Welcome to Write Minded
Martina Gannon is my name and I am the Literacy Co-ordinator with the Write-Minded team. I was appointed to this position in January 2009. Having been a teacher for very many years I am delighted to have the opportunity to work closely with teachers, students, schools, families and community groups to ensure that young people in Ballymun achieve the highest level of literacy development.
Reading and writing skills are essential if we hope to lead full, busy lives as active members of society. The ability to read for pleasure, to access the information we need, to understand and complete essential forms and to express ourselves orally and in print are basic to independent living. Supporting the development of literacy skills in schools, homes and community is imperative.
Many young people in Ballymun do well at school, progress to further education and enjoy rewarding positions in a great variety of occupations. We have high expectations and great aspirations for all of our children and young people. All the supports necessary will be put in place to ensure that they realise their potential.
Internationally renowned educationalist Dr Tim Shanahan visited Ballymun this year. His research emphasises the important elements of literacy and indicates that improving reading achievement requires an equal amount of quality time to be spent on Word Knowledge, Fluency, Comprehension and Writing. My colleague, Duana Quigley, the Oral Language Development Officer, and I are examining these elements to identify resources and supports to enhance learning in each area. We are delighted at the warm welcome received in the schools and in family and community projects.
There are lots of local services in Ballymun, and many after-school and out-of-school projects working with young people and families. Many projects offer enrichment activities and most ensure that literacy development has an important place in their planning. Duana and I are working with a number of services to provide support for them in this regard. Jason in the Aisling Project and Valerie in the Drop-In Well give a flavour of that work in this issue of yblive.
