I would agree. When it comes to revision strategies, I know students can be encouraged to try multiple approaches to make information stick: read, turn it into handwritten notes, mind map, use different colours to highlight different things... It all helps to help the information go in.

I think it's best in the sense of necessary. Online reading is here to stay, it seems unlikely that ebooks, blogs, and other forms of online information are going to go away. So we need to be prepared to access online information and to prepare our students to do so. It's pretty common in the working world to have online seminars and so on these days, after all. On the other hand, I agree with Sabrina's point about the difficulties of reading for long periods of time online. It makes my eyes tired too. And it's much easier to skim and not process the information. There is still a time and place for print reading.

My first thought is that both skills need to be practiced regularly and often. There's no point doing everything in one style and then assuming that students will know how to do the second style when they haven't had any experience of it. For longer, in depth pieces of reading, students may need to build up to that level of reading stamina. Particularly important at secondary level and above given how many exams are based upon several hours worth of reading and writing.

I think it's easier to get distracted online because it's so easy to wander off down some sort of digital rabbit hole. Plus we may have other programs pinging us - email, social media etc - that are running in the background and are alerting us to activity. Whilst multitasking is a good skill, I also think sometimes people think they are better at multitasking than they actually are and can end up doing two jobs poorly rather than one job well. I think if something is going to require attention and focus, we need to give it that attention. Maybe switch off the emails and social media (or at least all the pings) and just concentrate on one thing. I think there is now software that will temporarily lockdown that kind of thing to make it easier to concentrate.

I would agree with the article that it is very tempting to read shallowly online. So one thing is perhaps to highlight that and encourage them to be conscious of what they're reading. To think about the text and interrogate it as they read. Maybe read it more than once to ensure they've taken it in. I know when I am studying that something I need to read in depth, I often print out so I can highlight and annotate more readily. If that isn't possible, then I try to take handwritten notes. The act of notetaking and turning information into bulletpoints or mindmaps can help it stick in my mind. More so than if I'd made notes in, say, Word at the same time. So that could be another tactic: read, but write down the key points.

This perhaps comes down to context. Reading around, whether online or in print. Discussing. Putting the information they are reading into context so they can understand where it fits into the things they already know. Comparing points of view, checking definitions if terms are new to them, and generally taking an holistic view rather than shallowly skimming.

I think that last point is important, Rachel. I had a conversation with some of our year 10s this week prompted by them saying one of them had a bad taste in books. I observed that it was more accurate to say they had 'different' taste in books. The fact that someone likes a different genre or style to you does not in itself mean they have bad taste. Nor does it mean that a book is bad just because you didn't like it. I find students sometimes struggle with that a little. It can be quite binary: liked it = good, didn't like it = bad. I think books (like music, movies, other forms of art) are less binary than that.

Students need to be allowed space to voice their opinions, but it's not something they're going to just know how to do straightaway. Many will need scaffolding, at least to begin with. Perhaps a few questions to get them to think about the book in more detail. Something that helps to lead them past 'it was okay, I liked it' to thinking about what they liked about it.

Quiet reading, like anything, has pros and cons, in my opinion. On the one hand, quiet reading allows students to engage with a text and this is a good thing. But what if they don't like it? How do we tell if they're actually reading or just faking it so as not to get into trouble with the teacher? If they're not engaging, what's the point? So on its own, no, I don't think it's enough. I think there needs to be a variety of activities: group reading, booktalking etc.

I hadn't heard it call that before, but I can see what is meant by it. I think this is perhaps the most useful area to target with reluctant readers because sometimes their argument is that there is no point to reading, their parents don't read, there's no need for it as an adult etc. However, in a lot of instances, I suspect what they mean is that their parents don't sit down and read a novel. It is tricky to navigate through our very literacy-based society without ever reading at all, whether that be the Highway Code when they're learning to drive, bank statements, insurance documents, job descriptions for if they want to apply for a job etc etc. In some ways, this type of reading is the most crucial to daily life.

Reading for learning I think of as being connected to the school curriculum. Material that is read to enhance or expand understanding of a topic that is being studied or perhaps as part of a revision process.

I think this is an interesting idea and one I am going to read more about. Removing the word 'pleasure' could be less challenging to those students who are more reluctant readers and allow them to engage more with the idea that the reading is non-curriculum related but still beneficial. I agree with Sabrina that some students do switch off when they hear the word reading and some will immediately start arguing that it isn't something they find pleasurable. So removing that from the equation might allow us to engage them from a different angle.

