Shared reading is originally a British concept, which essentially involves a reading circle with reading aloud taking place in groups. When the group meets, the leader reads a passage whichis then followed by a discussion among the participants. The advantage is that no one has to read anything in advance and there are no requirements for prior knowledge, performance or reading ability.
“The discussion is entirely shaped by the participants, their questions and interests,” says Anders Ohlsson.
He and his colleague Torbjörn Forslid helped introduce the concept to Sweden in 2017. They had become interested in social reading and were attracted by shared reading, which focuses on the reading experience and the community.
150 librarians have been trained
Here in Sweden, many regions have shown an interest and more than 150 librarians have been trained to act as reading leaders. In addition to providing training, Anders Ohlsson and Torbjörn Forslid run their own reading circles and conduct research on social reading.
“The innovation is that we are developing the concept further. In the UK, they focus on the classics, with Shakespeare at the centre, and the health benefits of reading. Here, we often choose more modern literature and focus on the reading experience itself,” says Anders Ohlsson.
They were put into contact with LU Innovation thanks to a special call for applications at the Joint Faculties of Humanities and Theology. According to Torbjörn Forslid, the aim was to make the faculty’s researchers realise that humanities research can also be translated into a product or service. They applied for, and received, a grant that enabled them to free up time to establish and develop their concept of shared reading.
Further adaptations of the concept
Throughout the process, LU Innovation has acted as a sounding board and advisor.
“It’s great fun to talk to them, they are a driving force and spur us on. In addition, they possess a market mindset that we lack and have made us start a website and advertise the concept, among other things,” says Torbjörn Forslid.
“They have also been thinking about what to do if the business grows. Should we hire someone? Should we register a company? It’s been very valuable,” says Anders Ohlsson.
Recently, they received a further grant that will allow them to adapt the concept for use in upper-secondary schools, which was also a suggestion from LU Innovation.
“Schools are supposed to promote reading, but they also place demands on students to perform, so the material needs to be reworked to fit that environment. Thanks to this grant, we can work on that over the autumn,” says Torbjörn Forslid.
