tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018371774869383950.post1285885359944587750..comments2023-09-20T16:55:09.433+01:00Comments on A Shiny World: Comment only when qualified - Bookstartlouloukhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11562093751876067547noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018371774869383950.post-87024984116370184192010-12-27T12:41:49.124+00:002010-12-27T12:41:49.124+00:00Update: it looks as though Bookstart may be reprie...Update: it looks as though Bookstart may be reprieved - at least temporarily:<br />http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-12079784Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018371774869383950.post-29513914855231744792010-12-26T20:50:04.469+00:002010-12-26T20:50:04.469+00:00Damnit, I typed a huge response and Blogger ate it...Damnit, I typed a huge response and Blogger ate it. I shall be briefer.<br /><br />As a parent, book lover and baby signing teacher passionate about early communication, I am *horrifed* Bookstart has been cut in such a cavalier way. Yes, it does need to be assessed for impact and sustainability as every project should be - but there is a chunk of research on their website you can start with which has results. <br /><br />I would like to point out that Bookstart *isn't* about learning to read. If it was, you wouldn't get books. You'd get phonics worksheets, and schools would expect children to be reading when they started (my daughter had the reading age of an 8yo when she started and the school panicked - they are not set up to deal with early readers!).<br /><br />Bookstart is about communication, about sharing time with parents/caregivers, it's about listening, about attention, about building confidence in talking about shared experiences (and with any luck, providing access to the library). The scattershot approach is NOT always a bad one: Bookstart has always been blind to income, class, race, religion and location: every kid got the same. They had a shared experience regardless of their home life. I am really saddened that my 5mo won't get to share that with her peers.<br /><br />In my opinion the failing of Bookstart is that it doesn't start early enough.Carolinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05003411148319982087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018371774869383950.post-69311416843577940622010-12-26T15:25:06.543+00:002010-12-26T15:25:06.543+00:00I think it is a scatter gun approach, which, hopef...I think it is a scatter gun approach, which, hopefully, might have an effect in some cases, but that's probably only ever going to be a minority. In an ideal world, it's worth doing though. The problem is, we don't live in an ideal world.<br /><br />I speak as someone who was allowed to join the adult section of my local library two years early because I had read all the books in the junior section. I didn't buy many books as a child, there was no need, the library was 5 minutes walk away. I probably could have afforded to buy some books, but nowhere near as many as I read from the library, and I may not have developed the voracious appetite for reading that the presence of the library enabled me to develop. <br /><br />And then I did an English degree which effectively killed the pleasure of reading book for me. But, then, that's another story.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018371774869383950.post-60980459440429988572010-12-26T11:49:03.499+00:002010-12-26T11:49:03.499+00:00Chris> Received and understood. Literacy and nu...Chris> Received and understood. Literacy and numeracy are not necessary in order to succeed in the world (whatever success looks like, I suspect it looks different to different people). I think giving books away is a good idea if only because like Janet says, it's a 'nudge' for those who perhaps hadn't thought. But scattergun approaches seem to me a bit random in a world where there's no money, which we're told there is not.<br />Janet> Thank you. It's interesting to me the value of nudge which is what you did, I think. Is it that nudge is just what's needed or is it the actual physicality of a book which is required.<br /><br />I think the thing I'm focusing on is that children don't teach themselves to read, someone teaches them. In the absence of interested parents (which you're absolutely right, is nothing to do with money really, I don't quite know why I thought it would be apart from person experience but common sense should have kicked in), who will that be? Would book clubs be better where parents could take their children and get some help with how to teach reading? Offered support instead of just a book and no associated assistance?louloukhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11562093751876067547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018371774869383950.post-91629173017417081942010-12-26T11:22:24.801+00:002010-12-26T11:22:24.801+00:00I wonder if what's important about it is that ...I wonder if what's important about it is that it's not aimed just as the poorest? I don't think that it is just about how much money people have. In fact, I am sure that it is not about that but about knowledge, expectations, peer pressure, and aspirations.<br />I remember being surprised to hear that a colleague and his wife had not yet bought books for their small child (at least 2 or 3 year old at the time). I gently suggested that it would be a good idea, they went and bought some books, and he soon reported that his child loved books. He was a middle manager. They had thought that one left giving a child books until s/he went to school and was formally taught to read.<br />It is increasingly difficult for people not to learn to read adequately and hope to earn a living because there are fewer and fewer jobs that do not require reading ability. If the cost of a few books helps to prevent someone requiring state support all his or her life because they are unable to get a job, maybe it's worth it? Our society cannot afford ignorance.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018371774869383950.post-45293965226836003882010-12-26T11:05:22.621+00:002010-12-26T11:05:22.621+00:00I could never get enough books. I read everything ...I could never get enough books. I read everything I could get my hands on. Now as a granny I don't bother much with them. Everything I need to know or want to read is online.<br />I do like the odd trashy novel when I am removed from connectivity, but that's about it.<br />My daughters/granddaughters are book fiends too. I think the second floor in my daughters house may collapse with the weight one day.<br />My son once read part of 'the silver sword' at school, has never touched a book since apart from tractor magazines, and is now running his own business and employing 3 others. My husband and his father never read a book in their lives. Its horses for courses, and I personally don't think government should waste their time and our money giving books away. I do think that if someone wants to read they will, no matter how rich or poor they are, and the same in reverse. The same applies to computers. I don't think they should give free computers away especially to families who already have xboxes, sky dishes etc.<br />As ever, only MHO but I am interested in everyone elses opinion too.<br /><br />chrischrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07574928297845542047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018371774869383950.post-56371262561268075382010-12-26T10:32:24.002+00:002010-12-26T10:32:24.002+00:00It's the child benefit argument all over again...It's the child benefit argument all over again, for me. Distribute something to everyone, including those that don't need or want it. In the midst of this, the top end of the curve are people like you, who don't need anyone to tell them the importance of books, because books are a part of your world. They're just there, you probably don't even think about it.<br /> <br />At the bottom end of the curve are all the people simply can't or wont read. @inniebear on Twitter mentioned just now that people are simply asked 'do you want this?' - is any intervention or conversation instigated on a no answer? Because it should be. <br /><br />Then there's the audience in the middle who will receive gladly the books, use them, treasure them. How many are in that category and how much could we save by recalling the resource from the bottom and top end of the curve and using it to tackle the red flag scenarios? I've got no problem with the money being spent, how could I, just a problem, increasingly, with this scattergun approach.louloukhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11562093751876067547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018371774869383950.post-79709007998781332952010-12-26T10:24:25.233+00:002010-12-26T10:24:25.233+00:00I don't know. Really don't. What is the ...I don't know. Really don't. What is the impact of these schemes on target families? - i.e. not mine. We received bookstart books. I don't think we did anything with them. I'm very picky about children's books. The canvas bag is not completely useless - I think we sometimes use it to take swimming stuff to the pool. I can't remember which book even came with bookstart - it joined the massive pile of other children's books we have.IngridKhttp://ingridkoehler.comnoreply@blogger.com