Reading is the Superpower for the Future!

Our modern world is a complex and interconnected global community evolving at an unprecedented pace. We are experiencing rapid advancements in technology, economic, social, and political tensions that are increasingly difficult to navigate.

We have knowledge banks at our fingertips, yet we feel we know less; we have social networks in our pockets, yet we feel more isolated. The future is full of challenges and opportunities, and as we navigate our fast-paced lives, it is important to stay informed, open-minded, connected and engaged.

The English Department is acutely aware that we are standing on the precipice of a digital revolution that demands an educational evolution. Our role is to prepare our students for a future characterised by paradox: a world where technology can divide and connect. Our future demands a refocus on our human capabilities and the delicate balance of the head and the heart; thinking and feeling.

Last year I read the book Stolen Focus by Johann Hari; in it, he laments the destructive power of many of the technologies we have come to rely on. Destructive in that they have numbed our humanity and removed our capacity for imagination and curiosity. Hari suggests that: "Reading is one of the few technologies that can restore our focus and attention in a world where we are constantly under assault." This restorative power of reading can counterbalance the constant distractions and interruptions of modern technology and how it can help us to retrain our brains to focus and concentrate for longer periods of time - a luxury and necessity for our fast-paced lives.

Reading is the superpower for the future! It is the unity of our paradoxical selves: thinking and feeling. It empowers the imagination, fosters curiosity, creates connections, builds empathy, reframes knowledge, supports the known while revealing the unknown, and simultaneously confirms and challenges.

The Barker English Department is aware of our responsibility to foster the skills, understanding and love of reading our students require for both their heads and hearts. We are focused on providing students with high-quality and interesting texts that use language and structures in creative ways, have social and cultural significance beyond the classroom, provide students with opportunities to broaden their knowledge of universal experiences and society beyond their direct experience yet equally connect to students' worlds. Teachers have been transforming their classrooms into reading havens with minilibraries, reading spaces, reading recommendation posters and providing wide reading time during lessons. We join forces with the library to promote reading through the BookBites program, we participate in the Premier's Reading Challenge and, more recently, in the Youth Review Forum with the CBCA.

Promoting and developing a good reading culture depends on us all. I know parents are deeply aware of this and often ask what they can do to support their teenager "to read more". Encouraging teenagers to read can be challenging, as they often have busy schedules and many distractions. However, here are some strategies that parents can implement to help promote reading:

1. Lead by example: parents should demonstrate a love for reading by reading books, magazines, or newspapers.

2. Create a reading-friendly environment: set up a cozy reading nook in the house with comfortable seating, good lighting, and plenty of books.

3. Provide access to a wide range of books: parents can take their teenager to the library or bookstore and allow them to choose books that interest them. E-books are OK too!

4. Non-fiction is reading too: reading material does not have to be canonical literature. Reading should connect with students' interests. Consider biographies, information books, articles, magazines on topics of interest.

5. Connect with a librarian: these are the experts in Young Adult fiction - seek their advice.

6. Limit screen time: encourage your teenager to limit their screen time and instead use that time to read books or other materials.

7. Make reading a part of their daily routine: parents can set aside a specific time each day for their teenager to read, such as before bedtime.

8. Offer incentives: consider offering incentives such as a special outing or a small reward for reaching reading goals.

9. Make it social: encouraging reading as a family activity or participating in a book club can help make reading more enjoyable and social. Many teenagers also connect on social media platforms to share their reading experiences and recommend reading!

Reading should be a lifelong delight, not a duty. The key is to make reading a positive and enjoyable experience for teenagers so that they are motivated to continue reading on their own.

The future, one driven by technology, particularly an AI-driven future, demands human agency. It demands creativity, innovation, empathy and an ethical approach. Reading is the superpower that will keep our "human heritage" alive.

Laura Craven Head of English