Inspiring the Next Generation of Readers with Mat Tobin

Primary Futures

Mat Tobin, Senior Lecturer in Primary English, discusses the importance of fostering a love for reading and writing in primary education. Mat shares insights from his experiences and highlights the importance of creating a reading-friendly environment in classrooms. Through the conversation, he also presents numerous strategies for aiding young readers, such as involving parents in reading, using quality literature, and balancing phonics with comprehension. The conversation also touches on the challenges faced by teachers, the role of the Department for Education, and the need for a supportive curriculum that allows for creativity and joy in learning.

• (00:46) - Mat presents his observations of the goings on at schools today, with emphasis on the importance of quality literature for students.
• (05:59) - Ed presents the issue of teachers that do not react appropriately to children’s reading, to which Mat discusses methods that teachers can use to entice and encourage young readers.
• (14:58) - Mat and Ed consider the importance of diverse literature where children can see themselves and the value of who they are.
• (16:38) - Mat considers the differences between guided reading and shared reading.
• (29:00) - Mat looks to the future of education, to consider the changes that could improve the quality of education for teachers and students alike.
• (41:27) - Mat presents practical steps that teachers can take within their classrooms now, to ensure that students feel seen in the classroom.

About our guests

Mat Tobin teaches English and Children's Literature in both the Primary BA and PGCE ITT courses. He also leads an MA/PGCert Course in Children's Literature and Reading for Pleasure. Since joining Brookes in 2014 after 16 years of Primary teaching in Oxfordshire, Mat is continually invited to deliver keynotes and workshops across the UK on Reading for Pleasure, Picture books and engaging children (and all stakeholders) in the reading and writing process. He is currently writing a doctorate on Children's Literature and using the outdoors: he is interested in the link between comprehension, language and locality through high-quality children's literature. In 2021 his co-written book, Understanding and Teaching Primary English, was published by Sage. Mat is also passionate about sharing the high quality work that his students do on his module. These cross-curricular plans that focus on the teacher 'knowing the text' and 'blending objectives across the curriculum' are shared publicly and well-received across the social media community.

Key takeaways

• Encourage parents to get involved in their children's reading activities to enhance their engagement and literacy skills.
• Balance the focus on phonics with reading comprehension to ensure children can understand and enjoy what they read, rather than just decode.
• Create a joyful and supportive classroom environment that fosters a love for reading and writing, allowing children to express themselves freely.
• Empower teachers to have the confidence and flexibility to inspire and engage students, rather than strictly adhering to a rigid curriculum.

Quotes

"Books are intrinsically about culture and society and who we are and who we are not and other and self, that you just build up this relationship that you can't in any other subject." - Mat Tobin

"Books don't live in a museum, they live in our hands." – Ed Finch

"I felt that through the journal and through book talk [...] you help the child gain a sense of their own self-worth as a reader." – Mat Tobin

"I think it's important, isn't it? In that classroom [...] that there's that balance between texts you can enjoy just for the sheer pleasure and then texts you look at to understand the craft that's gone into it" - Mat Tobin

Resource recommendations
Chambers, A. (2011) Tell me: children, reading and talk: with the reading environment. Stroud, Glos.: Thimble Press.

Clements, J. and Tobin, M. (2021) Understanding & teaching primary English: theory into practice. Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE Publications.

Dolan, A. (2014) You, Me and Diversity: Picturebooks for Teaching Development and Intercultural Education. Trentham Books; Tch edition

Hacking, C. and Wyse, D. (2024) The Balancing Act: An Evidence-Based Approach to Teaching Phonics, Reading and Writing. Routledge.

Khan, S. (2024) Brave new words : how AI will revolutionize education (and why that’s a good thing). [New York, New York]: Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.

The Open University Reading for Pleasure. Teachers' Reading Groups led by volunteer leaders.

Children's Books

Goodfellow, M. (2023) The Final Year (J. Todd-Stanton, Illus.) Otter-Barry Books Limited.

Leonard, M. G. (2016) Beetle Boy. Scholastic India

Shah, V. (2022) Ajay and the Mumbai Sun. Chicken House.

Sterer, G. (2021) The Midnight Fair (M. Di Giorgio, Illus.) Candlewick.

The Reading Framework

Maine, F. (2015) Dialogic readers: children talking and thinking together about visual texts. London: Routledge. Available here.

Perkins, M. (2015) Becoming a teacher of reading. Los Angeles: SAGE.

Such, C. (2021) The art & science of teaching primary reading. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin.

Tennent, W. et al. (2016) Guiding readers : layers of meaning : a handbook for teaching reading comprehension to 7-11-year-olds. London: UCL Institute of Education Press

What will you take away?

Download the Hamilton Brookes' Primary Pledge card to continue the conversation with your teaching community. Share your pledge card by tagging Hamilton Brookes on your preferred social platform.

Hamilton Brookes

Primary Futures is brought to you by Hamilton Brookes, your loved and trusted place for quality lesson plans, materials and resources that you can use in your classroom.

To find resources that work for you and your pupils, go to the Hamilton Brookes website and browse ideas for English, maths, science and cross-curricular topics. You can find more information here.

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