Just sometimes, an amazing opportunity comes along. I was delighted to find myself in the north of Australia, by the sea, at the Scientific Studies of Reading Conference, 2023. This conference is pretty much the Oscars for the world of the psychology of literacy. Researchers come together to share their latest work, debate ideas and collaborate.  If, like me, you are a literacy research nerd, it is full of interesting people discussing their new ideas and amazing people. But, as someone who spends most of her time in schools and talking to teachers, complicated research designs and complex statistical models are certainly out of my comfort zone. But I like a challenge!

The conference runs for 3 days with concurrent symposia and posters on display. The amount of work is a little overwhelming – but as my current work focuses on reading comprehension, that’s where I have decided to focus on my attention.

Over the next few days, I will share thoughts and reflections about the conference and the directions the research suggests we follow in the classroom.