I was delighted to read Gill Moore’s article (FE Focus, June 2) on her successful use of Quick Reads with her students, and to hear how she is using them to encourage a reading-for-pleasure habit so they can acquire the confident reading skills we all take for granted.
However, I would not like to see people discouraged from using other learning resources. I declare an interest, having managed the production of a set of practitioner resources for all the Quick Reads for the Department for Education and Skills as part of the World Book Day Quick Reads initiative.
Our aim was to provide ideas for practitioners and support staff using the Quick Reads to stimulate discussion, promote opinion forming, enable sharing of views and highlight other reading possibilities for learners.
Teachers are focusing heavily on skill acquisition. I am anxious we encourage learners to use their skills to participate fully in wider social and cultural arenas from which they may previously have been excluded.
We cannot insist learners read for pleasure but we can help them acquire a lifelong habit to promote informal learning.
Kay Jackaman
Campaign manager
The Vital Link
The Reading Agency
