Putting Reading and Writing at the Heart of Learning
After nearly five decades in the classroom, Ros Ali still believes that one of the most powerful things a school can offer a young person is a voice.
The St Cuthbert’s College English teacher and Director of Library Services says reading and writing are not only academic requirements, they are also acts of agency. In her classroom, storytelling is more than a unit of work - it is a way for students to understand themselves and their place in the world.
“I’ve always loved teaching writing,” Ros says. “It’s about helping students find the words for what they think and feel. Once they can do that, they begin to understand their own power.”
That belief sits at the centre of her practice. Whether students are crafting fiction, experimenting with poetry or building carefully argued non-fiction essays, Ros frames writing as a form of expression rather than simply an assessed task. Student voice, she insists, must come first.
The school supports Ros’s teaching ethos, knowing that writing well, and being able to tell a compelling story, underpin success in any of the students’ future career field.
“Writing isn’t just for aspiring authors,” she says. “It’s a fundamental skill. It’s how you communicate ideas in any field.”
She has watched students carry those skills into medicine, law, business and the sciences.
Ros recalls catching up with a former student, now a medical doctor, who said how much her writing class informs her work today. “She told me that at med’ school, fellow students would ask her for help in writing up their work.
“The students, my former pupil said, were excellent on the science side of things, but didn’t have the skills to frame up their research, present case studies, or form a compelling argument.”
The same applies across other disciplines. Students entering competitive university programmes quickly discover that literacy — the ability to analyse complex texts, synthesise ideas and express original thought — is a quiet but decisive advantage.
At the root of strong writing, Ros argues, is deep reading.
“You can’t write well if you don’t read,” she says simply.
As Director of Libraries, Ros has helped cultivate what she describes as a ‘vibrant reading culture’ at St Cuthbert’s. The library is not just a repository of books but a dynamic learning space — somewhere students gather, browse, discuss and discover. In an age of constant digital distraction and the rise of artificial intelligence, Ros believes reading remains one of the most radical acts a student can undertake.
Neuroscience educator Kathryn Berkett commends Ros’s approach. “Connections form in the brain when we activate them. An essential system in the brain is our default mode network (DMN), which is activated when our thoughts become internally directed rather than being fed by outside ‘noise’.
“The DMN is essential when we want to reflect on ourselves, when we need to activate our imagination and when we engage in deep thought. It is a network that is getting less and less practice, due to easy access to stimulating devices.
“Underdeveloped DMN can contribute to more mental health issues. The practices of reading, writing and introspection that are supported here are developing the DMN,” she says.
Ros adds that reading develops empathy, perspective and critical thinking, and adds that “It teaches students to sit with complexity.”
She recalls teaching Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye - a challenging and confronting novel - and watching students grapple with its themes of race, beauty and identity.
“It changed some of them,” she says. “It opened their eyes to experiences very different from their own. That’s what literature can do. It expands your world.”
But inviting students to explore complex ideas requires something else too: trust.
Ros is deeply aware that writing can feel exposing. Personal narratives can carry vulnerability. Over years of teaching, she has developed careful strategies to ensure her classroom remains a safe place for expression.
“You have to build rapport,” she says. “Students need to know their stories are respected. They need to know what will be shared, what will be assessed, and what will remain private.”
Kathryn Berkett comments that trust is the first developmental stage we undertake, underpinning all the following stages we work through in life.
“Trust is formed through serve-and-return relationships, which requires the person with more power in the situation to allow others to have autonomy in the space. Through serve-and-return, trust builds and the young person can then access the full scope of their knowledge and creativity.”
Confidentiality is paramount. Ros is clear about boundaries and permissions, particularly when dealing with sensitive material. She encourages students to experiment with perspective - to write through fictional lenses or adopt indirect storytelling techniques - so they can explore difficult topics without feeling overexposed.
“Sometimes it’s easier to tell a hard story sideways,” she says. “You can shift the perspective, create a character, change the context. It still holds truth, but it protects the writer.”
Interestingly, Ros notes that students rarely reveal their deepest personal issues in classroom writing. What matters more is that they feel the option to express themselves honestly, within safe parameters. That balance between voice and privacy is something she continues to reflect on, especially in a world where boundaries between public and private life are increasingly blurred.
Authentic connection, says Ros, is more important than ever.
In her classroom environment, this begins with shared reading and extends through shared conversation. It is nurtured through writing workshops, peer feedback and moments of collective discovery when a student finds exactly the right phrase.
In a rapidly changing world - one shaped by AI, shifting media ecosystems and contested truths - Ros believes literacy, being able to write well, and read judiciously are more essential than ever.
“Students need critical media literacy,” she says. “They need to question sources, analyse bias, understand how narratives are constructed. Reading deeply helps them do that.”
Ultimately, my course teaches students that words matter, particularly their own. “Stories shape how we see the world,” she says. “And when students learn to shape their own stories, they discover their agency.”
When students realise this, they stand taller. They engage differently.”
Written by Penny Hartill.