Fostering cutting edge research and critical scholarship on literacy, pedagogy, policy and practice.
The International Literacy Centre (ILC) brings together literacy researchers, practitioners and teacher educators with an interest in developing an interdisciplinary research agenda that can tackle the most pressing questions in literacy pedagogy, policy and practice from the early years and across聽the life course.
About us
- Aims
- Create a vibrant and distinctive interdisciplinary research culture at IOE聽that supports innovative and methodologically rigorous thinking in literacy research
- Deepen local, national and international partnerships that sustain literacy learning and teaching in the early years and across the life course, paying attention to the diverse ways in which literacy is embedded in the social world
- Bring evidence to bear in public and professional debate on literacy education, literacy policy, and practitioner education
- Work for the public good by sharing expertise amongst our stakeholders.
- Our staff
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Steering group
- 聽- Reading Recovery and enterprise
- 聽- Research and staff collaboration
- 聽- Outreach, engagement and widening participation
- - Website and communications
- - Teaching and student journeys
- - Former centre Director
Members
From the Department of Learning and Leadership
From other IOE departments
Activities
- Our research
Key research themes
Our key research themes include:
- adult literacy聽鈥撀爓e have a strong interest in adult literacy research, policy and practice, and supervise doctorates in this area.
- deepening professional knowledge and professional enquiry though the study of literacy in diverse settings
- early literacy development and its challenges
- enhancing literacy pedagogy through a focus on what works for whom, under what condition
- interdisciplinary perspectives on literacy 鈥 what can we learn from each other
- literacy as a lifelong and life-wide social practice 鈥 the contribution of ethnography, sociolinguistics and psychology to empirical enquiry
- literacy policy and its impact on literacy practices in education
- tools for studying literacy interventions: process evaluation, theories of change and rapid evidence assessment
- transposing literacy pedagogies into other languages and education systems.
Projects
The ESRC Education Research Programme 2021-26
A project 聽comprising of a cohort of nine projects have been funded to explore two themes:
- teaching and learning with a focus on teachers, their recruitment, retention and professional development聽
- uses of technology that enrich teaching and learning.
More info:聽The ESRC Education Research Programme 2021-26
Learning through disruption: rebuilding primary education using local knowledge
A project exploring how primary school parents, pupils and staff have coped with, and adapted to, a period of prolonged disruption in education, and the lessons we can learn as schools resume. More info:聽Learning through disruption
Reading Aloud in Britain Today (RABiT)
This two-year study of contemporary adult reading aloud practices explored diverse forms of oral reading in different communities, languages, cultural contexts and phases of adult life. The study was funded by the AHRC and carried out in urban and rural locations across Scotland, Wales and England. More info: RABiT
Rapid Evidence Review on Translational Research聽
Dr Sinead Harmey, Dr Bernardita Munoz-Chereau and Professor Gemma Moss conducted a rapid evidence review for the Froebel Trust on Translational Research. This investigation explored the processes involved in successful research 鈥榯ranslation鈥 and the key features or the characteristics of academic work that has been translated and used in education settings.
A framework is provided to support researchers to make their research more accessible and support the development of successful partnerships.聽More info:
Reimagining Literacy Practica
Dr Sinead Harmey received 果冻影院 Global Engagement Funds to engage in a project with Dr Bobbie Kabuto (Queens College, City University of New York) on the 鈥淩eimagining literacy practica: Preparing educations to teach literacy in a global context鈥 project鈥.
Manor Park Talks
Conducting a systematic review for the implementation of the Every Child a Talker (ECAT) programme, this is a part of a and funded by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF).
Current teaching practice in using a system of phonics with post-16 learners
This project is to support the use of phonics in the Functional Skills English curriculum for post-16 learners.
A duty of care and a duty to teach: educational priorities in response to the COVID-19 crisis
This project explores the challenges the COVID-19 crisis sets primary school teachers. These challenges will be considered in the light of the diverse roles primary schools find themselves playing in their local communities. More info: Educational priorities in response to the COVID-19 crisis
The role of Teaching Assistants during the COVID crisis
A study looking at how teaching assistants (TAs) and those working in classroom support roles have been working with children, families and teachers during the COVID crisis.
- Consultancy
Our consultancy projects develop through strong relationships聽with publishers, practitioners, third sector organisations and policymakers.
We work to:
- bring聽research into dialogue with practice
- deepen聽professional knowledge by fostering professional enquiry
- encourage critical thinking and reflective practice that is evidence-informed.
- Reading Recovery
Reading Recovery is an accredited school-based literacy intervention for five- to six-year-olds who are the lowest attaining in reading and writing.
From its base within the International Literacy Centre, Reading Recovery Europe promotes high quality professional learning for teachers that enables those pupils who struggle with literacy learning to catch up with their classroom peers. Reading Recovery has been widely researched nationally and internationally. Independent evaluations consistently show it has聽long lasting impacts.
Reading Recovery is currently implemented in the following European countries:
- England
- Republic of Ireland
- Scotland
- Malta.
- Seminar series
ILC hosts a termly seminar series where researchers, practitioners, and those with an interest in literacy education, policy, and practice across the lifespan can come together to discuss current issues in the field. Dr Sinead Harmey is the series convenor.
- Other activities
- Rachael Levy, Sinead Harmey and Sam Duncan are editors of the journal .
- Sam Duncan is a member of the Executive Committee of the .
- Doctoral student literacy special interest group (SIG)
We have a special interest group for doctoral students doing work related to literacy. Please contact us if you are an IOE doctoral student and would like to join the SIG.