'It's a Heart Carrying a Book!'

In this interactive session, we explore the intricate relationship between children’s developing self-concept and learning to reading.

Explaining my own recently published research, I illuminate young children’s voices on this  crucial milestone.

My research explores the inner, often unseen world of children’s experience of learning to read. This experience is deeply emotional and inextricable from children’s developing self-concept, personal relationships and identity development.

You will never look at picture books – or indeed any fiction books – in the same way again!

Duration: 1 hour.

Perfect for: All Primary and Secondary schools/Literacy Organisations.

Creating confident readers and writers with the Alphabeasts

In this interactive session, we explore the emotional world of the young reader. We look at how using a variety of child-led strategies will boost reading enjoyment and confidence – especially for those young readers finding reading tricky.

Duration 2 – 3 hours. 

Perfect for: All Primary or Secondary schools, SEN departments, TAs or even pre-school.

Katie’s Alphabeasts programme is a revelation. I attended one of her training courses, as I am a literacy volunteer, and was blown away by the exciting opportunities that Alphabeasts offers to children who struggle with reading. It is centred on the child and gives them a range of vital tools to help them decipher what can be a challenging world of letters and reading. Having animals linked to different reading challenges is inspired and helps root it in children’s minds. I can wait to use it more with kids I work with. Fiona Mitchell

Reading volunteer, Literacy Volunteers

Katie provided half a days’ training for Literacy Volunteers on the Alphabeasts. Our volunteers help children in schools and pre-schools to enjoy reading and communication and boost confidence, and are in an ideal situation to use the Alphabeasts with individual children.

Katie was professional and engaging, and everyone who attending the course had very positive feedback. The exercises the volunteers did in small groups were enlightening and well communicated. Katie is extremely knowledgeable.

The volunteers who received the training will now go out and use the Alphabeast cards and we are hoping we can then extend the training to more of our 180 volunteers across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. Lorna Jaggard

Early years literacy co-ordinator, Literacy Volunteers

Alphabeast workshops explore:

  • Effective strategies for all your dyslexic learners;
  • Creative and innovative literacy ideas to support readers develop confidence and boost enjoyment of reading;
  • Reading research and theory;
  • Innovative ways to engage readers in small group Alphabeast interventions.
“Excellent! Clear and passionate and clearly illustrated how the Alphabeasts can create a positive impact.”

  Training attendee

Reading volunteer, Literacy Volunteers

“Really informative and inspiring” Training attendee

Reading volunteer, Literacy Volunteers

“Very helpful to learn about a very new child-focused method of helping children with literacy difficulties. Lively and engaging presentation” Training attendee

Reading volunteer, Literacy Volunteers

Multi-sensory and inclusive phonics workshops

Do you want to help your teachers and teaching assistants develop fun and inclusive approaches to teaching phonics?

Through creating a physical and multi-sensory experience, children who struggle to hear some sounds will be able hear, grasp and process them.

This interactive and bespoke workshop will:

  • Explain hands-on and fun approaches for helping young readers grasp all stages of phonics;
  • Explore the theoretical underpinnings of memory and processing;
  • Provide stimulating strategies and games you can use straight away in your every day practice or interventions.

Duration: 2 hours.

Perfect for: Primary teachers and teaching assistants – to inform day-to-day classroom practice and/or to develop interventions.

Finding your reading and spelling super-powers!

Do you want to give your teachers and teaching assistants a theoretical grounding in reading theory that brings the concept alive and helps develop ideas for promoting reading skills in the classroom?

Are you looking for creative and effective ideas to boost reading comprehension?

Fun ways of teaching spelling strategies that really work?

This interactive and bespoke session explores:

  • reading theory;
  • creative and multi-sensory reading and spelling strategies, especially effective for dyslexic learners;
  • theoretical insights into effective ways of developing reading for meaning and comprehension.

Normally a 2 hour session – depending on what elements are needed by you, for your staff and children.

Totally bespoke training perfect for both Primary and Secondary.