An evening of teaching and learning at Berkhamsted

During this year’s annual evening of teaching and learning, Berkhamsted School had the pleasure of hosting Dr. Helen Breadmore as the keynote speaker. Dr. Breadmore is an Associate Professor in Psychology in Education at the University of Birmingham. She spoke to Berkhamsted staff and teaching staff from visiting schools about strategies to enhance reading and comprehension skills in the classroom. Although the focus was on literacy, teachers from various disciplines attended the event, with Dr. Breadmore emphasising that “every teacher is a teacher of literacy.”  

Helen’s talk focused on the processes and skills essential for successful reading and writing from a child’s youngest years to adulthood. She explained the complex components necessary for a child to comprehend a text, such as decoding, full word recognition, grammar, and syntax. Additionally, Helen emphasized that for a child to truly comprehend what they read, they must make inferences based on decoding grammar, syntax, and vocabulary and by drawing upon their background knowledge. 

Helen also urged teachers to consider the vocabulary they use in the classroom and ensure that pupils can clearly define the Tier 2 words (high frequency words found in many subject disciplines) often used within their subject.  

After the keynote speech, teachers explored the pop-up stands where they learned about the research carried out by Berkhamsted’s staff and pupils.  

A huge thanks to Dr Helen Breadmore for such an informative evening!