Kate Gostick

New Books Coming Soon

I am currently working on two new books which I hope to have available sometime towards the end of 2021.  

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Reading more into it

A resource book for literacy teachers of students aged 8 to 13 years

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I have always believed that emotions drive our learning and that pupils who find learning arduous need to have a particularly strong emotional foundation to help them conquer these challenges.  I remember my Chemistry lessons, from when I was in high school, with a somewhat eccentric teacher who would often make small errors that at times produced spectacular results. You had to be engaged in her lessons if not only for your own safety!  Her lessons, despite being a little dangerous, were captivating and allowed me to develop a true love of Chemistry. When we enjoy a lesson or subject, we are motivated to find out more and take risks in our learning.  For many children, who struggle with literacy, language lessons can be dull and lack the multi-sensory component that they need.  If their self-esteem is low or they are anxious or depressed, they can find it difficult to access the curriculum.  This belief is supported by a large body of research that shows social, emotional and behavioral difficulties to be greater in children with learning difficulties and that their achievement increases when these problems are addressed.  Teachers are aware that they have a duty to care for their pupils' emotional needs as well as their academic ones but often lack the time or the skills to do this effectively. Many books exist that outline ideas for lessons devoted to overcoming this issue, but this does not address teacher concerns that they do not have the time to devote solely to emotional issues. 

 

This book aims to overcome that concern by using mainstream literacy lessons as a vehicle to deliver emotional content.  The lessons are interactive and multi-sensory are designed to promote discussion and acceptance.  The program outlined in this book is based on up to date research in, not only emotional wellbeing but also reading comprehension.  The program I developed was tested through research conducted in conjunction with the University of Birmingham in the UK, and shown to be highly effective at improving both literacy attainment scores and emotional wellbeing.

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Why  your Haemorrhoids are not my Fault.  A journey from darkness into colour

This book will tell the story of my early life growing up in Lancashire and my move beyond the county's borders, first to Cardiff and then Cheshire.  It then describes what it was like moving to America, a land separated from my own by a common language and a huge cultural chasm.

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