4pm – This session is an opportunity for practitioners who attended Alex Quigley’s sessions to meet up and discuss the key messages covered in the sessions, as well as sharing ideas on what type of support they would like from the Forth Valley and West Lothian Regional Improvement Collaborative in the 2022-23 school year.
Sign up via CPD Manager – course ID: 78697
Falkirk Children’s Services Literacy Team would like to wish all colleagues a Happy New Year and heart-felt good wishes for 2021. This succinct post collates sources of support for remote literacy teaching and learning from local, regional collaborative and national sources. Please contact us using the email details at the end of this post for further support or to share other valuable sources with Falkirk colleagues.