When you read a good story it has the power to make you a little more wiser, a little more empathetic (by seeing through the eyes and experiences of someone other than yourself). With regular reading being a sort of passively internalized training in the art of writing; reading books equips you with the possibility of becoming a skilled writer yourself.

When a story is written, that is a story documented, and henceforth, a story made immortal. So our nations need a tradition of reading, we need writers. For our cultures, for our history.

Why is it that the habit of reading is so rare when the benefits are so vast? I have heard people from around the world say, ‘I don’t read much but I enjoy The Harry Potter series.’ Something about this literature appeals to the masses, which is a good thing. It has won fans all over the globe but I have to point out that it is a modern fiction with no characters that are people of color. It is very western and it is very commercial. So, I only hope that it’s the gateway to more readership; readership filled with more diversity and culture.

Another reason not many pass-times are filled with book reading is because people are often made to believe that reading is only associated with academia. Yet another reason is that people find that buying books is expensive. I do realize that reading books for leisure is a luxury (it is costly) but it is also a worthwhile investment.

And of course, libraries are available and they are free. I refer to them as urban sanctuaries. Inquire with people in your town or even search on the internet for libraries in your region.

Let us normalize the joy of reading and encourage the reading of books for recreation so that kids will maintain book reading well into adulthood. Let us make a conscious effort in reading books from all over the world of narratives not spoken enough of globally. African, Asian, Middle Eastern, South American, Native American, Caribbean, Aboriginal, etc.

One place working to promote reading culture in Tanzania is the Soma organisation. They are doing beautiful work. They host several events during the year pertaining to literature, poetry, arts and culture. The last event I went to was a very lovely memorial for the late writer and Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison. Because I spoke so passionately about literature and the author at the event, the director, Madam Demere Kitunga, gave me an impromptu invitation to mediate part of their public discussion. I very enthusiaistically accepted and felt so elated to be able to contribute to the program. And that is just how Soma Book Club is: giving everyone a voice and facilitating public platforms whenever possible for all.

The Soma organisation is currently teaching extracurricular classes for children to become more exposed to literature and to also learn how to write their own stories. What a great way to uplift our children.

Here are some other places making readership and literature available to both children and adults:

• Soma: Leisure and Culture – www.somabookclub.com
• Mkuki na Nyota Publishers – www.mkukinanyota.com
• Novel Idea – (If a book is not available in your store for a deposit they would happily order it in for you)
• University of Florida’s free Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature – https://ufdc.ufl.edu/baldwin/all
• Booksie: African Childrens Bks @mybooksiebox – Available on instagram for ordering books and a free live children’s books reading every first Saturday of the month.
• http://literacycloud.org/

Now that you know some great outlets that are facilitating the culture of reading, let’s spread the ‘word.’

This report reviews over 200 pieces of research to identify the elements of teaching with the strongest evidence of improving attainment. It finds some common practices can be harmful to learning and have no grounding in research. Specific practices which are supported by good evidence of their effectiveness are also examined and six key factors that contribute to great teaching are identified. The report also analyses different methods of evaluating teaching including: using ‘value-added’ results from student test scores; observing classroom teaching; and getting students to rate the quality of their teaching.

Key findings

The two factors with the strongest evidence of improving pupil attainment are:

• teachers’ content knowledge, including their ability to understand how students think about a subject and identify common misconceptions
• quality of instruction, which includes using strategies like effective questioning and the use of assessment

Specific practices which have good evidence of improving attainment include:

• challenging students to identify the reason why an activity is taking place in the lesson
• asking a large number of questions and checking the responses of all students
• spacing-out study or practice on a given topic, with gaps in between for forgetting
• making students take tests or generate answers, even before they have been taught the material

Common practices which are not supported by evidence include:

• using praise lavishly
• allowing learners to discover key ideas by themselves
• grouping students by ability
• presenting information to students based on their “preferred learning style”

Educational resources