news
This is an opportunity to find a more flexible , diverse approach to connecting students with engaging representations of Australia .
Reading recovery
Reading Australia Fellow for 2021 wants to connect students to Australian literature .
By Wade Zaglas
Edwina West from Oakhill College in Sydney has been awarded the prestigious Reading Australia Fellowship Award for 2021 for the project Combating Aliteracy with Australian Literature .
The award , which is supported by the Copyright Agency ’ s Cultural Fund , was announced during this year ’ s AATE / ALEA National Teachers ’ Conference , which was held online .
“ Every student in Australia should be able to draw on quality Australian writing in classrooms and at home . Edwina ’ s Fellowship project aims to address the growing aliteracy in our schools by helping young readers select books that reflect their diverse experiences and resonate with them ,” Copyright Agency CEO Adam Suckling said .
“ This project closely aligns with our focus on raising the importance of , and connection with , contemporary Australian stories within the curriculum .”
The not-for-profit Copyright Agency established Reading Australia in response to “ growing concerns that knowledge of , and appreciation for , Australian stories was in decline ”. The online education resource was created as a means of sharing great stories and resources in the classroom .
Since 2013 , the Copyright Agency ’ s Cultural Fund has contributed $ 100,000 per year to Reading Australia to both create new literary resources for teachers , but also fund the Reading Australia Fellowship for Teachers of English and Literacy .
The fellowship awards $ 15,000 to the winner , and is open to English and literacy teachers , and teacher librarians who work in primary or secondary schools and have at least five years ’ experience .
Edwina intends to use the Fellowship to “ develop a resource and toolkit for teachers and teacher librarians to help students to
Edwina West . Photo : Andrew West better select books , with a focus on diverse and engaging Australian writing ”.
She also plans to create a repository of young adult fiction , “ which teachers and teacher librarians can use to effectively pitch books to students in terms of interest , relevance and reading ability ”.
Edwina said one of the reasons she is thrilled to be awarded the fellowship is the ability to imbue students with an interest in great books .
“ As a classroom teacher , I have had countless conversations with wellmeaning , driven students who are the first to admit that they ‘ don ’ t read ’,” she said .
“ More often than not , it ’ s because they never have any success selecting a text they connect with .
“ This is an opportunity to find a more flexible , diverse approach to connecting students with engaging representations of Australia and Australians in young adult literature to foster a love of reading .”
Edwina ’ s fellowship will also afford her the opportunity to meet with some of Australia ’ s key writing and publishing organisations for literacy and education , as well as leading academics . Some of these include the Australian Publisher ’ s Association , English teachers ’ associations , ALEA , AATE , National Centre for Australian Children ’ s Literature , and Reading Australia .
She will also be attending the Celebrate Reading National Conference in Perth and several writers ’ festivals “ to source a range of high-quality Australian books with diverse representations of Australian youth aimed at young adult readers ”.
“ Diverse representations of Australia and Australians are definitely available through literature and have been for quite some time . Edwina ’ s Fellowship will help to connect more young readers with young Australian stories , remedying the growing concern of aliteracy among Australian students ,” Suckling concluded . ■
2 | educationreview . com . au