Reading skills are very important in your school career and in order to function in our literate society.
However, national and international surveys have shown a declining trend in reading skills for many years. In various age groups, we observe that pupils are insufficiently able to comprehend texts in depth and assess them critically. Research has revealed a great deal about the elements that can contribute to effective reading education, but this knowledge has not yet been sufficiently incorporated into educational practice.
In order to bridge the gap between science and practice, the Zeeland Reading Literacy Education and Research Workshop was launched in 2022. In this workshop, researchers work together with teachers and other professionals from primary education, secondary education, vocational education and the libraries of Zeeland to strengthen reading education. Using a research-based approach and starting from scientific insights, participants in the workshop work on improvement plans for their own educational practice. As a starting point for these interventions, a placemat has been developed that summarises a number of building blocks for effective reading comprehension education. The content of this placemat is largely derived from the publication “The seven pillars of reading comprehension education” (Houtveen and Van Steensel, 2022).
Knowledge and work session
The participants meet about five times a year. Each meeting always consists of a knowledge session and a work session. The knowledge session is provided by a researcher or expert in the field of reading education. In recent years, lectures have been given by: Thoni Houtveen, Anne Helder, Patrick Rooijackers, Suzanne Bogaerds-Hazenberg, Joyce Gubbels, Jacqueline Evers-Vermeul, Mariska Okkinga, Mirjam Snel and Anne van Buul. In the working sessions, the participants work together in PLGs on their own improvement plans.
What makes this research workshop unique is that it brings together teachers from different educational streams. Experience in recent years has shown that this is considered to be very enriching. Attention is paid to continuity, and participants become more aware of the state of affairs in the supplying or receiving education system.
This workshop has been made possible by a grant from the Equal Opportunities Alliance of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. In the spring of 2023, Omroep Zeeland broadcast a short report about the Workshop.
If you would like to know more about the Education - Reading Skills Research Workshop, please contact the project leader: Hilde Kooiker (owp.lezen@hz.nl).
