Book Buddies
A Literacy Initiative for Beginning Teachers
The work that teachers do in relation to children’s literacy is foundational to the learning and formation of children and to ensuring that education is socially just. As a response to the need to ensure beginning teachers are adept at developing reading skills, Dr Karen Boese has led on the development of an innovative partnership-based programme that involves our Level 2 MA (Hons) Primary Education with Teaching Qualification (MAPE) students tutoring children in schools.
The programme, called Book Buddies, aims to upskill beginning teachers' abilities to ensure positive outcomes for children's literacy attainment, with a particular focus on being able to identify needs, develop targeted interventions, and assess next steps. The programme has been developed in partnership with Dumfries and Galloway Council and five Dumfries-based schools.
During the winter semester, each Level 2 MAPE student is tutoring a child in a local school who requires additional support with their reading. Building on their knowledge of the science of reading, gained during their first-year literacy course, our students have furthered their knowledge and skills this year and worked diligently to prepare for this learning experience that enables them to ensure that their practice is research-informed.
Book Buddies is a dynamic and professionally relevant learning experience for our students and one that has already demonstrated that it is making an immediate and positive impact on our local community and the children involved. Our students will present their analysis of the efficacy of the reading interventions they are delivering via poster presentations at an end-of-course conference in March. Details of this will be shared with staff in the School, and all are welcome to attend.
Moving forward, the research, scholarship, and knowledge exchange opportunities of the initiative offer exciting prospects for enhancing (initial) teacher-education for literacy not only locally but across Scotland and beyond. Insights into beginning teachers' knowledge bases for literacy, the effectiveness of the intervention approach, and also perspectives from practitioners are already providing valuable insights for literacy development and teacher education.
Book Buddies: A Reading Intervention Programme
Book Buddies is an innovative literacy intervention from the University of Glasgow, Dumfries Campus and the School of Social & Environmental Sustainability. Built into the MA Primary Education with Teaching Qualification programme, our students provide 1-to-1 reading and literacy support to children in primary schools throughout Dumfries and Galloway.
