“Today a reader, tomorrow a leader”
We know that being able to read can be the gateway to a wealth of opportunities and
successes for children and adults alike, and we know that learners with SEND do not
necessarily learn to read at the same rate or in the same way as their peers in
mainstream settings. This does not mean that those learners should be discounted
from the joy and achievements that become accessible through reading.
The ability to read not only improves life chances and enhances socioeconomic
status, it also provides a means for escapism during times of difficulty and raises
aspirations. Raising aspirations is of the utmost importance for educators lucky
enough to be shaping and inspiring the minds of learners with SEND. If we instil in
our learners high aspirations, and couple this with the skills to read, we are giving
them the tools not only to survive but to thrive and flourish.
But how do we teach reading to learners who have thus far found the challenge
insurmountable? In the same way we strive to teach them any other skill. We strive
to understand what barriers they are bringing into the classroom with them, and we
endeavour to break down those barriers and close the gaps. We get to know our
learners: what engages them, what interests them and what scares them about
learning to read.
Each young person, whether in a SEND or mainstream setting, will learn in diverse
ways and it is our job as educators to embrace those differences and incorporate
multi-sensory, inspiring approaches into our pedagogical practice. As with any other
subject we teach, we first need to engage and excite. A story does not have to be
simply words on a page. A story can start with a dramatisation or a sensory journey,
or even simply an educator reading a story to a classroom of young minds, showing
them their love and passion for reading in the hopes of sharing a little bit of magic.
“Words are our most inexhaustible source of magic”
Sense Educations top educational reading books for learners with SEND :
- ‘Talisman series’ for older learners still learning to decode
- ‘Wonder’ for students to see themselves represented in literature
- ‘The Boy in the Dress’ and ‘Mr Stink’ for class readers to address social issues with humour
- ‘Michael Morpurgo Butterfly Lion’ as the perfect class reader to share with any learner
