‘World’s best teacher’ gives a special lesson at Willesden school

Global Teacher Prize winner Nancie Attwell and Schools Minister Nick Gibb at Capital City Academy in Willesden (Image: Swani Gulshan)

Nancie Atwell, winner of the $1 million Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize, taught one of her innovative reading lessons to a group of year eight students at the Capital City Academy in Doyle Gardens yesterday.

Ms Atwell, billed as “the world’s best teacher” was joined by schools minister Nick Gibb MP on what was her only teaching stop on her short UK tour.

Pupils were enthralled as she conducted the lesson, giving the 12 and 13-year-olds copies of two poems written by her own pupils back in Maine which they discussed before writing their own.

The school was chosen to conduct the lesson due to its focus on literacy which is to have every teacher a teacher of literacy by developing reading, writing and speaking skills regardless of the subject they are teaching.

Ms Atwell said: “It is a privilege to conduct this lesson at the Capital City Academy to help raise the profile of authentic, engaged writing and reading experiences for students around the world.

“Every student in every country in the world deserves both a voice as a writer and the meaning and pleasure that literate adults find in the pages of books we love. Establishing classroom libraries and fostering voluminous, self-selected book reading is the essential method if we’re ever to increase literacy achievement around the globe”.

Alex Thomas, principal of Capital City Academy, said: “Developing literacy skills and fostering a love of literature is a key part of our approach. Agreeing to be a part of Nancie’s tour was a very easy decision. It is a fantastic event opportunity and a great learning opportunity for our staff.”

According to UNESCO, there are still 250 million children in the world that cannot read or write.