Reading books has the potential to support our wellbeing in many ways, from eliciting positive emotions, to feelings of connection and supporting personal growth. This webinar shares and celebrates the empowering and enriching effects of reading fiction books across the lifespan. In addition, practices to enhance and expand the quality of readers’ experiences with books will be discussed.
This webinar is based upon a research project led by the University of Edinburgh, in collaboration with the National Literacy Trust and Scottish Book Trust. The project aimed to broaden and deepen understanding of the wellbeing benefits associated with reading fiction books, from childhood to older adulthood. You can find details of the project, publications, online articles, and reflective reading guide here: https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/literacylab/previous-projects/readwell/
Speakers:
Professor Sarah McGeown (Literacy Lab, University of Edinburgh). Sarah’s research focuses on understanding and improving literacy experiences and outcomes across the lifespan, and enriching lives through literacy. You can learn more about her research here: https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/literacylab/ and contact her at: s.mcgeown@ed.ac.uk
David Robinson (English Department, George Heriot’s School). David is a secondary English teacher with over twenty years experience teaching language and literature in Japan, Beijing, Hong Kong and Australia. He returned to Scotland in 2022 and currently works at George Heriot’s School in Edinburgh. You can read articles he wrote about poetry, podcasts, nature led learning and the SDGs in the TES: https://www.tes.com/magazine/author/david-robinson and contact him at davidrobinsonteachHK@gmail.com