I do think information these days is often presented in bite-size chunks with attention-grabbing headlines, particularly online. I wonder if this is a reflection of how much information is available online. So much that it's necessary to do 'click bait' style headlines simply to try to stand out from the ground. But I can also see that that can be detrimental to reading longer and more deeply. That sort of thing does not encourage reading stamina, which can only be built up over time by reading more and for longer. Then when they do have to read something meatier, people find it hard because they're not used to it. In terms of changing it, I think the only way would be to encourage students to read a variety of material. Yes, they're going to read the short soundbites online, but encourage them to read longer articles and books, in print as well as digital. Build that reading stamina up. Make sure those neurons are wired up in their brains. It sounds very much like a use it or lose it scenario based on the article.

I think reading expands your mind in the sense of introducing you to new ideas and concepts and vocabulary, all of which is beneficial because when further new ideas come along, it gives you tools to help deal with that. I also think there's an element of practice makes it easier with reading. I think sometimes people assume that you learn to read when you're little and that that's it. You know how to do it and you don't need to practice. And perhaps at a basic level, you don't, but for the purposes of having the stamina to read a long piece of text, you do. I have family on both ends of the spectrum, those who are keen readers and those who aren't. I have a close family member who for years only read maybe one novel a year during the summer holiday and that was it. A year or two back, he decided he was interested in reading the books that inspired some of the tv series he particularly enjoyed and has started to get into reading more as a result. What I have seen watching him is that when he started, he struggled. He could read, he read the newspaper cover to cover every day, but reading a whole chapter was hard work and he wasn't used to it. Gradually, he found it easier. He gained stamina. He could read for longer without having to stop to give his brain a break. But even now he can't cope with distractions like music, the television or other people talking for long. This is no different to getting better at something physical like riding a bike or throwing a ball. But it is something that I think isn't always taken into account, that physicality of reading and the development process involved. You're never too old to start, as my family member showed (he was in his late 60s when he really got into reading), but don't expect to do the reading equivalent of the Tour de France straightaway 😁

@Magdalena Vidgen 'Crusades' was intriguing, I agree, and what an amazing opportunity for the children to hear him speak. He comes across as a very engaging speaker on television.

I thought this video was fascinating. I was aware of the link between reading fiction and building empathy. It is something I consider when purchasing new books for the school library, that necessity for including a broad range of inclusive and diverse texts so that students can a) see themselves represented and b) learn to put themselves into the shoes of other people. However, I had not come across the neurology before and that is very useful. I will be recommending the video to other members of staff and perhaps even some of our students as a very useful explanation of why reading is so important. This summer, I have quite a long TBR pile. A number of the books are ones I know will be part of reading challenges for one or other of our year groups. I like to get ahead of them where possible on those books so that it's easier to make recommendations when we reach that stage. So I have 'The Outrage' by William Hussey, 'Game Changer' by Neal Shusterman, 'The Gilded Ones' by Namina Forna and 'The Great Godden' by Meg Rosoff on the pile for that reason. Others will be books I have picked up because I think they look interesting. Plus I'm halfway through a non-fiction book about the Crusades by Dan Jones.

