The Big Picture: professional development insights for using visual texts

Tickets: £195 for a single booking - £150 for additional colleagues - £25 discount for National Literacy Trust premium members

Lunch provided.

Registration: Please complete the form at the end of this page.

Our venue: St Matthew's C E Primary School. Location B7 4JR

The Big Picture: one-day CPD training workshop

Research shows that comics and graphic novels provide a dynamic and inclusive format to engage keen and reluctant readers alike. In the classroom, how can we get the most from these important tools to develop literacy – across levels of need - and nurture a love of reading?

This evidence-based CPD workshop, suitable for teachers supporting Key Stages 1 to 3 and SEND, takes an innovative look at how comics and picture books can boost reading comprehension and enjoyment. We’ll work from current research to provide strategies for using visual texts in the classroom to develop literacy skills and deliver key aims of the English curriculum.

Why attend The Big Picture?

• Develop professional knowledge of the power and importance of visual texts in developing literacy.
  Our research has found that children who read comics are "more engaged with reading, regardless of their age" than those who don't (Children and young people's engagement with comics in 2023, National Literacy Trust), showing that they provide a potential route into reading for pleasure.
• Explore the evidence base for the use of picturebooks and comics with a wide range of children and young people
  Visual texts provide a route into targeted book talk, one of a number of oral language interventions, which the EEF suggests can provide "an additional six months’ progress over the course of a year".
• Gain confidence in embedding visual texts in the literacy curriculum, planning, teaching and learning
  Picturebooks "have the potential to promote children's conceptual development while simultaneously opening their worlds in fun, engaging, and compelling ways." (Early Childhood Education Journal, 2023). They provide an effective source of inferential discussion, an important part of reading comprehension. Additionally, because they rely mainly on pictures to create a narrative, they can be used across a range of reading abilities.
• Take away strategies and techniques to support the implementation of immediate, impactful approaches
  The day will be divided into two parts which will focus consecutively on picturebooks and comics and graphic novels. This is an evidence-based and inspiring opportunity for professional development, equipping you with the tools to support your vital role in supporting young people’s literacy.

Attending The Big Picture workshop

Book your place using the form below. If you have any questions, please email ruth.king@literacytrust.org.uk