Using ICT to develop literacy skills
12 Oct 2009
Children's challenge seeks out the write stuff
THE nation's schoolchildren are putting pen to paper in the hunt for the next JK Rowling. They are being challenged to come up with winning stories by online assessment company Right2Learn and High Street bookseller Waterstone's. Hundreds of pounds in book tokens are on offer to find the country's young writing talent.
The story writing competition came about as a response to an Ofsted report which highlighted standards of written English in primary schools, recommending that teachers use resources such as the internet to improve writing skills.
Entries of up to 200 words are being invited from children, aged five to 11, throughout the UK, to be submitted online via right2learn's competitions page. The winning entries will also be voted for online by parents and teachers in three competitions to be run throughout the academic year.
Right2Learn managing director Shaun Micallef-Green, a former teacher and father-of-five, said: "This is our response to the Ofsted report and feedback from teachers and parents who say how challenging it is to develop children's writing skills and to stimulate their interest and enthusiasm in this area.
"We are delighted that Waterstone's is supporting the competitions, and believe that the prizes will act as an extra incentive to children, as well as helping parents and schools. Who knows, we may be sowing the seeds for the next JK Rowling."
The Ofsted report, "English at the Crossroads", revealed that although standards were lower in writing than reading, pupils responded well where activities were engaging and the best schools used ICT, information and communication technology, to motivate pupils and develop literacy skills. Its recommendations, published in June 2009, included improving teachers' understanding of how to use ICT technology effectively in teaching English.
Mr Micallef-Green added: "Parental involvement is often vital in stimulating a child's creativity and can have a great impact on the child's overall performance as school. We believe that the online approach for our competitions will add an element of fun for children and contribute towards raising standards."