I think the nine points raised are interesting and I would agree in principle with all of them. In terms of us specifically as library professionals, some points perhaps link most closely to our work than others at least in the sense of what we as individuals can do specifically in our day to day practice to contribute towards these goals. Taking each point in turn: 1. Commit to strengthen education as a common good. Education is a bulwark against inequalities. In education as in health, we are safe when everybody is safe; we flourish when everybody flourishes. - Arguably, this is one of our overarching major aims. The library should be a source of information and ideas from across the spectrum, ideally not just the topics covered in their curriculum but more widely still, allowing students both to expand their classroom-gained knowledge and to delve into other topics that spark their interest. It is a place where they gain insight into social issues through both non-fiction and empathic fiction. They can become more rounded individuals through this and gain empathy for others in different positions. This all supports a goal of tackling inequality. 2. Expand the definition of the right to education so that it addresses the importance of connectivity and access to knowledge and information. The Commission calls for a global public discussion—that includes, among others, learners of all ages—on ways the right to education needs to be expanded. - This point is clearly targeted at the disparity in access to computers and internet highlighted by the pandemic, which proved problematic when learning moved online. But libraries are surely about access to knowledge and information, both in digital and physical form, and so this raises the question of how we as librarians try to tackle this issue too. What part do we play in helping individuals access this knowledge? 3. Value the teaching profession and teacher collaboration. There has been remarkable innovation in the responses of educators to the COVID-19 crisis, with those systems most engaged with families and communities showing the most resilience. We must encourage conditions that give frontline educators autonomy and flexibility to act collaboratively. - I would suggest here that this point should be expanded as to me it rather implies teachers collaborating solely with other teachers. I would argue it should also mention teachers collaborating with other professionals and support staff including librarians. 4. Promote student, youth and children’s participation and rights. Intergenerational justice and democratic principles should compel us to prioritize the participation of students and young people broadly in the co-construction of desirable change. - This could be linked to providing space for students to inform themselves on social issues, environmental issues, and other concerns of students today, as well as how democratic political systems work etc in order to better enable them to participate in constructing the future. 5. Protect the social spaces provided by schools as we transform education. The school as a physical space is indispensable. Traditional classroom organization must give way to a variety of ways of ‘doing school’ but the school as a separate space-time of collective living, specific and different from other spaces of learning must be preserved. - I would suggest that the library should be classified as one of these other spaces of learning. It isn't a traditional classroom. But it is nonetheless where knowledge and information can be gained. 6. Make free and open source technologies available to teachers and students. Open educational resources and open access digital tools must be supported. Education cannot thrive with ready-made content built outside of the pedagogical space and outside of human relationships between teachers and students. Nor can education be dependent on digital platforms controlled by private companies. 7. Ensure scientific literacy within the curriculum. This is the right time for deep reflection on curriculum, particularly as we struggle against the denial of scientific knowledge and actively fight misinformation. - We have discussed fake news and similar topics before in these discussions and I think all of those ideas about how the library can participate in the fight against misinformation would be relevant towards this point. 8. Protect domestic and international financing of public education. The pandemic has the power to undermine several decades of advances. National governments, international organizations, and all education and development partners must recognize the need to strengthen public health and social services but simultaneously mobilize around the protection of public education and its financing. - With hopefully the recognition of the importance of libraries to public education and their addition to the list for funding. 9. Advance global solidarity to end current levels of inequality. COVID-19 has shown us the extent to which our societies exploit power imbalances and our global system exploits inequalities. The Commission calls for renewed commitments to international cooperation and multilateralism, together with a revitalized global solidarity that has empathy and an appreciation of our common humanity at its core. - See many of the comments for point 1 here too.

@Elizabeth Yes, indeed. It helps to demonstrate that I'm not resting on my laurels, so to speak, but also sometimes I come at things from a different perspective than a member of the teaching staff. We do have a staff CPD shelf in the library and I will always pick through the new books as they appear to see if there's anything relevant to me. So there have been occasions when I've read books primarily aimed at teaching staff, but took away from it the bits useful to me. My line manager, I believe, finds that interesting as he is a member of the teaching staff and SLT. We may have read the same book, but come away with different bits that we can put into practice for our own purposes.

@Elizabeth @Ruth Maloney I, too, like the idea of bite-size chunks of CPD. I think this is far more user-friendly. Conferences and workshops can, of course, be brilliant, but they can also be expensive and you may have to travel, which are both potential logistical complications - although one silver lining of the pandemic has been the increased use of the webinar, which does away with the travel component. For myself, and I suspect for many of others, doing shorter 'bites' of CPD fits in better with our normal routine. In terms of logging it, I often schedule CPD into my diary if it's of the 'read the chapter of this book' variety or something like that that is schedulable. Putting it on my to do list and setting aside time means I don't forget to do it. I keep a spreadsheet of what I do. I also do termly library reports and I always include my CPD in that. So I have an 'official record' and so does my line manager. He does sometimes ask questions about certain elements of it, which can lead to useful discussions.

@dawnwoods2000 I think this is all very true, Dawn. I think social media has the potential to be an 'echo chamber'. The people we follow, the filters we use, all restrict the variety of opinions expressed. For example, on Twitter, I mostly follow others related to my career in some fashion so almost everything that appears on my feed is linked to that. Like lots of other people, I will click 'show more' or 'show less' to alter what gets on to the feed. Because you have to filter or drown in the sheer amount of posts. But I'm aware that in so doing I'm reducing the points of view shown to me. I have friends who use various kinds of social media who have said things to me like: I have hidden such and such because I'm tired of topic X turning up in my feed all the time. The more feelings are running high when it comes to whatever topic X is, the greater the odds (in my experience) of people doing exactly that. It's understandable, especially when certain things seem to be everywhere, to say enough, but it does obviously restrict what does subsequently appear on their social media feeds and it will mean people aren't being exposed to a variety of different opinions. I use social media in this example because I feel that a lot of the case studies referred to in the article are spread primarily through social media and other online forums. And, whilst more conventional media sources - print, television and so on - may have something in their charters about putting both sides of a debate, social media is not set up that way. Any and all opinions are treated as if they have equal weight and its up to the reader to decide whether to believe them or not.